Kaplan Thompson Architects

Phil and Jamie and the rest of the team at Kaplan Thompson are a joy to work with. Smart, friendly, not ego-driven and they genuinely work in close collaboration with their clients. Their familiarity with modern, energy-efficient building techniques and materials especially comes in handy when planning the full scope of the project. The only negative, and I think this is true of many architects who work with a wide range of builders, is that they sometimes don't have as tight a handle on how various design decisions will impact the budget as I would have liked. It's a bit inherent to the process, where we worked on designs, then brought them to builders for estimates, but we would have likely made some different design decisions if we had understood better how those decisions would drive the building costs up or down.

KTA did an excellent job coming up with a design for our new home that fit the unique features of the site and a grandfathered building envelope. They were also very patient dealing with a challenging client (me). Although energy efficiency was not at the top of my priority list, it is wonderful having a home that uses so little energy and is very warm on cold Maine nights.

If you’re looking to work with an architect to design and coordinate the building or renovation of your dream home, you Can Not go wrong with KTA. Jesse got our concept right away and Richard brought our ideas to life. My wife and I offered up vague ideas and they made the real. They coordinated interviews with the builders and after we selected Bowley, they worked hand in hand to ensure the execution of our shared vision. From emails, to site visits to billing, we felt like their only client. Give them a call, go in for a visit, look at their work on their walls... you’ll be glad you did!

Phil and his team designed a 2600 ft house, 4 bedroom house that comfortably sleeps 10. Two families share the house all summer with ease due to the easy flow and design. Phil really listened to our needs while designing a home that is visually pleasing and environmentally thoughtful. I highly recommend Kaplan Thompson Architects!

We worked with KTA over 2 years to design and build our wonderful home. It is a house where all who walk in comment on how beautiful it is. We had very strong views as to what was needed, and had lived at the site for 10 summers before building so we knew the winds, lighting, etc. KTA took our ideas and appropriately challenged and enhanced them and we are very pleased with the result.

We approached KTA associates with an ambitious request: We love our cosy Dutch Gambrel home but it is a little cramped and cut off from its setting that winds down to a river bed. Eighteen months later we have a home we love even more -- which we did not think was possible. Phil Kaplan and Jamie Broadbent worked with us and got to the essence of our needs, style, and aesthetic. They gave us the design we asked for including more space, sweeping views, relationship of the inside with outside, and an entirely different contemporary design. More important, they brought their special expertise in energy efficient homes to bear on the heating and cooling mechanics of the home freeing us from fossil fuels and making the home more environmentally friendly. The test of any good design ultimately is its implementation and here KTA has a unique and winning formula. They work with a client to select a builder and involve them in the final design phase. Our builder- Josh Howell of JD Howell and Company, Waldoboro ME- did an excellent job in translating the project from paper to a glass and clapboard structure and more. Overall, I have no hesitancy in giving this team of architects and builder the highest recommendation.

As a sub contractor they are great to work with, interesting and fun. Projects have been detailed, easy to follow and extremely energy efficient. I consider them to be leading the charge on high performance homes in Maine.

Shelterwood Construction is currently building a passive house designed by Kaplan Thompson Architects. They are creative, responsive, flexible, and fun to work with. The team at Kaplan Thompson welcomed my perspective as a builder during the design phase, took the time to share knowledge of new products, and continued to be a great partner throughout the building phase. They really seem to be a leader in the passive house design world.

I've had the pleasure of collaborating with Kaplan Thompson Architects on several projects. With each experience they continue to impress me. Phil / Jessie and the KTA team are innovative designers / good listeners / technically savvy / well organized / and very professional. They deliver a forward thinking and dynamic approach to every step of the design process...resulting in beautifully smart architecture. I highly recommend working with them!

We hired Kaplan Thompson to design an energy efficient home under a strict budget. We really enjoyed working with everyone in the firm. Everyone is super nice, professional, and creative! They understood our requirements, budget, and timelines. They did several site visits to ensure the project fit the neighborhood and also established a rapport with our local code compliance to ensure approval of our design. Based on all the input we provided, they presented a couple great options as a starting point. Since we were out of town, we used web conferencing to view and refine designs. Most importantly, they provided guidance as we chose a contractor and reviewed costs and materials. They put together an energy model to help us validate selections heating equipment, efficient and minimal, I might add, thanks to our tightly insulated building. KTA also provided us the guidance we needed to install the right amount of PV panels, ensuring maximum value without producing energy we wouldn't be able to use. During the build process, they visited the site at appropriate intervals, with amazing attention to detail, to ensure everything met the design specifications. Since we had a tight budget, they came up with creative ways to get 'high design' without the high price tag. I'd highly recommend KTA and will use them on my next project!

Great guys that can really deliver unique and challenging projects. We asked for something special that had never been done before and boy did they deliver! The house is so good we never want to leave except they also created a unbelievable outside space for us as well. There is no one better for designing a enviromental energy efficient home. Did I mention that it costs 50cents a day to keep it at 71 degrees year round?

Kaplan Thompson Architects is a top notch firm with energy efficiency as its major focus. They are easy to work with and are full of ideas. We have worked with them on several projects over the years.