3D-rendering i New Rochelle, NY.

“I thought that finding an honest contractor who follows through with what they promise would be impossible but decided to take the chance with Essential and finally do my first renovation. I was very nervous at first but the contractor Peter was extremely patient and was with me every step of the way. His team which included a talented designer put together a picture perfect kitchen, powder bathroom and master bedroom bathroom. I was blown away by the attention to detail and if you’re looking for a wonderful experience limiting your stress level for such a major project then Peter and his team are a great fit.”

“LEAP designed our modern and green home addition. They handled much of the creative work on the project, as well as detailed renderings, bid consultations, and construction supervision. LEAP's work was very creative and responded directly to our needs. They found ways to get energy efficiency and modern design details into a "buildable" and cost-conscious project. They are humble, hardworking, and consistent. I would choose to work with LEAP Architecture again without hesitation.”

“We hired Brad to design a spec house for us in Rye, NY. As an Architect myself, I was extremely happy with the quality of work produced and the communication between us. It was a pleasure to work with Brad, and his understanding of our needs and requirements was second to none. Brad listened well to our needs and was able to efficiently express them in graphic form, & he always worked in an organized & professional manner. He was always easily available by phone & email, always returning my calls & emails promptly. The construction drawings were done to be within our construction budget, & when changes were made he was gracious & fair with regard to fees for extra services. He also helped us in selecting materials, & we were happy with those selections & the variety as well. While we haven't started construction yet, on past projects he was always accessible and able to clarify field conditions and changes by clients. We would definitely hire him again, and we would (and have) recommended him to our other clients who were also very happy with his service.”

“Very helpful and organized. Helped walk us through designing a 2nd story addition. Drew up a few interior and exterior options and walked us through pros and cons before picking one. Assisted builder with question as they came up.”

“Kimoy Studios is professional, creative and talented. The collaboration was easy as they were very responsive and respectful. The work was beautiful and enhanced our apartment in so many ways.”

“Lanny Lerner is an outstanding architect who listens carefully and observes astutely to produce design that is beautiful and functional. He recently worked with us on our Manhattan apartment--we are delighted. I highly recommend Lanny Lerner.”

“I can count on several fingers the times I have found a local business partner that I'd describe as a rockstar, and Brian Hopkins is on that short list. On Christmas Eve, my wife and I were out doing errands. We got a call from our teenage son, telling us that water was raining down from the upstairs bathroom, through our microwave and stove, into the basement, onto the furnace and water heater. There was some once-in-a-century rapid drop in temperature, we had some poorly insulated pipes, and one of those pipes ruptured in the floor of that second floor bathroom resulting in that disaster. Total nightmare. Thankfully, one of the other rockstars on our short list of local business partners is our general contractor. We already had a plan on the shelf to renovate that bathroom, our contractor was available, we were able to get all our tile and bathroom fixtures picked out and procured in record time, and shortly after New Year's our GC started the repairs and creating the bathroom of our dreams. Salvation! Everything was going awesome, until the building department showed up. In a rush, we neglected to get a building permit. We weren't being shady or playing games. We were just hasty and ignorant and didn't do the things we needed to do. We got an immediate stop-work order. And the only way to get back on track was to find an architect to do proper code-compliant architectal drawings for our already-in-progress bathroom renovation. I quickly learned that there are not a lot of residential architects hurting for business, certainly not at that time of year. I literally called at least 15 different places. Either people were too busy, or weren't interested in the project. I finally found one who couldn't take the job, but said "hey, we know this other guy in the area who is super good, that we refer people to when we're busy. His name is Brian Hopkins." Somebody directing business to a competitor?? I now understand why they referred me. Brian is only the second architect I've ever worked with, but as far as I can tell, he's as good as it gets. I was able to get in touch with him immediately, and he agreed to take on the work. He was incredibly transparent and clear about what he was going to do, when he was going to do it, and what it would cost. Throughout the process he was super responsive, empathetic, organized, patient, professional, and enjoyable to work with. He didn't nickel and dime us or play games; he was clearly focused on good customer service and outcomes. And from what I can tell, both the building department and my GC were very happy with the quality of his work. The entire ordeal we went through, particularly involving the building department and fines and delays was horrible. Had we not found Brian, had he not been so excellent, the situation might have been unbearable. He literally was our savior. It's absurd not to want to work with someone like this.”

“We had a complete renovation done of our bedroom wing with 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms and a hallway under Heike's guidance. This was the 2nd project we have done with her, and we are once more thrilled with the result! What we like about Heike is that, she is a nice person to work with, she listens well, does extra research, has a lot of knowledge of materials and where to get them, and last but not least the fact that she comes from Europe and understands our modern European taste well. She introduced a number of nice touches in the overall design and paid attention to the overall energy efficiency of the renovation. She also worked with our contractor and the building department of our town. We can full-heartedly recommend her.”

“Niv is a patient, insightful and incredibly talented designer. He listens to what his clients needs are, and provides appropriate solutions that fit within their budget. Niv works equally well with contractors and other members of the design team. He is relentless in his pursuit of the precise and proper execution of his vision in the best way possible for his client's benefit. I have happily recommended Niv to my clients in the past and will gladly do so in the future.”

“Neil is amazing. I am a new developer and he was always available, explained everything to me and helped me make intelligent choices. As a result my four rental apartments always get rented within a week. They look like condo finishes but did not cost nearly as much as how expensive they look. In addition I ran into some structural and equipment problems. He helped streamline the repairs and helped me feel confident that I was making the right choices for my building. My project lasted for a couple of years because after I renovated two of the units two more became available. It was always a pleasure to have Neil on my team. He can tackle any project from small to large!”