Testimonials
Mitra A.
I enjoyed working with Janet on my complete home remodel project. It was so big and I did not know where to start. Janet helped me design and pick out all of the materials for my kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, dining room, family room, etc… She had such good taste and always knew what styles I would like and what would look good in my home. She worked very closely with my contractor and was always available to meet with me. She always returned my phone calls and made me feel comfortable. I never felt like any questions I had were dumb. She was respectful of my time and was very professional. I would recommend working with her to anyone that has a large project.
Robert R. (Sunnyvale, CA)
Stewart Design gave us the confidence to take on the design and build of our new dream home.
We could immediately see savings when we started working with Stewart Design. They were able to point us to reputable, high-quality contractors and engineers whose prices saved us much more than professionals that our architect had recommended.
We are extremely excited to be living in our custom new home. And because Stewart Design was with us all the way from design to the last finishing, we can look back at the whole process with great memories.
Among the many things that went extremely well working with Stewart Design was their understanding of our preferences and providing good-fit recommendations.
We had a lot of ideas for our new house and thought we had all the bases covered. In reality, it was Stewart Design that ensured our house was designed and built - without any major issue and at a reasonable price.
We really appreciated how Stewart Design is familiar with all of the aspects of building - including what it takes to get permits, specific behind-the-drywall construction techniques, appropriate paint colors, and much more. It was great to work with them on design software some days, and see them out on the project with the studs in place making measurements on other days.
We would not hesitate to work with Stewart Design on another new home construction or remodel. They have extremely deep knowledge as well as experience in the home design, construction, experienced contractors, bid selection, aesthetic finishing looks, and the rest of the process. After meeting and using their services, we are confident that no other equivalent company can save us money or deliver better quality with our home.
We not only wanted a great new home to live the rest of our live, we wanted to have a great first-time experience with the whole process. Stewart Design made it all possible. We continue to enjoy living in our perfect new home.
Before building our new home, we were told by friends that issues come up and our project was no exception. When, a plumber (that we selected without Stewart Design's help) slightly mis-located a drain pipe, Stewart Design fixed the problem, in part, by switching a door type and effectively giving us more usable space. They had a solution for every issue.
Adrienne M. (Aptos, CA)
Janet Stewart is a talented, extremely professional designer who provides her clients with much more than the plans for a remodel. Not only does she design with the client’s needs and more important, taste as the priority, but she follows through to ensure that installation is smooth and satisfactory. We recently worked together to remodel a bathroom and I was pleased with every part of the experience. Janet prepared clear drawings, accompanied me to the suppliers, helping me to select my fixtures, tiles, flooring, etc. She visited the job site frequently showing the contractor how to solve several practical issues as they arose. Janet even went “above and beyond” to keep the job on time by ordering, picking up, and delivering a door that the contractor neglected to purchase. I would never hesitate to engage Janet to help me with any remodeling project in my home.
Niteen B. (Los Altos, CA)
We are a repeat customer of Stewart Design. They helped us with our 500 sq. foot addition - bed, bath and office - a year ago and kitchen remodel 4 years ago. We find Janet and her team very dependable in offering personalized designs. Janet innovatively adapted her design to our budget in each of those instances. She also knows where to source material from and with her help we were able to get custom cabinets at discounted prices.
We have found Rick to be very knowledgeable with architecting additions and has great trade contacts to get work done from various contractors. Though we are not in construction business, knowing that Rick can help us allowed us to act as a general contractor and save a bunch of money by hiring just the subcontractors. Rick is also of great help in getting City Permits as well.
Partners Janet Stewart and Rick Gould of Stewart Design are incredible - conscientious, capable, quick, and can-do all the way. We engaged this dynamic duo after a disappointing experience with a design/build firm that was not able to work with our vision or budget for our home renovation project. Originally engaged to help us with minor kitchen updates, once Janet and Rick heard that we'd given up on our initial idea, they asked if we would let them try to come up with a plan.
And they did! And FAST! And it was just what we wanted.
To keep costs down, we are managing our project as owner/builders, and we are doing so with confidence, knowing that we have Rick and Janet to guide us through the process. Janet and Rick have very generously shared their expertise, experience, contacts and cost savings with us, enabling us to choose materials and a crew with confidence. The time, money, and anxiety they are saving us is remarkable.
Bottom line, Rick and Janet are talented and lovely people and working with them is a pleasure. We HIGHLY recommend them.
Karin T. (Palo Alto, CA)
Gillian V. (Saratoga, CA)
Rick has helped us with several extensive projects on our house and we've always received top-notch service from him. He does a great job understanding our vague ideas and bringing them to life in the plans. He provides quick turnaround on changes and has helped us through some difficult town approval processes. I'd highly recommend him.
Mike M. (Campbell, CA)
I need to build an ADA-compliant bed/bath addition for my father, but I'm a noviceat the design & build process. Fortunately Rick Gould is an expert in these areas including ADA requirements.
Rick guided me through different versions of the design, and he gave me great advice on the most efficient layout. He provided full architectural plans and we're working together on structural engineering and title 4 plans. My builder and I are now engaging and we're defining the schedule and next steps.
My ongoing interaction with Rick is very positive. I highly recommend him for his expertise and great results.
Clifton W. (Los Altos, CA)
I had the pleasure of working with Rick on the design of my new home in Sunnyvale, California. Rick was EXTREMELY patient in listening to the design features my family wanted and he made sure our goals were accomplished. I believe that in any design project, you will reach a point when deciding between options regarding one or more particular aspect of the floor plan seems difficult. That is when Rick really shines as a designer because he is patient, offers excellent suggestions, and is willing to keep revising the design until the client is happy with the outcome.
Throughout the process, Rick was always available, responsive and reliable. I could not have found a designer with more integrity than Rick. Rick's design fees are also extremely competitive, and even after he reached the cap on the design fee on my project, he never tried to cut down his design time. It was more important to him to produce a successful design.
Additionally, Rick was a builder before he became a designer, so he is also very knowledgeable about construction issues and he knows how to take them into considerations during the design process.
I am 100% happy with my experience and I have engaged Rick again as my designer on a tear-down and rebuild in Los Altos.
I've personally worked with both Rick and Janet, from Stewart Designs for the past 4 years.
I'm so impressed with everything that they do and more important is how they do it. They are such a pleasure to work with - Friendly, informative, attentive, responsive and knowledgeable. They give you 100% attention. Have a real investment in their client's satisfaction. They have a keen eye for details because of their experience and because they care about each job as if it were theirs.
They are not focused on the money, but rather the job being the best it can be. They are two of the most loving and caring and fun people I know. I'm a better person after having them in my life. Once you get to know them, I think you will know why so many clients become friends of theirs.Whoever referred you or however you found them, you will be forever blessed to have the privilege of working with both Janet and Rick.
Michelle R. (Sunnyvale, CA)
Minggui P. (Saratoga, CA)
I would recommend Stewart Design to anyone who is considering remodeling and needs interior and structural design. Janet and Rick have the utmost professionalism and honesty, with outstanding skills in both interior and structural design. They would go extra miles to make sure a design concept is workable with city before initiating a design. They provided multiple versions on any given concept and worked closely with us step by step and gave clear explanations on what might or might not work. They helped to solve issues along the way during the design and obtaining the permit. We have utmost confidence in Janet and Rick and would ask them again if we consider another remodeling in the future.
Andrew P. H. (Essex Junction, VT)
I've collaborated with Rick and Janet on several successful projects over the past five years. His attention to detail and creativity make the design process easy and smooth. He has a very practical approach, and works to exceed the expectations of the client. I highly recommend them both.
Karin B. (San Jose, CA)
I worked with Stewart Designs when I built a spec house in 2013. They quickly and efficiently provided multiple floor plan designs and worked with me to create an open, functional and gorgeous home. They could not have been nicer to work with and, when needed, were a great support and advocate for me and for the design with my stubborn contractor. They went above and beyond the designer/client relationship. I truly felt that they cared about me and about my project. I have since recommended them to friends and I will continue to do so without hesitation.
Vinod M. (Sunnyvale, CA)
Stewart Design was recommended to us by our contractor.
Our experience working with Rick and Janet was highly productive and most interactive.
Their extensive experience contributed to suggestions that were most insightful.
We were very pleased with the final design and would recommend their services without hesitation.
We went through a kitchen remodel with Janet and Rick. They more than made up their fees by giving us ideas and places to purchase materials. They were always responsive to questions. We liked them enough to recommend them to friends of ours who were doing a bathroom remodel.
Fred and Lot M. (Palo Alto, CA)
We met Rick through a contractor that was working on our neighbor's house. We decided to ask Rick to design our remodel & expansion as a two phased project so we can live in the house while it was being expanded. Rick was super useful in suggesting floor plans that are very practical and at the same time makes the house feel bigger than it really is and flows very well. Rick was super fast is doing the design & also reasonably priced, showed us a 3D model of how it would look virtually and helped us through the city process of getting the permits. He gave us the confidence to do both phases of the project by managing all the subcontractors ourself. This saves us so much money in this project and also allowed us to control the quality, time and finishes to our taste. Rick has a lot of experience in not only designing floor plans but also building and finishes. I would recommend Rick to anyone looking to take on any type of projects from a simple one room addition to brand new house design.
Fran D. (Sunnyvale, CA)
It has been a pleasure to work with Janet and Rick. They have always returned our communications promptly and delivered a professional product for a very reasonable price. They are excellent listeners and always made us feel that our needs are their needs. Ann and I would highly recommend this team for your residential design and planning needs.