Patricia Brennan Architects

We have worked with Pat and her design office for years and there is a reason she has been so successful in her career. Pat provides a high level of care for all projects, no matter the project scope, size, or budget. With Pat, you can rest assured that every detail will be covered and she will be there with you every step of the way to ensure your project is a success. Pat is responsive and attentive to questions from clients, contractors and design professionals alike. You simply cannot go wrong trusting Pat for your residential architecture design needs.

From the moment we met Pat, we knew she was the right architect for our project. She talked extensively with us about our likes/dislikes, lifestyles, and thoughts on our remodel. My husband and I think and work very differently, and Pat was able to skillfully mediate our differences to reach an agreeable outcome. She listened and actually heard what we had to say. She knows design possibilities for the space within the budget established and consequently was able to come up with a plan and then negotiate the required permits in a timely fashion. She was very easy to work with answering emails and phone calls thoughtfully and thoroughly, presenting alternative ideas where necessary. And the best part of working with Pat is that our new living space is gorgeous--warm, open, light, and truly reflective of who we are.

I worked with Pat on a comprehensive remodel to improve function and enhanced the house's unique qualities, and I have been pleased both with the result and the process. Pat's design has helped make the house function better by better using living spaces, adding a modern rain-screen cladding to perform better in wet weather, and letting in more light and airflow. The design also added a wonderful deck that is integrated with dining room and brings the outdoors in and captures the nice views to the south and west. Pat's process was to start with higher level concepts and to narrow down a specific design that made the most sense given my priorities. The process felt collaborative from the beginning and continued into the building phase. In the pre-build phase Pat worked with the city to address any building code issues and ensure that we met the requirements and got approval quickly. During construction, Pat was supportive and responsive to help me navigate the process. She was engaged with design decisions no matter how small and was supportive of changes I elected, but didn't hesitate to give her opinion when she thought certain materials should be used. Pat gave excellent recommendations for finishes such as bathroom fixtures, tile and lighting. I've been pleased with the decisions we made collectively. Pat also provided good advice about the decision process such as having the builder create mockups during difficult decisions that came up in the project. Pat and her team were enjoyable to work with and I never felt any hesitation to reach out with thoughts or concerns.

We are completing our third project with Patricia Brennan Architects over the past 23 years. She is extremely versatile; our first two projects involved remodels of our Seattle craftsman house which we have recently sold. In our current remodel we have updated a house built in the 80s in Port Townsend. Patricia Brennan Architects has helped us transform this house into a warm, contemporary home filled with lovely light to take in the outdoor views. After our initial remodel with Patricia 23 years ago, we automatically contact her with any new projects. Because of this history, her suggestions for the structure and interior of our remodels really reflect our lifestyle which she has observed over the years. We have been extremely pleased with every remodel she has done for us. In every respect, Patricia is professional and easy to work with. She is a good listener and takes all of our needs into consideration as she designs our space. After the drawings are completed, she also offers her skills in helping with the interiors as she is so good with colors, fixtures, and all materials. Her recommended vendors are great to work with and they all speak highly of her. With her initial direction, we tend to choose many of our finishes but we always run it by Patricia as we value her opinion. If any problems arise she always has good creative solutions. She acts quickly on any questions and always returns a phone call or email within 24 hours but usually much sooner. Our current remodel has a much different look and feel than previous remodels, which reflects who we are in this next chapter of our life in a new home in a new place. With this remodel, she suggested that if we did nothing else, we should solve some of the issues that might be causing structure defects, such as some dry rot. Along with new windows we added eaves and gables to the house which enhances the look of the house. Upon Patricia’s suggestion we closed in a covered porch which we rarely used to increase the space in the kitchen. My husband is a retired professional chef and she knows that we spend much time gathering and entertaining around our kitchen. Throughout the house she opened the space with few structural changes. We love our new light filled space and could not be happier with our experience with Patrica and her team.

As our kids grew older, we came to wish for a little more space and a different configuration in our view home in the Hawthorne Hills neighborhood of Seattle. We reached out to Pat Brennan Architects, the original architect on the remodel of the house. Pat devised a plan that was better than anything we could have imagined, turning our house into our dream home. She coached us through every step of the process: design, contractor selection, and finish. Pat has great vision, yet a steady attention to detail. She advocated for us during the entire build-out. We could not have been happier with the process and the product. Our new spaces exactly fit us, helping our family to live the way we always wanted. Thanks Pat. -The Walsh Family (Tom, Lorena, Gabby and Graham)

My husband and I worked with Patricia Brennan on a pretty expansive remodel a few years ago, and we were very pleased with our working relationship with her. We found Pat to be an excellent listener, which translated into plans that thoughtfully reflected our goals for the spaces we were reworking. When we had questions or didn't understand something, Pat was always patient and professional. Pat's nonjudgmental and open communication style was a real asset--she put us at ease, so we didn't feel shy about asking questions or conveying dissent. She was also extremely helpful in suggesting recommendations on lighting fixtures, paint colors, and other items such as toilets and sinks. We also appreciated her facilitation during the construction process, which included ensuring that we understood how the decisions we faced impacted the overall design. Pat's knowledge, dedication, and care were essential to the success of our project, and we can't imagine having done it without her.

Patricia Brennan and her team, Laura and Cerrissa, have been simply amazing in the course of these remodel projects. These are by far the largest projects I have been engaged in and obviously were beyond the scope of my knowledge. The patience, skill and professionalism with which Patricia and her team addressed the cascading series of shifts, complications and subsequent adjustments are the most critical component of the success of these projects. They have guided, reassured and created out of whole cloth solutions to challenges I did not even see. They regularly anticipate and coach me to consider solutions for next steps that are coming but I don't know to ask after. I would be lost in these projects without them, and am in awe of the completed result, well beyond my anticipated outcome. It seems important to note this is all for projects 3600 miles and three time zones away from Seattle.

We own a mid-century 3000 square foot house where we've lived since 1996. We've used Patricia Brennan Architects for three major and two smaller remodeling projects since 1996. Patricia has remodeled our main floor, including our kitchen and two bathrooms; our lower daylight level, including a large lounge area, a full bath, and a laundry room. She also designed our outdoor spaces, adding a porch, two patios, a stone path, and three levels of outdoor steps. Every project has added to our sense of well-being. Perhaps the most telling demonstration of our respect and appreciation for Patricia’s work is the fact we've used her on consecutive remodels. It never occurred to us to consult with another architect. She is meticulously detailed in designing the spaces and finishes so that the effect is timeless -clean, open, light-filled. She solicits and takes into account her clients’ opinions, so our house looks different from her other projects. Working with her is a collaborative experience - and a learning one! We've been particularly impressed with the way she layers her lighting designs with different lighting sources - very important in our east-facing house, especially in the Northwest winter. What's more, when we thought we had to add another story, she persuaded us to use our existing space more efficiently - and we're glad we did! Most crucially, we continue to consult with Patricia after the design-and-drawing phase, and she acts as our advocate as we work with contractors, structural engineers, and landscape contractors. We've learned through experience that her involvement is essential in keeping a project on budget and true to the architectural drawings. Our last project was completed in August 2015, a remodel of a master bath. Though we didn't expand the footprint, Patricia’s design significantly opened up the sense of space. Though a relatively small project, there were a number of contractor-related bumps, but Patricia provided counsel, solutions, and intervention (!) to get us to a happy conclusion. Five stars!

Patricia Brennan Architects applied outstanding skill and experience in achieving all design goals for our new home construction. The project involved teardown of an older structure in a dense city lot and building a new 3,645 sqft home with an accessory dwelling unit. Challenges included the difficulty of international communication during the initial design stage when my wife and I lived in Asia; interpreting and managing arcane city code requirements applying to tight infill development; integrating a modern structure within a predominantly traditional neighborhood style; and achieving a gold-level green certification through the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) “LEED for Home” program. Patricia Brennan Architects overcame each of these challenges, and more, exceptionally well. Moreover, she mobilized an outstanding team of technical consultants, suppliers, a landscape designer and construction contractor who individually and collectively represented the best talent and experience available. The professionalism, experience, and camaraderie of this team were key factors in the success of our project. Patricia Brennan demonstrated creative and flexible responses to budget and code constraints. Her masterful sense for colors, materials, textures, and finishes guided us with confidence through innumerable details and decision-making as construction proceeded. The result is a superb home that exceeds all our goals and expectations – creating lasting value and aesthetic beauty. Achievement of the LEED for Home gold level certification demonstrates that stringent environmental goals can be met without sacrificing style, budgets or livability.

Pat Brennan Architects provided all architectural services, including coordination of structural and geotechnical engineering, permitting and construction assistance. This project razed a 2300 sf two story house to one level before rebuilding it to a 3200 sf three story craftsman style house. The steep slope of the location and the size of the lot made the design very complex. Patricia Brennan has a wealth of experience and provided unique and timely ideas throughout the project. They worked within our budget and provided near instantaneous responses our contractor. Working with the Patricia Brennan Team was easy and fun. We have a final product that is as close to perfect as one could find.

We have worked with Patricia Brennan Architects on 4 different projects of varying scale - from a kitchen/bathroom remodel to the transformation of a 4-story derelict warehouse into an AIA award winning building of artist live/work spaces. Each experience has left us with a deep appreciation for the work she does and how she does it. Patricia listens closely - she listens to the physical space of the project and she listens to the desires and needs of her clients. She engages in a collaborative dialogue at the outset of a project and continues the dialogue until the project is complete. She has an amazing sense of color, a wide range of knowledge about all kinds of materials (from lighting to flooring and everything in between) and she provides recommendations for high quality professionals and reliable contractors. She’s attentive to detail, to budget, to practical problem solving and to the aesthetics, flow and functionality of a space. Each project we’ve done with Patricia has exceeded our hopes and left us with living spaces we love to be in. We feel fortunate we were able to work with Patricia for the first time 22 years ago – after that initial experience we knew whenever we embarked upon another project she would be the only person we would call. Her work has added to our lives immeasurably.