Craig Elliot Architect

Craig,

Where would I even start to say thanks for the awesome job you did – this amazing home would not have happened if not for you. We love it and could not be happier.

When we began, this was not an easy project for so many reasons. It’s hard to recall all of that, now that this perfect place is here. We had many specific ideas and requirements, the site had its own requirements, and we knew what we wanted – and yet they were all only concepts. The challenge of turning those ideas into an integrated, functional and beautiful home was beyond us, and we needed the right person who could work with our ideas. We are so grateful that we found you!

You were entirely respectful of all of our ideas and requirements, you were completely patient in exploring options and alternatives, and you came up with new perspectives and ideas we simply would never have had. Your overall vision for the place was fantastic and at the same time your attention to detail was stunning.

Anyone who never saw the original cottage can’t believe that this was not built as a single building all at one time, and anyone who did see the original is blown away by the result. The function and flow of the practical spaces are exactly what we needed, and the aesthetics, both interior and exterior, are exactly “us” – you nailed it all.

The highlight of the entire project was the day I first saw your design drawings, the product of all of our discussions. The ideas had come to life in a way better than we would have dreamed, and as you know, we changed virtually nothing from that very first draft. You had done such a good job that it was as if you had been on a journey inside my head. I still marvel.

You were always professional, timely and very responsive. It was a true pleasure working together.

And so we have the perfect dream home and working space – we love it every day.

Thank you!

Raymond McDougall

Craig,
Thank you for working on our project. Being involved in the real estate industry for over 35 years, I have been
involved in the design and construction of many, many projects.
I have to say, that your process and experience as a design professional and architect are like nothing I have
ever experienced before. Your creativity and ability to mine practical needs based data from us as users as well
as incorporate incredible design features is simply amazing.
Your process eliminates the risk of building and saying, “we should have done this”. Building today is an
expensive and daunting proposition.
You were able to take that and make it exciting, and fun. The fact that you are detailed and fair with your
billing is just a bonus.
If anyone is considering retaining you, and have reservations, please have them contact me personally. You
are the best in the business that I have ever seen.
Wishing you continued success helping people make their dreams become reality,

In 2014-15, I worked with Craig to create plans for a two-storey addition and renovation on my home. It was a great pleasure to work with him. He is conscientious, detail-oriented, and thoughtful in his work. His plans are meticulous. He was recommended to me by another architect as “an architect’s architect,” but in my view he is also “a client’s architect” – he listens and respects the ideas and needs of his client.
Although I had done some smaller updates on my Old North home prior to 2014, I did not wish to undertake a major addition on my small lot without professional architectural advice. Craig took on this challenge and created plans that gave me everything I wanted: more space, a coherent integration with the existing house, lots of windows and natural light, built-in storage, a courtyard, and even a lovely window seat. His suggestions for materials and finishes were thoughtful and complement the design beautifully. The detailed plans allowed me to seek out firm quotes and select a builder with confidence. Choosing to use an architect, and Craig in particular, made the difference between building a commonplace addition and one that truly is remarkable. In the four years since the addition has been completed, I still routinely receive compliments from neighbours and passers-by who tell me how much they love they way the house looks and how it blends into the neighbourhood. Friends and guests who see the inside are always amazed at how seamlessly the new addition fits with the old.
In addition to his professional expertise, Craig was easy to work with. He returns calls and emails promptly and shares his knowledge and experience readily. I was grateful for his attention to by-laws and codes, and he approached everything he did with absolute integrity. His passion for his work is obvious – he genuinely loves it. I always looked forward to our meetings. His enthusiasm made it great fun to take the long journey from ideas and hopes, to drawings that guided the builder at every point, to a completed project that I just love.
I recommend Craig most highly.

Dear Craig,

It is important for you to know that the extra effort you put into our recent project was the key to completing a quality design and on schedule.

It was a 'breath of fresh air' to work with you as a professional who clearly had my best interests at heart; you were a valuable addition to our decision making process.

Your knowledge and ability to find answers to difficult questions gave us the confidence to proceed through the various stages. As in many projects, this one was more complicated than originally envisioned. This is where your skills were most appreciated.

Craig, if you have any future clients that would like to contact me directly, I would be happy to speak with them anytime.

Best Regards..

My wife and I started to investigate the potential to renovate and add an addition on to our cottage in 2013. Since I had worked with architects in business, I thought that it would be a good idea to have one look at our project and do a design that would incorporate the existing structure and optimize the layout. I made the mistake of signing a contract with craig Elliot based on time rather than deliverables. Craig visited our site and took measurements as well as providing a list that we filled in to detail as much of our preferences as possible. There was some back and forth before the first layout drawings were received, and it was a very slow process. After the first set wasdone an paid for, Craig indicated that he had made a measurement error and had to redo the drawings. Since he was invoicing time and expenses, we paid him again to correct his error. When we got the second layout. it looked quite good, and I asked for elevation drawings. When we got the elevation drawings, i realized Craig had not understood our requests for vaulted ceilings and windows, so we ended up paying for a third set of drawings. Once these were done it was quite some time before we got the actual construction drawings done, and also had to pay for structural engineering drawings. The design was quite good, but we have had extreme dificulty finding any contractors who would even bid on the project. Most local contractors found the details difficult to price, and the first contractor who quoted said the design would cost $600 per square foot (this is a 100 square foot addition on a very small 50 year old cottage) All in all it has taken us 2 more years to find a second contractor to bid, and ultimately we're unsure that the project can actually be done. My advice is to not be as foolish as i was, and agree to an essentially blank cheque contract with this architect. It was definitely not worth the excessive amount of time and the huge cost.