Andrew Mikhael Architect

Andrew did an amazing job in the design and execution of my 1 bedroom apartment gut renovation. I hired him without hesitation after seeing his work on Dwell. I provided some design direction and he did the rest. He quickly came up with living spaces that are as functional as they are beautiful. He understood the spaces I find inspiring and was able to create a truly unique and magazine-worthy space I enjoy coming home to every night. Everyone who sees what he did with the kitchen is wowed. He worked hard to bring world class design and stay within my budget. We had less than 4% of construction overages over the course of the project. I highly recommend using Andrew to transform any sized space into your dream home. I would hire Andrew again if we buy another apartment or do a combination.

We love the finished project and would definitely hire him again.

Andrew has completed one job with us and is currently working on the second. Both are apartment condo combinations requiring a creative and exacting architectural pen. We've remodeled kitchens and bathrooms, built pantries, fireplaces and moved plumbing risers. He is responsive and timely, as well as helpful with questions about the DOB, materials, etc..

Andrew Mikhael is nothing less than professional and detail oriented. Very easy to work with and produces excellent work. We have worked together for several years and the projects have always been very successful!

From our first interaction with Andrew, he was inspiring, profound, and professional. We were looking for someone who could think out of the box in redesigning our home. As collectors of art, we wanted to find a way to best display all our pieces. From paintings to sculptures, Andrew took every one of them into account and wove them into his sleek design. He grasped the importance of our collection and tailored his design to complement its spirit. Andrew blew our minds with his vision! I appreciate the time he took to personally present and unfold his plan for our home. He opened new doors of possibilities, discussing everything from advantageous play of light and shadow and wall angles to color combinations and unique built in furniture. Who knew that my HOME could become a work of art! The design phase was a DREAM! We LOVED the personal attention we received from him. He was masterful in fusing and guiding our vision with his own. Permits and paperwork are a nightmare! Oy! However, Andrew patiently hunted down each and every person to get the bureaucracy sorted. One of our most memorable and time-saving meetings with Andrew was right before construction began. He presented us with a binder of all the extra fanciness we’d planned to order to dress up our remodel. It was so impressive to see how he’d listened and noted all our wishes on paper; so beautiful organized. It afforded us the chance to reassess each item before the contractor placed the order. We were SO grateful for this step, as we’d changed our minds on several things! The construction phase went more or less according to plan. We hit a few bumps along the way. So many moving parts! Andrew was there to resolve surprise snags with the contractor and guided our project to completion, proving himself an excellent coordinator between all the parties involved. (On a personal note: on his recommendation, we attended multiple sites visits. This helped us to understand where and how things got complicated and how we could help… aka not freak out!) Now we’re all moved in. Oh happy day! It’s such a pleasure to wake up, drink coffee, dine, entertain and relax in a MASTERPIECE! So thrilled with how everything turned out. We consider ourselves very fortunate to have found and worked with such a master artisan as Andrew. We can’t wait to see our home featured in print! :) THANK YOU ANDREW!!!!

Andrew was a pleasure to work with at every level. He was kind and responsive, all while retaining the utmost professionalism throughout the entirety of the project. We'd love to work with him further in the future.

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We needed some architectural plans to do a cosmetic renovation (we wanted to remove some closets).

I've gone with many vendors (chimney, irrigation, roofing, etc) from Angie's list and this was the only disappointment. We just moved into a home and wanted to reconfigure our master bedroom to contain a walk-in-closet and larger bathroom. Because a load bearing wall needed to be removed, all the contractors we brought in said they would need structural drawings to submit for permits, hence our search for an architect. We called in several and decided on Andrew based on the fact that he was the only person with any reviews, let alone positive. Our initial visit was fine, but it took him about 2.5 months to finally get finalized drawings to use that we could use to select contractors to bid on the scope of work. He kept missing details such as removal of load bearing wall and lighting and other important details to include in the drawing. Told him about load bearing wall several times and had to remind him twice to add into the drawings where at that point he told us a structural engineer would be required and called in a structural engineer (his previous college professor) and charged us 800 for her services. I'm not sure why he didn't just state this upfront when we first met because we had told him about the load bearing wall during our very first meeting. Also he should have been able to calculate the required beam and how to execute the work via a detailed drawing as an architect). When our contractor called him to suggest that another beam would be sufficient, he didn't know how the load was even calculated and said "that's what she told me to use" (referring to his old professor). Turns out we could have saved money with a regular beam (not steel) which initially we were told we needed to minimize jutting out of the ceiling. Our contractor just moved it a few inches away from the wall so it was a complete non issue. Also, the drawings contained so many errors. He kept forgetting small details such as electrical outlets, location of lighting fixtures, removal of load bearing wall, etc. and even when the contractors went to execute, some measurements were off, were ambiguous, or were missing. Also, after all the work was completed, the calculations were off so that the bolts securing the beam are sticking out of the ceiling versus being flush under the ceiling drywall. I would definitely not recommend utilizing Andrew if you actually want real work executed in your home. He was a very friendly person, but he doesn't have the structural expertise and will just end up calling in someone else and then charging you for it. Also, he was pricier than all the other architects we interviewed, but we were willing to pay the price if it meant receiving better quality service. Which we definitely did not receive. pictures to come shortly.

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The whole process went smoothly, Andrew was professional, very diligent about following up and pushing the process along. The gating factor was actually our own condo board who took forever to review his drawings, once that was done, he got us the landmark committee approval within a week and then another couple of days for DOB. I had thought we wouldn't be able to get the renovations started again till December but we were good to go by end October. There were no surprises at all because he kept us posted, and did all the necessary on the back end, which wasn't the case with the contractor we hired. He made a very stressful situation better for us and i would absolutely recommend his services to anyone!

The sent me one email with a question which I responded to and then heard anything else from them

I didn't work with him. For a variety of reasons, I decided not to go with him. That decision was not a reflection of what I thought his abilities were. He was timely and responsive. He was knowledgeable. He did what he said he was going to do in a time frame he said he was going to do it. He got me the estimate in a timely way. He answered questions. He was very accommodating about coming to see me in my schedule. In terms of scheduling, he was very accommodating. He was very personable. The quote he gave me was $5000. I would get a quote from him in the future.

Unfortunately the project was not approved by the partners and fell through.had it not fallen through, we would have used Andrew"s services.

He called me thirty minutes before the scheduled time to cancel our appointment.

Mr. Mikhael was one of my three bidders, and I chose him to be one of my bidders based on the reviews I read on Angie's list. I drove poor that poor man crazy. I'd never used an architect before, and never owned a condominium apartment before, and Manhattan, especially in a Landmarked District, is pretty much another planet--the rules, the regulations, the approvals required... The owners of the apartment we are buying are still living there, and I didn't want to put them out by requesting multiple viewings so that I could have my 3 bidders view the apartment. (Of course I knew, from Angie's List and from personal experience that I needed to get estimates from at least 3 providers) Thus, I was looking for estimates based on my designer's drawings. One of the architects highly recommended by a friend, whose apartment I have seen, would not provide an estimate without seeing the apartment. Mr. Mikhael was willing to provide an estimate for his services within the constraints I imposed, solely on the basis of my designer's drawings. I went back to him several times with additional questions. He always got back to me quickly, and never gave me any indication that I was taking an inordinate amount of his time just for an estimate. I was surprised that he provided me with a lump-sum flat-rate estimate, and disappointed that he did not break that number down even after I requested that he do so. My husband pointed out to me that, since Mr. Mikhael was a solo practitioner, it might be possible that I might run into scheduling conflict issues. I ended up choosing another architect for a number of other reasons in addition to what I mentioned above. However, from this experience and based on the other reviews on Angie's List, I would recommend him. His price was competitive and, as I mentioned, he was very responsive.

I contacted Andrew for a quick turn around blue print for a wall. He told me it would take a week, but came out at the first available moment (I called him at night, he came 8:30 the next morning), and when I told him I was on a tight deadline he worked over time and got me the blue prints the same night, 1 week ahead of schedule. The blue prints were exactly what we requested and the township permit was also approved 1 week ahead of schedule. Andrew also followed up to see how the project is going. He is very prompt, professional, and talented. I would highly recommend his work.

Since he was familiar with the house and our needs because of the prior projects the process was easy. He told us which walls were worth removing and which would not add any impact/value. He is skilled at maintaining style integrity while at the same time incorporating the needs of the modern family. our farmhouse has been revitalized and brought into the 21st century without sacrificing any charm. I have seen his designs that span modern, transitional and classic - most impressive.

We called Andrew he visited our home and took measurements. He interacted with us by email and phone and gave us reneditions. After that he provided us with full drawings for permit which we are in the process of now.

After contacting Andrew through Angie's List, he was very responsive and flexible. He was able to set up an initial consultation within 24 hours. He came prepared and measured our apartment during the consultation. We executed the contract and the first payment was made shortly thereafter. Andrew has completed all of the work in his scope and has done an amazing job. Even during the renovation process, he's gone above and beyond his required duties to stop in to check in. Andrew has provided an A+ experience and I have already recommended him to a couple of friends. He's a class act and will respond very quickly in a professional and polite manner.

I contacted several Architects because I need to add a bedroom to our existing condo. I was surprised by Andrew's responsiveness. He came to our condo to take a look and talk to us face to face and truly understand what was the project about. He took many pictures, asked questions, and took measurements. From the first moment it was great to deal with Andrew, his interest was to do the best possible job in the shortest possible time and always being flexible on meeting. After selecting him, he began a very hard job of getting all the info required to do the drawings. I am sure the easiest part for him was the actual drawings, but I was also a witness of how much he had to deal with HOA and the city! He was always available, prompt, helpful and honest. I was lucky to find such professional! I wish all the people I meet was as responsible as Andrew

He asked us lots of questions about what we wanted - aesthetically and functionally. He married form and function perfectly. Told us directly what would work and what would not and help us make the best financial decisions. he presented us with detailed drawings and even more impressive - 3D renderings on his IPad that could zoom and rotate. excellent overall

Excellent process from initial interview to design