At Klopf Architecture we immerse ourselves in modern design ranging from more minimal / gallery-style projects to warmer, more mid-century modern style projects and any shade of modernism in between. We love architecture with clean joints, alignments that make spaces feel "at rest, " and a strong sense of flow.Many clients select us because they love the way we break down barriers between inside and out, blending spaces together to promote indoor / outdoor living. We bring the outside in! Our designs feature openness to nature, and use natural materials where appropriate. Where direct connection is not possible, we love to admit natural light to animate spaces.
Business details
- Year established: 2001
- Employees: 5
Services
Eichler Homes
Report
Green Design
Report
Reviews (2) Matthew Gentzkow
Jan 15, 2022
We hired John and his team to help us with a complete renovation of a midcentury home. We had an absolutely fantastic experience from beginning to end. We love John's style and approach to design, and especially his deep experience and appreciation for midcentury architecture. His houses are just beautiful. Our project turned out just as we had hoped it would.
The construction was on time and under budget. The quality of Klopf design is something you can see clearly from John's portfolio. There are some other important points that might not be so obvious: (1) Klopf construction drawings are meticulous. Many contractors we talked to commented on this and it became really clear as the process went on. Though we hadn't really understood it going in, this turned out to be incredibly important.
The best way to control costs is to have a fixed price contract. But such a contract is only helpful to the extent that what you're contracting on is clear. Most architects leave lots of details vague, and this creates all kinds of scope for contractors to add cost later on. ("The drawings aren't clear on how this foundation is going to be poured; if you want it poured that way, it will cost 30% more.") (2) Everyone wants to work with Klopf.
That means when it came to soliciting bids and working with contractors, consultants, etc., they were eager to work with us. And during the project gave us a lot of leverage because while those we were working with may or may not have cared about their relationship with us they cared a lot about their relationship with John. (3) John runs a super efficient shop and this translates into less cost and less time from the client.
They answer emails fast and are great at communication. They are happy to propose great default options for just about everything so you only need to spend time on the decisions you care about. They track details and don't let anything slip through the cracks. (4) Another example of the way John makes things efficient is the process of finding the consultants, etc.
Rather than either (i) making us go out and find all those other people ourselves or (ii) hiring them himself and then charging us a 25% markup on their services (which is common), he gave us several recommendations of people he had worked with then let us negotiate to hire them directly. (5) The fact that John has so much experience with midcentury houses means he knows how to make them beautiful while keeping costs (relatively) low.
A lot of good architects are used to working with super-rich clients who just want to get the fanciest of everything. That's not John's style at all. He knows where spending more will add real value and where it won't. (6) John is definitely not the cheapest architect around, but he's a lot less expensive than top shelf SF firms that are the only ones I think can touch Klopf in terms of quality.
The construction was on time and under budget. The quality of Klopf design is something you can see clearly from John's portfolio. There are some other important points that might not be so obvious: (1) Klopf construction drawings are meticulous. Many contractors we talked to commented on this and it became really clear as the process went on. Though we hadn't really understood it going in, this turned out to be incredibly important.
The best way to control costs is to have a fixed price contract. But such a contract is only helpful to the extent that what you're contracting on is clear. Most architects leave lots of details vague, and this creates all kinds of scope for contractors to add cost later on. ("The drawings aren't clear on how this foundation is going to be poured; if you want it poured that way, it will cost 30% more.") (2) Everyone wants to work with Klopf.
That means when it came to soliciting bids and working with contractors, consultants, etc., they were eager to work with us. And during the project gave us a lot of leverage because while those we were working with may or may not have cared about their relationship with us they cared a lot about their relationship with John. (3) John runs a super efficient shop and this translates into less cost and less time from the client.
They answer emails fast and are great at communication. They are happy to propose great default options for just about everything so you only need to spend time on the decisions you care about. They track details and don't let anything slip through the cracks. (4) Another example of the way John makes things efficient is the process of finding the consultants, etc.
Rather than either (i) making us go out and find all those other people ourselves or (ii) hiring them himself and then charging us a 25% markup on their services (which is common), he gave us several recommendations of people he had worked with then let us negotiate to hire them directly. (5) The fact that John has so much experience with midcentury houses means he knows how to make them beautiful while keeping costs (relatively) low.
A lot of good architects are used to working with super-rich clients who just want to get the fanciest of everything. That's not John's style at all. He knows where spending more will add real value and where it won't. (6) John is definitely not the cheapest architect around, but he's a lot less expensive than top shelf SF firms that are the only ones I think can touch Klopf in terms of quality.
Jaydon Campbell
Oct 05, 2021
We engaged Klopf to provide some design services for an Eichler remodel in Foster City. Several prerequisites were given to Klopf including the budget and restrictions (including instructions such as "don't move the kitchen"). Klopf then charged us ~$12k for a whole bunch of unrealistic designs options built out by a junior employee, including 3D visualizations of floors plans that were explicitly ruled out. Can't recommend.
