Barnett Architecture LLC

I contacted Todd in 2011 to see if he was interested in working on an unusual project. My wife and I had a buildable lot and I wanted to build a smallish high-performance house (aka Passive House from the German Passivhaus trend). I had seen a couple of his projects and I liked the contemporary feel and interesting use of materials. He explained how he worked and I found out he was also a fan of Sarah Susanka's ideology (see the "Not So Big House" book series). (His design partner, Sara, in fact worked for Sarah Susanka some years before.) He was also familiar with the Passive house concept and knew what was involved. I was sold. As others have noted, Todd approached the project in a very inclusive, collaborative fashion. Ready with his sketch pad, he draws ideas, makes suggestions, but goes where you guide him. The more ideas and direction you provide, the easier he and Sara can start putting things together. My advice is to show up with more ideas than "I want a house with 3 bedrooms". Do some research, find examples, pictures, etc. Once you help establish a direction, he will supply options and alternatives based on your taste and budget. I can tell you he will offer lots of cool ideas you had no idea existed. Ultimately, he wants to help you get the house you want, not one he wants. I highly recommend him. As for the smallish house? It got bigger, but that was because of me. I'm a woodworker and after weighing costs, I included a fairly sizable workshop into the footprint, rather than build a separate outbuilding. It turned out great.

This is the letter I sent to Todd at the completion of our project: “On Friday, it will be one year since we moved into our "new" home. I remember the very first meeting we had when I told you I wanted to walk into my house every evening and say "ahhh" and feel that I was where I most wanted to be. And I do! Every night when I come through the door I think how much we love living here and how perfect it all is. We want you to know how much we appreciate all you did to make that happen. From the beginning, you and Sarah both grasped the idea that we really did want to keep things small, to make the house perfect but not huge. You didn't encourage us to expand the footprint, to add things we didn't need, or to incorporate "extras" that weren't necessary. What we have is exactly what we wanted; every area of our home has a purpose and is daily used and enjoyed. We always appreciated your availability, your creativity, and your willingness to listen to and incorporate our ideas. Your sensitivity to the history and age of the house meant a lot. I am glad you encouraged us to be true to the character of our home and to incorporate as many of the historical aspects as possible. We love the original beams in the fireplace room and the light pole made from reclaimed wood. I especially appreciate the stone archway between the addition and the original house. As you know, I am all about symmetry and I absolutely love it every time I walk through that area. It is so in harmony with both the past and the future of this home. Thank you, also, for helping me with the decisions I found hardest. It would have been very difficult to choose the millwork without your guidance. I also appreciated your help with the light fixtures. Everything ties together so perfectly and is so consistent with the age and feel of the house. Further, I had no idea how important it is to have just the right color paint for the various areas. One of my favorite times of the day is the morning, when the sunlight streams in from the east and the walls seem to glow! Although we are not planning on ever moving, there are things we would eventually like to do with the other buildings on the property. You will be the first person we call when we get to that stage. You have shown us the value of involving an architect from the earliest point and look forward to again utilizing your imagination and guidance. Please feel free to list us as a reference for future clients as we would be very happy to give you our highest recommendation.” CH and BC, Mequon, WI

Our new addition is splendid, and it is definitely all about the design. Todd took our little 1960 three bedroom ranch and made it a roomy, light, airy space that our family of four will continue to enjoy for years. I think it is some of his creative details that really make the project, such as opening up the stairwell by the dining room, which gives the effect of a larger open dining space. The unique placement and size of the windows in the new bedroom make it a magnificent room, along with the efficient use of dead space that has given us a study area and two beautiful built in book shelves. We really feel like we have a whole new house. Todd was so easy to work with. From the beginning I knew this project would go well, because he took the time to sit with us, and really listened and responded to what we wanted. Todd was patient with our indecision and helped steer us in a practical yet thoughtful direction. Ultimately, he designed a space that exactly met our needs, and was within our budget. Cynthia Hirsch and Family Madison, WI

Todd designed a stunning addition that he seamlessly integrated with our 90 year old home. Todd is very open to a collaborative working style, which suited our needs. At our second meeting, with tracing paper in hand, Todd started sketching (many options) as we discussed our ideas. It was a very fluid process and his hands on approach gave us a venue in which to dream of what our house could be. Todd's skill as an architect made that dream a reality. Todd's sense of space, and his understanding of the relationship between old and new, ensured that our project was not only an extension to our house, but also a connection to our surroundings. He successfully met our specific needs while also bringing a freshness and uniqueness to our project. Many friends that come over to our house to see the addition are just amazed at its beauty. It truly has the "WOW" factor!” As well as being an accomplished architect (with a great sense of humor) he also brought in a skilled and affable builder. The team came in on budget and on time. We would highly recommend Todd.

We worked with Todd on the gut renovation of our vacation home. He added tremendous value, seeing things in our home that we couldn't see ourselves; identifying creative options that, while we had stewed over the project for years, we didn't imagine. The results far exceeded our expectations and, as importantly, came in well within our budget. Kudos to Todd for helping us through this. AdamLizZ

Barnett Architecture did great work for us in designing and overseeing reconstruction of a 75 year old Cape Cod single story house. The house has been converted into a 2 story arts and crafts style house with double the square feet. Todd listened, provided options and produced a very attractive and innovative design.

We had a few hurdles to overcome on designCraft's building, zoning-wise, and couldn't have managed it all without Todd. He kept our project moving forward, and our spirits buoyed. The most memorable part of working with Todd, besides his wit, was sitting at the table as he sketched ideas right in front of us. He'd ask a question or two, then pull another length of canary sketch paper out and pencil in the facade with a new feature. That's where we first glimpsed the barn door, and the fin, and the colored panels. His unassuming way of inviting you into the creative process disguises his genius. Somehow those colored pencil sketches became a building that literally causes passersby to stop and share their admiration.

Todd was a pleasure to work with on our exterior remodeling project. He was very flexible and responded well to hearing from at least 3 of us at a time!. We all bounced ideas around and his patience was stellar. He was very good at taking our input and producing sketches to look at. The project turned out great and we continue to receive many compliments on the building which is a small two story unit. He gave it a whole make-over by combining different materials into one unified look.

I have worked with Todd Barnett on several commercial projects. Some of the projects had a sophisticated medical requirement that Todd seamlessly designed through. He gets to know the client and the vision before the first computer keystroke. He is a very professional architect and displays knowledge, humility and humor during his projects. I would recommend Todd to anyone considering a commercial project.

We had a wonderful experience working with Todd and Sarah to design our house. From the project's inception through construction, Todd and Sarah clearly explained each phase of the process. We appreciated and enjoyed the emphasis on collaboration at the heart of their approach to working with clients. Todd and Sarah were particularly adept at striking the proper balance between soliciting our input, making suggestions, and steering the design process. They were also wonderful throughout the construction itself, making regular site visits, working with our contractors at every step, and responding to all of our many questions. Thanks to their attentiveness and skill, Todd and Sarah were able to transform our fuzzy vision into a house with which we are truly delighted.

We hired Barnett Architecture after careful research, both theirs and ours! We were interviewed as carefully by Todd as we interviewed him, as he wanted to make sure we would have as positive a working relationship as possible. It was a wonderful relationship! He and his partner are both imaginative, respectful, collaborative, generous with time and ideas, economical and principled. We remodeled/rebuilt an old summer cottage into a year-round home. Todd was instrumental/essential in dealing with our local building commission and permitting process, and sometimes difficult and hard-to-fathom restrictions. He always made time for us, gently steered us back to the best path when we strayed, and took as much pride in our completed home as we do. Highly recommend this firm.

My husband and I are passionate cooks and wanted to remodel our kitchen. When we started exploring our likes/dislikes about our house, we could only say that we liked the location (and neighbors!). After exploring a move versus a complete tear down versus a remodel, we ended up interviewing a few architects. We chose Barnett Architecture without reservation. Todd and Sarah were creative, enthusiastic, understanding of our fixed budget and thoroughly accommodating! They were the only architects that seemed to think outside the box. Todd was always considerate in asking us if we wanted his opinion (which we did!) but we never felt that we had to take his advice. We relied on Todd and Sarah's expertise and the input from our builder who has worked with Barnett Architecture on countless projects. There were many times that we would adjust our plans and Todd would just roll with the changes while keeping in mind our overall costs. There were even times when we suggested a change and Todd reminded us that we could do something similar but keep the project at the projected cost. I find it rare to work with a business that truly cares about their customer as much as Todd and Sarah do---from design concept to site visits to keeping in budget to added personal touches. I highly recommend this firm! Our project is near completion and people have literally stopped and oohed and aahed about it. We converted a single 1950's ranch into a modern house with a second story; it is an entirely new house all while keeping the basic footprint.