Tektive Design

We hired Tektive for a full modern remodel and 1,000 sq ft addition. Tektive specializes in modern and was amazing to work with! Tektive gave us just the right amount of options and ideas and was able to work closely with us on our requirements. Tektive was able to pull a plan together based exactly on what we needed! The planning with Tektive was also very efficient, fast and easy! We highly recommend Tektive!

We hired Pearl Renaker @ Tektive Design as our Architect even before we had purchased our new house. She accompanied us to several 'possible' houses and gave us suggestions and rough estimates for the kinds of work we talked about doing to each of them. We finally bought a 60 year old Ranch style house that needed a complete remodel to meet our family needs and expectations. The first decision was to leave the footprint of the foundation mostly the same, but to bring the house all up to one level: there were several areas with step downs. The structural and engineering realities of that created lots of opportunities and challenges for us and Pearl. We gutted the house, leaving only 3 interior walls in their original locations, raised the floors and dealt with ceiling height changes with custom trusses to solve the new roof line issues created by those ceiling variations. Pearl listened to our wants and needs, offered suggestions and adjustments, but in the end made sure we built our house, not her version of our house. She was amazingly responsive, virtually always available, and meticulous. Our plans went through the city process in just 2 weeks, with no changes or problems. That is how detailed and knowledgeable Pearl is. We heartily recommend Pearl, and would hire her again with any any reservations or competitive bids. She is that good.

We worked with Pearl to transform our 1906 house into one that would meet the needs of a 21st century family. While we weren't trying to do a historical restoration we wanted to honor the house's history. Pearl helped us complete an extensive renovation of the entire house. Everything except for one bathroom and a hall closet were gutted. We made structural changes that allowed for better use of the available space in a compact 1500 square foot, 2 story house. Pearl's designs included exterior plans that impacted the flow of the house to meet the needs of our kids and for indoor-outdoor entertaining. We had lived in our house for 7 years before renovating, so I had time to think about what I wanted. Pearl listened to my ideas and came back with several options with both practical and creative concepts for how to improve the livability of our cozy home. She worked patiently with me to revise the plans until I was satisfied we had made the absolute best use of our available space and budget. She worked in collaboration with us, our structural engineer and contractor to finalize the plan, and surprised and delighted us by getting our permit approved by the picky Palo Alto Development office with no changes and on the first try. Pearl worked with us on every finish detail of the house, recommending sources and designs for everything from pulls & knobs, interior doors, windows, tile, appliances, plumbing supplies, to lighting fixtures. Her knowledge and helpful, responsive feedback gave me confidence and smoothed the process for the myriad decisions that needed to be made. Pearl was a delight to work with throughout the high-stakes process of renovating a home. I highly recommended her if you are looking for someone to collaborate with you, incorporate your ideas, improve upon them and then guide you through the renovation experience with confidence.

As a homeowner with very specific taste, Pearl was tremendously helpful to me in remaining true to my dream throughout the process. She is obviously very smart, as is evidenced by her impressive academic and work credentials, but what one won't discover until you actually work with her is that she has deep integrity and can be trusted with one's most precious project. Her project management skills helped me stay organized, and her ability to efficiently create detailed and compelling computer renderings helped me visualize the design. Finally, Pearl surrounds herself with the highest quality contractors. She introduced us to Pete Moffat Construction, who were simply outstanding in the level of service and attention to detail. The project I asked her to embark upon was by Bay Area standards quite small in scale. However, Pearl understood that for me, having grown up with little, the project was significant, and she treated it accordingly. I explained to her at the outset that my dream is to have a small 90-square-foot "jewelry-box-type" conservatory in which to sew, sip tea and perhaps watch the sunset with my husband over a glass of wine. I was inspired by the beautiful stained glass ceiling in the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, as well as the exquisite stained glass ceiling at the Headquarters of the Daughters of the American Revolution in D.C. Pearl helped me incorporate this inspiration into a design that had classical references but was "fresh" and bright. My husband also wanted the skylights that the stained glass covered to be functional so that the room could be energy efficient. We were extremely pleased with the result. Every day when I walk into that tiny, inspiring space, my heart sings. It is also a very comfortable room. We are truly grateful to Pearl for her support, guidance and care throughout the process. We are fortunate to have worked with her. The process was so smooth from our perspective that we were quite honestly a little sad for it to be over!