Bart Szoke Architect Inc.

We recently bought a bungalow in a ravine protected area, and had a second floor added and the house remodeled by Bart Szoke Architect. We have just recently moved into the renovated home and are very pleased with the wonderful work from Bart Szoke Architect! Bart Szoke provided a striking design to bring light into the house from east and west. Bar Szoke Architect was recommended by our contractor, who regularly works with them. After interviewing six architects, we concluded that Bart Szoke Architect was the best for our project. We found the company to be extremely well organized and professional in all regards. Despite the fact we live in a ravine protection area, Bart Szoke Architect was able to gather all the necessary permits from the various authorities, something we could never have managed on our own. We believe Bart Szoke Architect has done absolutely wonderful work with our place!

We are very happy with the work of Bart Szoke Architect as they did a great job! We wanted an extension built onto our house. Bart Szoke Architect did all the design work (including the walk out) and submitted all the permits to the city. I found Bart Szoke Architect through a colleague of mine that was getting renovations done and were very happy with the work done and highly recommended them to us. We talked to various companies; however, we found Bart Szoke Architect to be the best fit for us. The company is very well organized and detailed with their work which I believe to be very crucial in this field of work. They were also flexible to what we wanted and made changes based on that. In every possible way we are happy with the work done and had an amazing experience working with this company!

Bart was recommended through our project management department. He has drawn plans for us on a few different scale projects from smaller interior renovations to larger entrance plans. He was very smooth to work with and will be using him in the future!

We used Bart to draw up plans for a substantial renovation to our home. His service was efficient and his plans were excellent. We did make some changes, which I guess is to be expected of such a large renovation however he was very adaptable and we would highly recommend him!

I used Bart for design and for permits on a recent renovation. He did a very smooth, efficient job. He was very responsive and had an excellent turnaround on the job which is something you want from such a project. Very happy!

I was happy with the interaction between me and the architect. I asked him to make drawings and plans for a second floor build. We had a small issue with design but he changed the design to overcome the problem. I am happy with his work and would recommend others to speak to him about their plans.

I found Bart from HomeStars in July 2013 and it was my first experience hiring an architect. I didn't know anything about the process of a reno, submitting drawings to the city, or whats required etc so relied solely on Bart to guide me throughout this entire process.

To make a long story short, Bart did a lot of preliminary work and drawings that was a complete waste of time because the city did not approve any of our drawings because they were all in violation of bi-laws, city codes etc. So we ended up wasting months and months of back and forth emails and red paper, hold ups etc. When I told Bart he should have checked the codes before spending all this time and money on drawings he didn't have an answer for me.

Anyway, the reason why I'm giving Bart a 0 out of 10 is because he was not honest in his dealings with me. He was not up front about the costs involved, he did not educate me to the potential bi-laws issues, and to this day 2 years later I have nothing close to an approved drawing in which to start my reno. This was supposed ot be a 6 month project maximum has turned into a 2 year disaster and a waste of my time, money, and stress level.

The worse part about it was whenever I wanted to just get the project going forward he would hit me with more costs, more issues, and delays and gave me answers that didn't help the situation at all hitting me with technical excuses that were completely out of my skill set forcing me into a situation where I'm just about to give up. Hence, I am giving him a 0 because he was dishonest, not helpful especially given my circumstances and lack of knowledge.

Regardless of what Bart says the facts are I have paid him about $6000 in fees and have yet to have a single drawing to the city that will come close to passing. Furthermore, he is extremely stubborn and difficult to work with when it comes to any further submissions to the city without charging me extra fees upon extra fees. I have never given a negative review on HomeStars in my life so I am not a complainer but in this case I have to write this to warn future clients who need an architect, do NOT use Bart. My dealings with Bart have been terrible and I feel I've been taken advantage of with $6000 paid and absolutely nothing to show for it but about 20-30 back and forth emails and a lot of headaches. Thank you for your time.

A very large and complicated project with a laundry room, sun room additions, huge "man cave" with bar, entertainment area, wine cellar, steam bathroom...and more. Bart and his team were very creative and knowledgeable of current design trends and had a very high level of architectural and engineering expertise to complete designs that our original designer/architect thought were not possible. Bart and his team listen well, act quickly and are able to create what we had in mind into 3D renderings. All of their work was top notch and I highly recommend them for any residential project large or small.

Bart provided design, planning, and permits for our renovation. He designs great spaces, and got to know how we planned to live in the house to make it work for us. His knowledge of construction and design/build expertise showed in many areas as he provided guidance on where there were construction feasibility issues due to structure, etc. Would recommend, would hire him again.

I'm a design/build general contractor and have worked with Bart for many years on the design component on multiple projects. He is a man of integrity and a great listener which contributes to his ability to be a great architect. Bart is also, articulate, detailed, knowledgable, resourceful and skilled at creating drawings and renderings that allow clients to really get a sense of the space. Bart is committed to excellence and is always available for on site consultations. He is also very committed to creating solutions that work even in challenging situations. He is skilled at working with all parties and coming up with solutions that work for everyone. Bart also understands the ins and outs of government bureaucracy as it relates to construction and is highly skilled at negotiating the potential pitfalls that can negatively impact a project. He is one of the best people I have ever had the opportunity to work with. I give Bart the highest possible recommendation.