Robert Dean Architects

After the total loss of our home to a fire, it was time to rebuild. Our resources included good insurance, personal resources, and excellent advice from a public adjuster. After a competitive process, we chose architect Robert Dean of New Caanan. He in turn helped us through a competitive process in choosing a builder. Robert Dean is all about imagination, technology, and details. If he specified nails or other materials, he also specified all of the related details including nail sizes, alloys, and sources, and he or one of his associates were on the scene to make sure that the specifications were met exactly. Although the general layout of our new house is similar to the old, there were a number of changes that be warranted, and Robert Dean made sure that our wishes were met, while at the same time toning down our flights of architectural fantasy or unnecessary expense. At the same time, Rob provided imaginative changes to the grading of the property, entrance, and movement flow through the house. His continuous supervision of the building process ensured that the finished product was consistent with what we recognize as his very high standards. Multiple people have commented to us about the impressive house and quality of the design and build. Beyond that, Robert Dean and his associates were also helpful with furnishing and color coordination, to the point of making multiple trips with us to various tile and stone shops and interior finishing businesses. We are extremely happy with Robert Dean Associates, and recommend them without reservation. We would be happy to discuss further with anyone involved in the process of choosing an architect.

Davenport Contracting is pleased to have a long-standing relationship with Rob Dean and his team. Our current project, a major modern home renovation, is taking excellent advantage of the home’s site and the client’s lifestyle. Rob and his team continuously provide outstanding architectural plans and specifications to both the homeowners and builder. Davenport has worked with Rob on a number of successful projects. As a high-end builder with a commitment to personalized attention, we enjoy working on a team when the architecture is well thought out, exceptional and complete.

It has been a pleasure to work with Rob Dean and his associates on several residential projects as a landscape designer. Not only is Rob an extremely talented architect but he is a true team player and an excellent lead for a multi-faceted project. He listens to the concerns and desires of his clients, as well as, other design professionals, contractors and town officials. Rob comes up with creative ideas where everyone is satisfied with the solution. I first met Rob on a project where a home built in the 1970’s had burned down. The owners wanted to build their new home in the same style. Rob was able to incorporate the features the owners loved in their original home but infuse a style more reflective of today. He was able to take advantage of the topography and wooded views of the site. Another project, I collaborated on with Rob, was a lakeside vacation home. Rob renovated the home to take advantage of the wonderful lakefront views and recreational opportunities. It was an active family that loved to entertain large groups and participate in water sports. Rob reflected this in the house renovation, as well as, an outdoor pavilion and expanded terrace. He worked patiently with the town to make improvements to both the house and site to achieve this goal.

My company has worked on several projects with Robert Dean Architects and on every occasion it was a professional and rewarding experience on a personal and professional level. There was never a situation that we could not resolve in the best interests of the project. Projects were completed with a level of collaboration that is unmatched by many other companies. Their attention to detail can be seen in every stage of the project. I look forward to working with them in the future. Artur Raczkowski A-Design by Artur

We have worked with Rob Dean on two major renovations, and his work has been impeccable. Rob has preserved the beautiful "old" feel of our homes, and has no inclination to "leave his mark" on houses. He worked tirelessly to match our old brick and moldings, for example, in order to maintain the character of our houses. At the same time, he made vast improvements! In a 1938 brick Georgian, he gave us a square dining room with a fireplace, a giant basement playroom, a beautiful library with piano room and a master sitting room above it. You cannot distinguish the original house from the addition. We bought an ugly 60s lake house which he transformed into a beautiful Adirondack-looking house with a gorgeous big wrap-around porch. Walkers and bikers stop outside our home all the time to tell us how much they love our porch! Equally important, Rob is extraordinarily organized and detailed and fun to work with. He was accommodating of our schedule, often meeting at 7 at night. Over the years, when I have returned to Rob with questions about projects, some from ten years ago, he has records and an uncanny recall of projects and is able to diagnose issues about which I have no memory. We highly recommend working with Rob Dean. His vision and measured, and sometimes methodical ;-), approach resulted in two homes which my family of six treasure. My older children come home all the time, often with friends. Thank you Rob.

Rob Dean is a gentleman, a thoughtful listener, an intellect in the history and meaning of architecture, and a technician who knows the building process inside and out. He works with a group of people who make the crazy adventure of building or remodeling a house into a journey of discovery rather than a chronicle of war stories. We have worked with Robert Dean Architects twice; first in locating and restoring a classic midcentury modern house, and then in enlarging and modifying the house. Rob and his group were always available on a moment's notice. They worked their magic constantly to bring our house to life, and I can’t imagine a better group of people to work with.

I called Robert Dean quite randomly from the yellow pages. We had a pleasant conversation and he agreed to come to a property that we were going to buy. From the first moment we began our tour and talked about possibilities, Rob was full of creative ideas, guidance and incredible technical knowledge. He came to our then current home and got a sense of how we used and occupied our space. The drawing stages were opportunities to react to plans and collaborate on new ideas that sprouted from our reviews on the work site. Throughout the process, both he and his incredibly talented project matter kept things moving. They were available for assistance in our purchasing and made wise choices for us when we were stumped. We ran into some surprises which Rob quickly and brilliantly solved and the project kept moving. The project was completed on time and with results that surpassed our original hopes. If I ever do another complete remodeling, I would not consider doing it without Rob and his project manager.