SA-DA Architecture

Alex and the team at SA-DA Architecture were first-rate. His ideas for transforming our house were clever and he was quick and innovative in incorporating changes or features that we requested. He had a thorough knowledge of what was feasible for our project. Alex had excellent taste and a great eye for detail. He carefully monitored the progress of the renovation and flagged any problems along the way. He was professional and a pleasure to work with. I recommend him without hesitation.

Landmark Kitchens and Baths have been working together with Alex for over 12 years on various renovations and construction from the simple to the more challenging. We have found him to be helpful and courteous from designing and managing to expediting and facilitating the various phases of all the projects. He is a true professional and we highly recommend him.

Alex’s expertise, professional manner and talents did not go unnoticed during our residential project collaboration on the Upper East Side. Working on projects where Alex is the lead architect is a breath of fresh air. I recommend hiring Alex with as much enthusiasm and passion as he puts into his work.

I had an extremely positive experience with SA-DA Architecture while using them to design a new house and garage that replaced one lost in a fire.The entire staff was extremely experienced, very knowledgeable in construction matters, and easy to work with. Not only do they have an elegant sense of style for both interior and exterior design, but they designed a house that is highly functional, and meets the needs I specified in just about their entirety. I highly recommend them to anyone considering either a large or small project.

I highly recommend Alex for anyone considering building a house or renovating. He has done two projects for us, one in NYC, 2004, and one in the Hamptons, 2008, and both have worked out to have given us years of pleasure. He not only has many years of experience and is extremely knowledgable, but has exquisite taste and a great sense of design.

We bought a five unit 1880s brownstone in Clinton Hill that hadn't had much love in years. We had whittled our search to 2 architects and were having a hard time deciding which to hire, when a friend suggested meeting with Alex & Amy of SA-DA, with whom this friend had recently worked We were desperate to not having another company to consider, but by the end of the meeting, we had our architects. It was a big job, the building needed all new mechanicals, we wanted to refurbish 3 of the apartments for rentals, and combine the parlor and garden floors into our owner duplex. The garden level had a tiny apartment at back, but other wise was a wasteland of boilers, and unfinished dirt and concrete floors, and to call it dungeon-like is kind. It was hard to imagine the floor ever being livable, but Alex & Amy had a vision and came up with designs that both created spaces for all our needs, and more than simply functional, were quite beautiful. The parlor floor contained all the old details which Alex & Amy respected and worked into their designs, adding modern elements that highlighted and worked with the older details. They designed a kitchen that is beautiful and worked in details to make the most of the space (the original design had a totally open plan, but when it became clear that one column couldn't be removed without great expense, they reworked the plans and worked this "problem" into a solution, building out an island for additional storage and counter space. The parlor floor had no bathroom, but again thinking out of the box, they took one of the closets and stole some space from the outer hallway and somehow created a full bathroom. The garden level was completed gutted, the ground dug down for more ceiling height, and dedicated to three bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a laundry room. Because the garden level had no old details, they were able to wholly design the space using a mixture of materials, creating something modern and clean. The unique thing about Alex & Amy is they are a two-for-one deal: they offer both the skills and legal requirements (pulling permits, creating designs, et al) of architects and also offer design expertise. Every choice about every paint color, every appliance, every light fixture and tile and door knob and wood stain were guided by exhaustive input--they even accompanied us to look at slabs of stone for counters, trips to tile stores, to look at ovens. All of this was done with a not-exhaustive budget, and it is amazing what was achieved with that budget.

Alex and Amy are a terrific architect design team--not just because of their excellent skills but in large part because they are just so smart and easy to work with. They can work with most any budget and any style. We worked with Alex and Amy for close to two years on our apartment renovation and attic annex in Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn and truely enjoyed all our meetings and time working with Alex and Amy. Alex has a solid creative brain, but is also an excellent listener and problem solver and he has a sharp technical mind. We had several ideas of our own (based on an image from a magazine) that he helped us incorporate into our design. Their office is also a great executer and manager of DOB, landmarks and all the other red tape. I never waited more than ten minutes for a return phone call or email. As for our apartment: it's a dream come true. It's stunning and modern with a few found period elements--200+-year-old beams and an old lead glass window. It's also extremely open and friendly for family living and exactly what we wanted!