Here at udvari-solner design company, we believe that good design starts with an intimate understanding of your needs and objectives. We specialize in creative residential design, and we offer a range of design services to help you realize your new home construction or renovation project. We are a small residential design office located near downtown Madison, headed by Mark Udvari-Solner and founded in 1990. With that many years in business, you can be confident that we have experience with a diverse range of projects, including new homes, condominiums, apartment developments and renovations of all shapes and sizes. No job is too small, and no challenge is insurmountable. Our objective is to create a stunning home that suits your lifestyle.
Business highlights
34 years of trusted experience
Services we offer
Creative Residential Design, Design,Consultation, Construction Documentation, Your Representative to the Supervising Authorities, 3D Modeling and Rendering, Bidding and Negotiation, Interior Design, Light Commercial, Construction Administration
Description of Work: I called the design company and described our need - a renovation for a very old home. At the suggestion of the receptionist, we met with Mark Udvari-Solner at their offices. | |I thought this was a little odd, since I had no idea how they could comment on the renovation without seeing the home. But, we did as suggested. It was a very nice, cordial meeting. Architect did most of the talking - going over their standard forms, outline their standard procedures. We were asked very few questions. | |We were looking for an architect who could work with us, and consider our specific home and our specific needs. From this meeting, it did not seem like Udvari-Solner was the right fit for our project.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
Kathryn O.
03/2014
5.0
architect
 + -1 more
There isn't enough space here to express all the wonderful things that we have to say about working with Mark Udvari-Solner. Building a house can be a harrowing process, but Mark made it a wonderful experience. The first significant thing to mention is something that first-time homebuilders might not fully grasp: Mark, as a designer who is independent of the contractor/builder, plays an important role in representing our interests in the process. He provided guidance and oversight based on our interests as homeowners (rather than in the interest of maximizing the profits of the builder, sub-contractors or suppliers). By doing things like coordinating the bidding process, specifying the materials and construction standards, he made sure that we got fair and comparable bids from reputable builders with whom he has worked with in the past. He also shepherded us through the selection process with the various suppliers, making sure that we put our money into things that are important and saving money where we might have spent it needlessly. Mark also kept an eye on the construction process to make sure that everything was done according to plan. And, this is the most important point here, we figured out that the various roles that Mark played in the process actually saved us more than enough money to pay for his services. That is remarkable. When I built my second home, there was no question that I would use Mark's services again because of the excellent experience that I had working with him on my first home. This time, we had some very specific ideas for what we were looking for in building this house. I came to Mark with a floor plan that I had drawn. He listened very carefully to us and spent a lot of time getting to know what we were looking for in a home. He took my plans and created a rough draft that merged our ideas with his ideas for many wonderful features that we would never have anticipated. He very patiently met with us several times to discuss subsequent drafts that not only got more and more creative and beautiful, but also found better ways to give us everything we wanted, while reducing the overall cost of the home to fit within our budget. I just don't think that would ever happen with design and build contractors. In the end, we got an amazing dream house that fit within our budget. Throughout this process, Mark was the face of his company and we dealt almost exclusively with him on anything other than routine issues. When we had questions or ideas that we wanted to share, he would get back to us right away to talk on the phone or to schedule a meeting at his office if necessary. He was always eager to discuss new ideas or to consult with us on the choices and selections that you have to make with various suppliers. He also met with us on a fairly regular basis to inspect the job sight. He always made us feel like his most important client, which is especially impressive given that he has many clients with far larger budgets than ours. Another important factor is that Mark has very high standards of construction that he specs as part of his plans. There are many important things that a homeowner might not appreciate that some builders would cut out to save on costs. Mark won't let them do that. Mark's attention to detail is phenomenal, which provides a great level of comfort in what can be an arduous process. So, the obvious thing that one notices right away when you work with Mark is that he is a bundle of energy and ideas, which makes it really fun to work with him. When he gets going, the ideas literally start gushing out of him. Lest you think that might mean that he doesn't listen to the client, I can assure you that isn't true. Despite his whirlwind demeanor, he listens very carefully to the needs and concerns of the client. It's quite remarkable how he managed to elicit our thoughts and ideas and integrate them into his designs. Mark's designs exhibit an incredible amount of creativity--both in terms of their functionality and in terms of their aesthetic appeal. His houses definitely stand out from the crowd. When you work with Mark, you will get a unique home--one of a kind in terms of its beauty and in terms of the way it meets your specific needs. We discovered that builders like to work with Mark too. Doing a home with him is a feather in the cap of a builder. As such, Mark gets to work with some of the best builders in the area. He screened the builders that bid on our job such that all of the bids were from highly reputable builders. Mark represented us in getting the bids down to our budget limit. He helped us select a wonderful builder whose performance far exceeded anything that we would have ever expected. Together, Mark and our builder gave use a beautiful home that exceeds our wildest imaginations.
Description of Work: Mark Udvari-Solner has designed two homes for me. He did such a great job the first time, that there was no question that I would go back to him to design the dream house that we just built. Mark did an amazing job of drawing up the architectural plans, but that was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what his firm provided. Plans were revised numerous times to evaluate and incorporate alternative ideas. Mark coordinated the bidding process to choose the builder. He oversaw the construction process and made sure that the builders were doing a good job (this was especially important on the first house that I built as the contractor made several significant mistakes--Mark made them redo their work). Mark also provided invaluable advise on everything from building materials to contractors/suppliers to stylistic recommendations. He also shepherded the process through the design review committee. Mark was there for us from start to finish and I can't imagine going through this process without his guidance and support.
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FAQ
UDVARI-SOLNER DESIGN CO is currently rated 4.8 overall out of 5.
Monday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
UDVARI-SOLNER DESIGN CO accepts the following forms of payment: Check
No, UDVARI-SOLNER DESIGN CO does not offer free project estimates.
No, UDVARI-SOLNER DESIGN CO does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, UDVARI-SOLNER DESIGN CO does not offer a senior discount.
No, UDVARI-SOLNER DESIGN CO does not offer emergency services.
No, UDVARI-SOLNER DESIGN CO does not offer warranties.
UDVARI-SOLNER DESIGN CO offers the following services: Creative Residential Design, Design,Consultation, Construction Documentation, Your Representative to the Supervising Authorities, 3D Modeling and Rendering, Bidding and Negotiation, Interior Design, Light Commercial, Construction Administration