Hsu McCullough

Chris and Hsu remodeled 90% of our 2-bdr 2-bath Studio City Home. They did a fantastic job from start to finish, and it was a pleasure to collaborate with them and be guided by them. We also happened to be living abroad during the remodel, but thanks to Chris’s attention to detail, and forward-thinking problem solving we had no issues whatsoever. They even helped us select our contractor and walk us through the contract process with him (Manny of Globus Builders). We highly recommend these architects to anyone who wants an open and smooth remodeling experience. Maricel and Miki

I am the general contractor at ZGB Homes and have worked on multiple projects with Chris and Peggy over the past few years and I have nothing but good things to say about them. They always provide clear drawing details, one of the most detailed we've worked with. They are very fast at responding to questions/ concerns and don't hesitate to meet on site whenever necessary. Their architectural designs are unique and captivating. We have had the privilege to work with them on beautifully designed homes, some widely recognized, such as the Grand View Oak Residence. They are very passionate and knowledgable about their work and it makes working with them easy and enjoyable. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone in need of an architect.

We hired Hsu McCullough to design the remodel of our previously untouched mid-century Venice home. The remodel was almost a completely new build with just a few studs remaining from the existing house. Peggy and Chris were mindful of our budget and designed the perfect home for our family of four. They presented multiple design options complete with color renderings of the key spaces of the home to help us visualize. The pair are professional, passionate and a joy to work with. Hsu McCullough designed a home for us with beautiful moments of light, openness (with minimum square footage added) and exceptional details of which we receive compliments on continually. They helped us find the best contractor for our build, connected us with vendors to select some of the materials of our home, and guided us through the scope of the project from concept to moving in to our beautiful new home. We were very happy with our choice to hire Hsu McCullough and would highly recommend the dynamic pair. Most importantly, we absolutely love the home Peggy & Chris designed for us.

We hired Chris and Peggy to remodel our 1940's home and can't recommend them strongly enough. The result is stunning... Truly a dream come true for us. We found the process of working with them to be rewarding as well. They have strong design opinions, which we appreciate. But they also care deeply about designing specifically for the people that will live in the home and did their best to guide us to our own gut responses about finishes and details. They were also always available when we needed them to nudge the contractor or look at a detail and inspect execution. Best residential architects in LA!

Joni: Chris & Peggy are a winning combination. We hired them to design a full renovation of our midcentury modern home in Los Angeles, and as first-time renovators, we hit the jackpot. Going in, we had NO IDEA what we were doing, and they could not have been more patient, attentive and professional as they helped us navigate this seemingly scary endeavor. They listened to all our wants and needs and came to us with a plan that reflected our wishes, while also maintaining the integrity of our home and its distinct architectural style. We had plenty of what we realize now were bad ideas and Chris always lovingly but firmly brought us back down to planet earth, ensuring we didn’t make any mistakes. I especially appreciate their love of natural materials and deep understanding of lines, light, texture and how all those elements need to work together to tell the story you want to tell with your home. Chris also stayed in close communication with our contractor throughout the construction phase and made sure the plan was being executed properly. Exquisite taste, patience, professionalism, passion … we can’t recommend this team more. Rick: Chris & Peggy had an amazing ability to see all the potential our house had to offer, and they prevented us from making many mistakes. They were always very responsive to any emails and calls, answering us in real time, which is always important when you’re in the middle of such a big project. They have a real passion for what they do, they enjoy their work and that makes working with them that much more enjoyable.

I want to thank Chris for his professionalism and the time he dedicates to his customers even when the project is small. If I ever need an architect, I will definitely consider Hsu McCullough.

My husband and I had never worked with architects before when we decided to renovate our home. The house consisted of small, dark rooms with relatively low ceilings; the outdoor space was unlovely and little used. Chris and Peggy listened carefully to what we needed and what we liked. Their vision and understanding of space allowed them to create a light-filled, open, welcoming space for our family, while allowing plenty of privacy for everyone who lives here. They reconfigured the outdoor space so that it feels bigger and more integrated. We move easily from indoors to outdoors now. Overall, they did a great job combining an understanding of our goals with their own vision and experience to give us exactly what we wanted. They truly were able to see and imagine our home better than we did ourselves. Beyond the concept phase of the project, another reason we loved working with Chris and Peggy was their meticulous attention to detail. They have a great sense of materials, of what will be durable and beautiful. They were incredibly helpful during construction. We used a wonderful contractor they recommended to us, and they collaborated really well with him throughout the project. They were invested in every decision, from major structural choices to the placement of kitchen shelves and light switches. They listened to us, but they were also clear when they had a different insight; they saved us from several choices that, in retrospect, we would have regretted. We moved into our house a year ago. During this past year, there have been a lot more people living and working here than we anticipated when we started our renovation. But not a day goes by when we are not delighted with our home – and it is amazing to look around and see how all the facets of this journey came together under Chris and Peggy’s guidance.

My wife and I hired Chris and Peggy in the spring of 2017 to help us remodel our 1,500 sq ft, single story house. Over the course of our 2.5 year project -- which saw us tear down our existing structure and rebuild a beautiful two-story Spanish Revival home, along with adding a completely new accessory unit in the back -- we benefitted from many aspects of their expertise, from design to decoration to project management. They listened to our needs in terms of how we would use each space, our budget, and our style, and planned a home that would allow us to make the best use of our lot. When it came time to find a contractor, they laid out an apples-to-apples comparison of our bids, making it much easier to see similarities and differences. They remained engaged throughout the process: Chris made many site visits to make sure the reality of the build met the plans, and he accompanied us to many vendors (tile and granite, appliances, windows and doors) where his advice was invaluable. Building a home is a stressful experience: permits, inspections, times when the reality of the site doesn't match the roadmap in your head. Chris and Peggy were never flustered, always looking for a solution that would fit our needs and budget. I can't recommend them highly enough!

We hired Hsu McCollough to redesign a 1980’s nondescript one story Calabasas tract home into the home of our dreams. This was the first complete remodel we had been involved with and Peggy and Chris patiently walked us through every decision from structural changes up to and including furniture design and art placement. Chris and Peggy were amazing to work with every step of the way. They have tremendous passion, vision, taste, artistic talent and management skills. They were always conscious of our wants and our budget and managed our project through until the very end. They were on top of every detail and managed our contractor and his subcontractors when necessary and went so far as to call manufacturers to advocate on our behalf. Peggy and Chris made us feel that our project was important no matter how busy they were (during the time we worked with them they were working on many other projects and getting press attention including being featured in the Wall Street Journal and Architectural Digest) and they always found time for our multitude of questions. They deserve every accolade and award and we can’t recommend them highly enough.

They are fantastic....very creative and thoughtful designs! They come up with solutions that are both beautiful and functional. I have done two projects with them. I would use them again in a heartbeat!

We have worked with Chris and Peggy through two major projects: a remodel of an existing house in 2011 and later an addition/new construction for the same property in 2017 (the most recent phase using Gramajo Custom Homes as contractors). Through both projects, my husband and I have always greatly enjoyed collaborating with Chris and Peggy. Their designs have ultimately provided us a fantastic home that we couldn't be happier in. Being design oriented myself, I have always appreciated the latitude Chris and Peggy would provide as far as my suggesting and determining finishes, lighting, tiling, stone, etc. Our similar aesthetic made that very easy. Of course there are various issues that will arise inevitably in any construction project, but Chris was always able to handle them with tact and fairness. Chris and Peggy are professional, genial, and endlessly creative in their pursuit of beautiful design. Their work product adheres to the highest standards. We feel very fortunate to have crossed paths and now consider them friends.

One of the worst experiences we have had so far in our lives. We have invested in a property in Laurel Canyon for my wife and daughter that was born the following day of our purchase. What we thought was going to be a nice and exciting project and our home for our family became very fast a living nightmare. We hired HSU Mc Cullough thinking that even though it was well overbudget we thought that with our newborn it would be priceless to have professional teams to handle the remodel. Which was a big mistake. The beginning of the project seemed to have started nicely with all the architectural plans and the excitement of the demolition part, but our dream quickly turned black. Hsu introduced us to one of maybe the worst Contractor in Los Angeles. Ready to add all new piping and electrical but leaving all the old in the walls was the start of the living hell. Hsu Mc Cullough wasn’t at all hands on the project. Left My Wife and I to handle directly all conversation with the contractor while we were at the same time jumping homes to homes waiting for this project to be finished. They mislead us in buying numerous items that did not fit correctly as they didn’t look at any specs before proposing and most importantly a 7 000 dollars sauna that the contractor after being shipped since February 2018 that has still not been built. The terrazzo floors were done dreadfully that we had to stop the project for months untll they presented us a professional tiler. We approved a Walnut veneer for are kitchen in January 2018 and at the delivery 7 months later we received a patch work of different veneers all throughout the kitchen that was supposed to be custom made gourmet heaven. They havent visited our unfinished project since weeks. They are extremely unprofessionnal and do not take their responsibilities. We highly recommend that you think twice before hiring those types of pseudo architects that are no where close to the real deal. Attached some of many photos showing finishes of a 600 000 dollars project. we have files and files more.