FitzHarris Designs, Architects + Designers

We worked with Heidi FitzHarris to architect and design an addition and whole-house remodel for our home in north Arlington. It was a complicated project because we added to the front rather than the back, and it was important to us to preserve the character/charm of our street that has many older colonials and capes. I hired Heidi because I liked her process of creating a few conceptual designs to start with, and I was familiar with her work in our neighborhood (the N Harrison St house is gorgeous!). She was awesome to work with, from start to finish. She is an expert at navigating all the permit requirements and her blueprints are extremely detailed. She gave us excellent advice along the way, and I am so glad I trusted her and took it! The result exceeded all of my expectations. I wasn’t thrilled with the initial set of conceptual drawings, but Heidi listened and revised them until our vision was achieved on paper. She transformed our 1940s cape into a beautiful, larger home that achieved the modern cottage look we wanted and preserved the character of our street. The best compliments from the neighbors include how integrated the house looks - like it’s always been there even though it’s brand new and larger than the surrounding homes. The inside is seamless and interesting with a healthy mix of traditional and modern components that work beautifully together. We have a sleek staircase, arched doorways and vaulted ceilings mixed in with lower ceilings of the original house. she brought the old and new parts together so expertly that you can’t tell where original ends and new begins. Heidi is a total pro, and you should not hesitate to hire her. Professional pictures should be coming soon!

Heidi designed a full-gut renovation of our 1953 Cape Cod and we couldn’t be happier with the end product. Having never gone through a renovation before, Heidi made the experience so easy for us. Her knowledge and wealth of experience was apparent throughout the project. Additionally, her creativity and adaptability were invaluable. When challenges arose, she offered insightful solutions. Heidi is imaginative, process oriented, flexible and a pleasure to work with. She is a good listener and designed a house to meet all our family needs. The house turned out more beautiful that we ever imagined. We highly recommend her!

Great gob! thank you, i highly recommend this company for all homeowners who want to get work done and within budget

We had a wonderful experience working with Heidi, and we absolutely love our remodeled house. Months after moving back in, I am repeatedly struck by the thoughtfulness, beauty, and the attention to detail of her design that make our house a daily joy to live in. Heidi helped us with a 3-story addition to our 1930s Arlington colonial. We, like many, were overwhelmed by the number of decisions. She provided invaluable guidance throughout the entire process, from the initial architectural design to advice we sought about fixtures and finishes. She was very generous with her incredible design style to help us pick out items ranging from cabinets and vanities to sofas and drawer pulls. We could never have envisioned it ourselves, and we are thrilled with the results. Throughout the process, Heidi also worked seamlessly with our building contractor so that the design and construction went hand-in-hand, and, on the several occasions of unforeseen construction challenges, to ensure we found solutions that maximized both form and function. Our favorite new space might be our screened-in porch, which is gorgeous due to Heidi’s advice and which we use all the time to entertain and relax. Just today, friends told us it is the only house they have ever visited that gave them house envy. Heidi was also just a joy to work with; we are so grateful that we found her and for our lovely new home!

When we first considered remodeling our 1940's colonial it seemed a like a daunting task. Luckily, we were referred to FitzHarris Designs as a potential architect and owe the success of our project in large part to working with Heidi. She took the time to really understand our space and how we used it, and then drew up sets of plans that would enhance our space significantly. Heidi's familiarity with local building codes was incredibly valuable in making sure that we avoided any permitting headaches or challenges that can significantly delay projects. We also greatly appreciated Heidi's willingness to answer our questions and stay involved throughout the building process, working closely with our contractor. We now have a beautiful and functional remodeled home, thanks to Heidi's vision and guidance!

We worked with Heidi on our 1949 colonial where we did a complete gut and addition. We ended up doubling the size of the house. To start let me say that this process is daunting. The amount of decisions that you have to make is overwhelming. Which is why it's important to have a team that you trust. We gave Heidi our vision of what we wanted the house to be and she came up with the perfect design. More so than that she gave suggestions that were very helpful. Honestly, there were times where we didn't listen to her and we now wish we would have. We're hoping to add a screened-in porch in the future and we'll be working with Heidi on that design. Feel free to direct message me with any questions.

Heidi served as our architect for a new build in Arlington. She helped us create exactly what we wanted. She worked through numerous challenges that the county presented (working around easements) and was always responsive to our questions and concerns. We always felt that we were in good hands with Heidi. She is professional, personable, and good at what she does. She has a keen eye for design. Our builder, Cherry Hill Custom Homes, who she had never worked with, commented on how the extra detail through her design really took their standard new build up a notch. We are thrilled with the home and would highly recommend Heidi. We would certainly work with her again! Here are some shots of the house: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5e2dlyml8sx99vx/AADiYcx62Xh7THdBZOFtOrtqa?dl=0

Working with FitzHarris Designs on our home renovation was one of the best decisions we’ve made! We could not be more pleased with both the process and the outcome. We undertook a major renovation: nearly fully gutting our existing brick rambler and adding a second floor. We had been trying to get the project underway for years but couldn’t come up with a new floorplan that worked within the existing footprint of the house and it wasn’t in our budget to completely tear down the house to start totally from scratch. Heidi came in with new ideas for layout that we and others hadn’t thought of, and the outcome is exactly what we had hoped for – actually, it’s more than what we had hoped for because of Heidi’s creativity. The architectural design process was very smooth. Heidi is knowledgeable, professional, and enjoyable to work with. She made smart suggestions and also listened carefully to what we wanted and reflected that in the plans while keeping us within budget and within local building codes and regulations. She also helped us find a general contractor who has been a dream to work with for the building process. She has continued to be helpful with design elements as the interior details have formed up. We highly recommend FitzHarris Designs.

We could not be happier with the house Heidi designed for us. As our kids got bigger, we needed more space and better ways to entertain. Going into our first meeting we had no idea what was possible- Heidi was able to walk us through options, trade offs, and practical approaches to achieve our goals. She was very responsive in listening to our needs and asking questions on how we plan on using our home- this was critical to designing our home. Having the experience Heidi brings, she was able to bring best practice experience to what was a foreign process for us. Heidi was integral in helping us choose materials for our project that were in line with the quality we wanted- but kept us within budget. From windows to tiles Heidi always had suggestions and options for high quality materials. During the bidding phase she helped explore ways we could stay on budget but not sacrifice quality. We couldn’t be happier with our home- and would recommend using Heidi to anyone.

Heidi was simply amazing and we owe the success of our renovation to her. Her design, collaboration and insights were invaluable as we made our plans to expand our house while dealing with a tricky set of zoning limitations and setbacks due to our corner lot. Heidi helped us through the variance process with the county but more importantly her knowledge allowed us to get approval without sacrificing what we wanted out of the new home. From there, Heidi stepped up even more by assisting us with a difficult contractor situation. Heidi ensured that the addition was built to her detailed specifications, which was a life saver in a few situations where we otherwise may not have realized something was done wrong or needed to be fixed. Heidi made herself available throughout the process and her advice and assistance were priceless. We could not recommend her any higher. Thank you so much to her Heidi and her team!

We bought a 1950's house that was dark and completely devoid of style. Heidi FitzHarris of FitzHarris Designs created a set of plans that opened the house up and made it beautiful and functional. She was very responsive to our ideas and requests, but came up with a floor plan and design features that we would never have thought of on our own. She helped us select finishes and helped us navigate the construction process. Heidi is very professional and responsive and a pleasure to work with.

Without a doubt, Heidi Fitzharris Architects and Design is the best Architect in Arlington if you are interested in hiring an highly experienced skilled architect who guides you every step along the way along the challenging path of a whole house remodel/renovation.. She listened to what was important to us in terms of preserving valued features of our house while totally adding and modernizing our cottage in Cherrydale. We have received many compliments from our neighbors and friends who are happy we did not opt for a "tear-down + big box house".