Colonial Home Design

Ed was terrific to work with and notably very responsive. In a big complicated project, Ed made himself available on our schedule so my wife and I could make revisions to the design after the kids went to bed. He was also very quick so we could get to full plans in a couple months instead of a much longer process I experienced with other designers. Ed also uses a great 3D software package allowing us to visualize the design from start to finish. Now that our project is built it's amazing how much the real thing looks like the virtual walk-throughs we did. Probably the only real challenge came in that our project had complex structural engineering to do. It all worked out in the end but with communication between designer to engineer to contractor to framers aspects of the work were lost and it took some rework to address. Ed was very responsive as always in working with everyone to figure it out. Ed was also very helpful in keeping the project practical and helping to identify a great contractor who saved us a ton of money. We couldn't have done the full scope of our project without that lead. So many other designers and architects we talked to, even high-end expensive architects, didn't use good 3D CAD software for the design phase. I can't imagine doing a big complicated project without that tool and Ed is expert in its use and it's a huge value-add. You really get to walk through your project and try it out before building it. We're finishing up our project and I haven't found anything yet that seems out of place or the wrong size - it's great! And again, above all Ed is fast and responsive which is a unique quality among almost everyone we've worked with. Recommended!

In the first 5 minutes of speaking to Ed, I knew I had found my designer. He was easy to work with. He had the technology tools that made my life easier, and the pricing and contract were so simple and hassle-free. I enjoyed our design meetings via webex, especially with the challenges of Covid. Ed was able to make edits in real time and share the results with us with 3D models over webex. Ed made himself available at any times that we requested. He delivered in exactly the timeframes that he had laid out, and he provided us with great advice through out the project. I don't think I could have asked for anything more. If you need a designer/architect for your project, I have no reservations about recommending Colonial Home Design.

It has been a very satisfying experience working with Ed for designing architectural drawings for our room addition project. Ed is very knowledgeable, thorough and professional in his approach. He captured the details of the project meticulously in person and collaborated virtually (phone, webex) with us to complete the required architectural artifacts. He was very prompt in the correspondence and very punctual. I will highly recommend Ed for the architectural services he offers.

Ed has been great to work with. I was impressed right from the start with how quickly he responded to my initial inquiry and he has been extremely responsive ever since. We were able to complete the design phase of the project rather quickly due to Ed's willingness to accommodate webex meetings during any time of the day or evening that was convenient for us. I was impressed that not only was Ed an architect but that he was also a builder. Having this extensive industry knowledge gave us a piece of mind that this project was going to be done right. I would absolutely use Ed again and would recommend him to any one in need of home design services.

We recently had the pleasure of working with Ed. Our project was one store addition with full walk-out basement. Working with Ed made a challenging project seem easy! He helped us to really consider all of our options. Ed is very knowledgeable about the planning and building codes (which is very important), not to mention his patience, reliability and support for every step of the design. Awesome response time and constant communications. Hiring Ed as your architect is the best decision you can make. We highly recommend him.

Ed was very easy to work with. He took half a day to measure our home and then created an as-built plan using his software program. We then met to tell him what we wanted the addition to include. We talked with Ed using WebEx meetings to revise and go through the details of the design. It was really helpful to see the plans in 3D and any changes updated immediately with the software. Ed was very knowledgeable, plus he knows the industry being a former contractor. Ed had many helpful suggestions on details such as window sizing, etc. We were very pleased with the outcome.

Ed was very professional and responsive. He took the time to listen to what we wanted and provided useful suggestions. We really enjoyed working with Ed and would highly recommend him.

Ed is a great guy to work with, knowledgeable and responsive. Additionally his years of experience working in the construction industry give him the ability to design not just what the end users 'desire' but also in a way where the construction elements are factored into the design ultimately saving time and money. I have used Colonial for several projects now and have no hesitation recommending Ed and his services.

Our contractor suggested that we use Ed Buckingham of Colonial Home Design for our major home renovation. Ed was terrific!! He did a site survey and then created the CAD designs. He then set up a Webex with us to review the proposed designs and allow us to make changes. He was incredibly helpful in making suggestions and answering our questions. This was really helpful had evolving ideas and it was great to be able to see the "what ifs" on the screen in real time. Ed was quick to make any changes and get the revisions to us promptly. He was very professional and pleasant to work with. In the midst of working with us, Ed had a medical issue but still managed to exceed our expectations in terms of service and deliverables. We worked with Ed about 2 years ago but when we had a question on the square footage, he responded immediately and provided exactly the info we needed. I highly recommend Ed .

Very well. Ed was great to work with. He built the plans out in real-time with us both in-person and over the web making it easy to make changes. Ed was very responsive. For example, as we were purchasing cabinets, we were able to connect with Ed and make changes to see if the new cabinet layout would work before leaving the store. Ed was great in working with our contractor, providing them the details and changes needed along the way. I would highly recommend Ed.

I just finished working with Ed on the design of my first house and I was very impressed with the whole process. He was very patient in taking me through the design process and worked within my rather quick timeline. I asked a lot of questions and Ed was able to explain to me the pros and cons of what I wanted to do. He also was always available to work around my schedule, which usually meant night and weekends. I wouldn't hesitate to use him on another project and would recommend him to anyone that wants a well designed house at a reasonable price.

We were so happy with the remodeling that we had Ed design an extension to be used as an in-law apartment. Ed gave us as much time as we needed during the design phase.

Working with Ed was awesome. Day or night, he is always available. He came to the house within a day of my first call and gave me an estimate on the spot. His price was so much lower than an architect I had spoken to, yet his services were more comprehensive. Within a few days after the initial visit he returned to take measurements of the existing house. A few days after that the first draft of plans were finished. The technology he uses is fantastic. I was able to review the plans from the comfort of my own home (while he was at his office). I would suggest a change and he would make it on the spot and the plans would immediately get updated. The process was incredibly efficient. This house is located in a City that is notorious for making it difficult, expensive and time consuming to get a building permit. Ed was very helpful during this process, without him it would have taken much longer and cost a lot more. I highly recommend Ed. In fact, he has already started working on another project for me.

Working with Ed was a great experience for us. We are novice investors and this was our first major construction involved with a complete “tear down to the studs and building up from the ground” project. We reached out to Ed after working with another architect. Ed was very creative with our design and provided us with a new concept that changed our whole project perspective. The design process with Ed was smooth and fast; and Ed was open-minded for every crazy idea or change that we came with. Ed was available almost 24 / 7 for any question or concern throughout the design process and more important during the construction. He assisted us with the painful building permit procedure and was available for our contractor whenever he required his assistance. Most important to me when working with a provider is his availability and his communication skills. I also prefer to work with open-minded talents that get “emotionally” involved in the project, and will do whatever they can to make me satisfied. This is Ed. I move fast and take decisions on the spot, so working with someone that I know always available, well…that worth gold for me! Lastly, if you have a building project coming soon and you in the process of looking for an architect, call Ed, you won’t be disappointed. I know I am going to call him for my next project that is just around the corner. Thank you Ed for a great work!!

Ed Buckingham, of Colonial Home Design, worked with us at great length to make a complex project successful. The software was intereactive, enabling us to work with him in real time -- and we are VERY happy with the results.

We faced two challenges in adding a porch to the back of our house. First, the existing roof line has multiple angles and pitches. A porch roof would have to attach to these and, we hoped, create a more integrated, smoother line. Secondly, the porch would be built over the bulkhead, and we needed to maintain this access to the basement. In our initial phone conversation, Ed quickly showed a firm grasp of the scope and complexity of the project. His questions, and his responses to ours, clearly demonstrated expert, pragmatic building experience, as well as thorough mastery of the building codes. We also appreciated his straightforward fee structure for his design services, so we hired him for the project. Ed came to our house to view the site, take measurements, discuss all aspects of the project with us, and make recommendations. He drew up preliminary plans, teleconferenced these with us, made revisions, and then completed the "blueprints." He solved the bulkhead problem with a trap door, and he created a roof line that ties the whole back of the house together beautifully. We encountered no problems whatsoever in the permitting process. As part of his services, Ed has made himself available to answer questions and advise us through the duration of the construction phase. We're satisfied clients, and would definitely hire him again for other projects.

Ed was exactly what we needed to get our job going. He was able to provide good, practical solutions to the issues we wanted to address. He helped us change the layout of our house from strange and space-wasting to practical and beautiful. The software he uses was a huge help for visualizing changes, and Ed was very willing to spend as much time as we wanted to re-arrange and experiment with the design. We always felt like he had our best interests in mind and Ed even got us in contact with the general contractor we eventually chose to do our remodel. We highly recommend Ed.

It went excellently. He was a good listener and helped to make my requests possible, when others could not. He recommended a contractor who I would highly recommend. I would highly recommend Colonial Home Design. Can't say enough good things about my experience.

I called Colonial Home Design to inquire about the possibility of consulting on a new home construction project. My intent was to find a professional to review my design and advise on various details. During the call, Mr. Buckingham described his flat fee and the 100+ hours that go into the design and documentation phases of his service. After I asked if he offered a lower tier of pricing for a more limited scope, the conversation quickly deteriorated. He implied that an owner-builder is incapable of producing a solid end result, and that my endeavor was a foolish enterprise. He then proceeded to call me an ?*******,? and insisted that ?any house plan I generated would be ****? and ?would be used to wipe his ***.? As evidenced by the many positive reviews, I have no doubt that Mr. Buckingham is capable of producing quality work. And, as he emphasized several times, I possess neither his experience nor his skillset. That, however, does not excuse his use of profanity, his belligerent attitude, or his unprofessionally demeaning manner. It also fails to align with the fact that thousands of homeowners have successfully served as general contractor for their own projects, some saving a considerable amount of money in the process. I am unsure why Mr. Buckingham would feel so threatened by this. It appears at least one other reviewer has also experienced a similarly unprovoked tirade. ***UPDATE*** While I appreciate Mr. Buckingham?s apparent acknowledgement of his ?wipe my ***? comment, his unwillingness to apologize and his false representation of our conversation force me to leave my review and rating as posted. During our brief phone call, no demands were made of Mr. Buckingham nor were any threats delivered (though, in hindsight, perhaps posting this review ?all over the internet? would help prevent a future customer from experiencing a similar incident). The sole request was for a more limited scope of service to be delivered at a reduced cost (i.e. design consulting on an hourly basis). A response of a simple ?no? would have sufficed. A referral to another designer/architect would have been worthy of an ?A? review. But instead, he chose to berate me. As I mentioned in my initial review, all evidence points toward Mr. Buckingham producing exemplary work. But I would not be comfortable entering into a contract with someone who distorts the facts and views unprofessionalism as an appropriate course of action.

Ed was fantastic! We were novices in home additions and construction, and had lots of questions and uncertainties. Ed was patient and supportive throughout, as well as knowledgeable and professional. He would advise us on what was practical and what was not, and, if it was not practical, on alternate ways to achieve what we were wanting to do in a way that was practical. He helped us understand the cost implications of our options (e.g., 2 season screened porch, 3 season room, or 4 season sun room). He essentially took the pretty vague, high level concepts we had and translated them into a sound, livable design. While he made recommendations, we always felt that it was our decision, and we grew to trust him implicitly over time while still in control of the design of our addition. His construction drawings were used by the building contractor and they never had to deviate from the drawings to get the design to work. We especially liked the interactive nature of the design phase, where we could visualize the design and the results of changes we made to it. It made the design process go quicker and we had more confidence at the end of the design phase that the design was what we wanted. We are thrilled with the result! Ed was instrumental in making our dream addition come true!

Contacted this company to get information on having plans done for a basement. Inquired on if they did this level of work, as I was concerned they might not look at a small project like this. Person I contacted told me they did, and that they would do full set of plans for $3,000. He then proceeded to ask more about where I was located. I told the gentleman that $3,000 was a stiffer price then what I was looking to pay (have already been quoted $1,000 to do similar work). This is where it went crazy. The guy asked me if I worked for peanuts! He then asked if I'd be willing to work for $5 an hour, and if I would, then I should do my own plans and then promptly hung up on me! How is it possible that you can run an independent business and treat people like this! Another provider that I've been working with quoted me $125/hour and told me it would take her around 8 hours. Price quoted was over double that estimate. Not sure if this guy was just having a bad day, or if he routinely treats prospective customers this poorly. Use him if you will, it looks like other people have had success. However, when someone cannot even stay professional when discussing business over the phone, imagine what they might be like if you run into a legitimate issue with them. This guy has put some serious doubts in about Angie's List in my mind - not sure how someone that acts so unprofessionally can have a positive rating. UPDATE: This guy continues to show he is not a professional by choosing to focus on the location on my post rather than respond to what he knows he did. I moved to NH from CT and did not update the address on my Angie's list file at the time. I've since relocated to MI, so I'm sure he will now use that to try and discredit the review. I would have more respect for him had he acknowledged he had a moment of poor behavior (it happens) and made a mistake. Obviously this must not have been a momentary lapse in judgement, but probably just the way he does business. Use him at your own risk!!

Ed provides an extraordinary design and documents service -- as any architect would do -- but his design work bring to bear his 30 years of experience as a builder and general contractor. This "lens" and experience enables him to offer incredibly practical, money saving, and insightful perspectives for your design. This is especially helpful for those of us working under a budget (which is most of us) and wanting to accomplish as much as we can with our limited dollars. Ed can advise from his experience what changes and improvements will offer a great "bang for the buck" and what might be quite expensive for what you get. In short, Ed's design orientation is practical and he can help save clients significant money both from rethinking design elements to pointing clients to specific contractors and suppliers (e.g. cabinets) of quality and great value. Initially, I called Ed to inquire about his services, and he was incredibly generous and helpful -- Ed returned my call promptly and then spent 2.5 hours explaining his design service and offering extensive and incredibly useful advice and perspective related to the project I am undertaking. I was impressed decided to hire Ed first for a 2-hour consultation and to help me pick a contractor. Then I hired him to do the design and documents for my renovations. Here's how Ed works: He takes measurements and photographs and develops architectural and incredible 3d renderings of the home as it exists ("as built"). Then he works with you -- generally on an unlimited and extensive basis -- to convert your vision for your building or renovation into drawings and 3d renderings. So -- as you develop your concept -- you can actually see what it will look like when complete! Then, once the design is finalized, he develops architectural drawings and official "documents" which a builder can use and which the home and building inspectors will require to pull permits for doing the work. Ed also helps by providing advice and input while the building work is underway -- as there are always changes and decisions and revisions that come up. I should also mention that Ed has experience with a range of contractors and can make referrals and offer suggestions about working with contractors. Ed referred me to Hancock Building Associates, and consider myself lucky to have gotten this referral--they have been amazing. I would encourage anyone undertaking a building or renovation job to call Ed to learn more about what he does and how he can help. Ed is a consummate professional and is obviously building a return-client and referral business--in the best way. He serves his clients until they are completely satisfied.

Ed was on time and very knowledgable. He was honest and spent plenty of time discussing my options. I learned a lot from Ed that day and I would hire him again.

Ed Buckingham is extremely knowledgeable and expert at residential design. He is highly creative and detailed oriented and he has expert technical skill with all the necessary computer software needed to complete detailed, highly accurate drawings. My contractor commented that Ed's plans were some of the best plans he had ever seen in his 25 year career. Ed also has an extensive background as a general contractor and this is immensely valuable as his insights ensure that the designs he creates are technically feasible and able to be built correctly. He also works above and beyond to ensure that his clients are supported by him throughout the process and he doesn't believe his job is over when the plans are delivered, he is there for you until the project is built and finished. He is honest, hard working and reliable. He is very punctual, organized and delivers what he promises fully executed and on time. He is a true professional.

The latest project is the 3rd project I have worked on with Ed. The two projects completed in 2009 and 2011 worked out very well. I am particularly pleased with the ideas that he has for any situation No matter how complicated it is. The properties designed by Ed are easy to market because they appeal to roommates, families or single people. 3D rendering is an essential feature and I cannot imagine undertaking a project without 3D renderings. The finished construction appears exactly like the renderings. We are able to start looking for prospective tenants before completing construction. It is extremely helpful in marketing since most people have trouble imagining possibilities for living spaces. Besides, I feel like when I present my project at the site review the city officials are more receptive to the whole project. As far as compensation goes, I think Ed's work is priced below market. I personally feel I receive great service at an even greater price. Overall, Ed is responsive and easy to get in touch with and even called me to check on the progress of obtaining permits while on his vacation. Ed makes the experience of designing with him convenient with GoToMeetings. Ed is receptive to ideas and I have found him to be very easy to work with. Anyone who has experience with architects will appreciate Ed most.