We engaged the services of Hiser & Kopits Hiser Architects when designing a large screened in porch addition. Helen Kopits Hiser was wonderful to work with! She was with us every step of the process to facilitate a great final plan, provided excellent design guidance, and gave us a beautiful space to live in. Our contractor enjoyed working with her so much that he is now recommending her to other clients who need architectural designs!
Terrific architect! Very knowledgeable. Had a solid grasp of the county codes. We had a 2 car detached garage and portico built including moving our driveway and landscaping. Also we had her design a kitchen addition and a Family Room addition for the future. She listened to what we had to say about what we wanted in design and she nailed it. She also offered some excellent and well thought out options. Her communication with us and well as the contractor was great throughout the project. A true professional. I would recommend her in a heartbeat!!
We were referred to Hiser + Kopits Hiser Architects from a friend and could not be more pleased. Our need was for a consult/design brainstorm for a fixed roof over our patio and Helen was awesome. She was very flexible, easy to work with and provided multiple design ideas based on our vision. I would not hesitate to use Hiser + Kopits Hiser Architects in the future.
Outstanding! Professional! An expert job well done! Just a few words to say how great Helen did on our job. We needed a licensed architect to design, create and provide drawings for a small addition to our office located in an older building. As a small non-profit, we needed to find a professional architect who was not only excellent, but also did not break our budget. Hiser + Kopits Hiser was just that. Helen's knowledge, expertise and guidance made the project come together perfectly. She came to the office, studied the current structure, and designed an addition that fit with the current structure and feel of the building. She met every benchmark set by the Office of Permits. They, too, were impressed with her work as was the builder who is using the drawings to build the addition.. Helen gave everything she promised and was right on the mark for the date she delivered. All of this professional work was done with a sensitivity and a personal touch. Helen was awesome to work with. I cannot wait to invite her to share a glass of wine in the new addition.
We hired HKH to remodel our house which was a road filled with obstacles and problems we had constant support of the HKH at every step of the way even 5 years later when our kitchen and family roof leaked despite many calls to the builder but our architect rushed to our house in bad icy weather to check out the site. Her efforts brought the original builder to inspect the roof who chose not to address the problem . HKH provided us with another builder choice at our request we will always be grateful to HKH. No matter what happens in life or in projects we undertake support honesty kindness compassion conscience and trust is the key to any relationship. HKH has a foundation of these values which will not leave you.
I can recommend without reservation Hiser + Kopits Hiser (HKH). We brought in HKH after another architect and a contractor failed to solve a critical problem in our house. HKH not only solved the problem, but significantly improved on our overall living space. We had purchased a 150-year old house in downtown baltimore that was four stories and divided into separate apartments. Our goal was to combine two of the apartments into one owner's unit and the only way to do this was by building a new internal stairway between two floors. Then challenge was that structurally the only place where the stairs could go was adjacent to an addition that had been built many years ago where the floors intentionally did not align by 4 feet. In other words, the stairway needed to incorporate three runs of stairs between four separate levels between the two floors we needed to move between. And all this while retaining the light loft-like look we had throughout the rest of the house. Complicated. The principal of the firm, Helen Hiser, spent significant time on the site, measuring, drawing, taking photos, talking with contractors, talking with us, and eventually came up with an elegant, functional, and solid solution. She worked with good cheer and humor and was always available for consultation with contractors. Sadly for HKH, the finished project looks like it has always been there, it is so well integrated into the fabric of the house. We have had preservation architects compliment us on retaining the original layout of the house, when in fact the original layout would have been cramped, dark, dangerous, and not come anywhere close to meeting either building codes or modern aesthetic sensibilities. Helen was a pleasure to work with and we would not hesitate to use her again.
Our home was built in the 1920's. I love old homes but with one bathroom and a small 1960's kitchen that felt cut off from the back yard I feared this home would not meet our needs for long. We needed more function but not necessarily a ton of more space. Helen provided a great space conscious design that met all our needs. We got the extra function we needed out of our addition while keeping it pretty small. This helped keep the addition in line with the original design and flow of the house. It also kept it within our budget. She is a great listener which shows when she reveals her design thoughts. She was always responsive to our input throughout the design process and helped frequently with the inevitable questions that came up during the building phase. She maintained a good relationship with our contractor which really helps facilitate communication. Our home functions so well now. It feels like a "new old home" that we feel lucky to raise our family in.
HK Architects was able to put our vision onto paper. We hired Helen to design layout and lighting diagram for our master bedroom and bathroom remodel. She helped us see areas of the planning process we would not have thought of without her. With Helen's guidance and interaction with our contractor, the project design was implemented flawlessly.
We have hired HKS for several renovation projects(kitchen and playroom) and a major addition over the years. We couldn't have done it without them. Their attention to detail and understanding of space and scale saved us from ourselves many times. The results have been rooms that function well and aesthetically are crisp and compliment the existing architecture. They always had a positive attitude , listened before they drew, and their fees were very reasonable.
We will certainly engage their services again should the need arise, and highly recommend them. Hiring HKH is money well spent.
We have not started construction yet, but HKH Architects provided us with plans that we envisioned, and worked with us to achieve our goals for our addition. The meetings were punctual, and the documents were prepared in a timely fashion and within the estimated budget. We would definitely go with HKH again for help in designing our next project.
Call Us
Phone: 410-828-0551
Email: hkharchitects@aol.com
Hours
Mon: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tue: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wed: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thu: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Fri: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sat: By Appointment
Sun: Closed