Stephen Rhoads Architect LLC

I found a fixer upper in Hopewell Borough NJ. Hopewell is a quaint, family orientated town of less than 2500 persons and ranked 15th of best towns to live in NJ. The house was a one story 900 square foot trashed home. We had some challenges as the home was in a historic district. Steve got my extensive home renovation (more than double the original size) approved by the historic and planning boards in two weeks. With the square footage on the small side, Steve wanted open floors and lots of windows. I requested an arts and crafts bungalow style home from the west coast 50-60 style. Steve did a great job with the attention to detail for the style I desired and working with a small space. My house made Princeton Magazine and still love it 8 years later. During the project, Steve managed all the stages of building and made efficient scheduling with all the subcontractors. He also was on top of the sub's to make sure I was getting what I paid for. Overall, it was a happy, easy going experience that would have been a lot more difficult if Steve was not involved.

We purchased our home based on the stunning family room that Stephen Rhoads designed for the previous owner. Over the last 2-1/2 years Steve has remodeled our 2nd floor hall bathroom into 2 bathrooms (one en suite for the guest room and the other a shared hall bath for our children). He recently did a major gut renovation to our 1st floor master bath and our powder room. Steve was also the project manager for these renovations and his attention to detail and knowledge in all areas of construction and design helped us tremendously with our design decisions and keeping us on budget. He stays on top of contractors and keeps to a strict timeline. We look forward to working with Steve again.

Architect Stephen Rhoads was contracted in 2009 to design and manage a much needed renovation to update our 1835 rural farmhouse, onto which an awkward addition was built sometime in the 1940s that added indoor plumbing and a kitchen. We’re the 3rd generation of my husband’s family to own the property, so this project carried along with it the design challenge of preserving the history and feeling of the original house while seamlessly blending it with a contemporary living space. Steve did an excellent job designing a plan with 2 variations. We selected 1 of the plans and Steve worked in our requested revisions. He interviewed contractors, managed every stage of construction, connected us with suppliers, and helped with the mammoth task of selecting materials and fixtures. Construction began in January and was completed by April. The original portion of the house remained mostly untouched with the exception of updating the HVAC system. The 1940s addition was gutted and replaced with a highly functional, energy efficient, very beautiful and comfortable addition that perfectly integrates spacious new rooms with the old section of the house. The renovation changed a dark, low ceiling (6’7”) cramped little house into a welcoming home with open space and great flow. Living the past 5 years in the renovated space designed by architect Steve Rhoads has been our great pleasure, and I strongly recommend him.

When we bought our 1300 square foot bungalow in 2004, we knew that a renovation was in our future. The house needed major updating and in 2006, we hired Architect Stephen Rhoads to help us with that renovation. We had interviewed another architect, as well as a designer, however, it was clear that Stephen Rhoads was the right architect for us. Stephen is extremely knowledgeable, and creative as well as being friendly. He listened carefully to our wish list, and must haves, took notes, and even drew sketches with some ideas as we spoke. Eventually, Stephen turned our 1960 outdated bungalow, into a 2200 square foot dream home. Our family room with a stone fireplace and plenty of natural light is an addition to the back of the house. Our new kitchen opens to the family room complete with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and track lighting. Stephen designed a second floor with a Master bedroom with a spa like bathroom, and a studio with natural light. We also wanted a front porch and back deck, and better curb appeal which Stephen accomplished. He also designed a fieldstone patio, a front and back blue stone walkway, and helped us with some drainage issues in the back yard. Stephen Rhoads was able to come up with the perfect design so that we could have it all, and as the project manager, Stephen was on site every day making sure that the builder was doing their best work. We had several upgrades and change orders along the way, and Stephen negotiated with the contractor to get us the best deal possible. He also helped us get great deals on granite counter tops, faucets, lighting fixtures, and everything else that we needed to buy. Stephen is a wonderful problem solver with construction expertise, knowledge, and familiarity with the local building codes and laws. We are very happy with our renovated home, and highly recommend Architect Stephen Rhoads for any upgrading or renovation project.