Earth and Straw Design

Howard understood my concerns about house fitting into countryside. He worked great with my builder, made adjustments, explained what and why something would or would not work...I am still in the house, still happy with it. I would recommend Howard Switzer. In fact, I have.

Howard and Katey have been doing this for longer than almost anyone else in the business, but they never stop learning, adopting the latest improvements and expanding their repertoire. I have gone to them with challenging jobs from 1996 to 2016. They have never let me down.

The experience we had with Howard's design for the remodeling of a 900 sq. ft. falling down shack built in 1913 was exemplary! Howard came up with a plan to expand the sq. footage to 1200 sq. ft. and to also add two porches. He did this quickly and presented us with a plan that maintained the integrity of the original structure's design. He was instrumental in getting us approved by the Franklin Historical Society and in getting us started in the search for a general contractor. We hope that we can find another project to collaborate with Howard.

The Project: Our project was a restoration and remodel of a home in the historic district of downtown Franklin, TN. The team, Lee Restoration, LLC and Earth and Straw Design, restored the original 1870’s Folk Victorian structure, removed a poorly constructed 1970’s 2nd bedroom add-on and replaced it with a sophisticated addition that blended history with modern upgrades. The house was transformed from a 2 bedroom 1 bath, (with an unfinished loft in the carriage house), to a 2 bedroom house with each bedroom having a private bath, plus a powder room, (and a fully finished 1 bedroom/1 bath with kitchenette guest apartment above the carriage house.) The Review: Howard Switzer at Earth and Straw Design is an undiscovered genius. He was able to take ideas expressed in layman’s terms and, along with somewhat primitive sketches, transform them into three dimensional realities - and then improve on them. Michael Lee and The Lee Restoration team is highly knowledgeable in building and construction. They exhibit exceptional workmanship. They are attentive to detail and respectful of our property. This talented team is extremely professional and courteous. Both parties gave us ideas that were simply spectacular and had we not used them, those ideas would never have crossed our minds. Their contributions to our desired design were well worth the money spent, because those very same ideas turned our home into an amazing space. One of the most important aspects of this type of working relationship is listening. For example, when we didn't want something they took it out or if we did want something they added it (if they could). We communicated on a regular basis to ensure everyone was on the same page. For this reason, they are still providing us with remodeling services on a smaller scale (we are adding built-ins, shelving, a rain catchment system, etc.), and we continue to enjoy working with them both. We are continually receiving complements about the house. Any contractor who goes into the crawl space raves about how great it is – lighting, water abatement measures, electrical (you know you have a great contractor when the crawl space is pristine!) A cable contractor told us, "You know, we see a lot of homes in Franklin and we always tell the owner they have a beautiful house - because they do. But your house is not only beautiful; it’s like a work of art." In December, 2015, when we attended the 2015 annual Holiday Downtown Neighborhood Association meeting, we received so many kudos about what had done for the house and the neighborhood and everyone agreed what great work this team has done for the City of Franklin. The Historic Zoning Commission even invited us to include the house in their annual tour of homes and it was awarded the “Merit Preservation Award” by The Heritage Foundation of Franklin & Williamson County, TN. In short, the house looks beautiful.

We were very lucky to have found Howard to design the renovation of our 1970's ranch in suburban Nashville. I say lucky because he listened and was able to quickly and creatively translate our vision for a Lloyd Wright inspired design while using the bones of the existing structure. As an added bonus, Howard was able to advise on construction methods and materials - particularly when it came to energy efficiency. He kept our project on time and on budget and delivered very detailed plans that helped the complete renovation go much smoother.

Designed my 2000 square foot passive solar, super insulated home. I have lived in this home for 23 years and am very pleased with the design and function of this house. The plans were done promptly and satisfied all reviews for permits could not ask for a better architect.

Howard was absolutely the person for our project. We bought and renovated a huge, old, dilapidated apartment building into four modern, energy efficient town homes, each designed specifically with and for the respective future owner. We incorporated features such as solar water heaters and found that Howard has a vast knowledge of all things green - we really wanted to insulate with strawbale, and he helped us work out a beautiful plan for many other sustainable features that we really wanted to build, but also worked with us to build within our budget. His network of engineers and contractors also was extremely helpful during our build. On top of all this, I can say that I absolutely trust Howard. He was fair, patient with us (as it took us THREE YEARS to come up with funding, and had to change our plans a ridiculous number of times), and a real joy to work with the entire time. Absolutely recommend, especially for those interested in green/natural building/sustainable technology.