We had been home owners for a long time but had never had a custom house designed for us and when we purchased our land in the hills of Marinwood, San Rafael we were not sure what to expect. Al had done many of the houses in the neighborhood and the design review board recommended that we contact him. Our first observation was that we thought he was a very approachable architect. Also, the design process took a long time yet it was never rushed and he always took our input seriously and made an effort to communicate his ideas with us clearly. In other words, the design process was very collaborative and at the end the outcome reflected that. He used all the natural features of the property in his design like he designed a bridge to cross the creek that ran through the property and made a playground for the kids on the other side.

We raised two children in this house and even though eventually we sold and moved into a townhouse,ours and the kids’ memories of this wonderful home will stay with us forever.

Mr. & Mrs. Nazarian

San Rafael, California

We knew Al through friends and when we decided to renovate and expand our country cottage in Windsor, California we were rather hesitant to call on him.We had been to a few of the houses he had designed for our friends and certainly liked his work. We were just not sure if he was the right architect for this type of project. We were pleasantly surprised to find him very comfortable with the small scope and the unassuming vineyard setting of our property.He was very knowledgeable about the County of Sonoma’s complicated logistics and zoning requirements. Al also navigated easily with the lack of public utilities in our rural setting and handled the complicated issues of septic tank and leach fields, water well and pressure and other technical issues with confidence.

He ultimately gave us our little charming and cozy dream country home in the midst of beautiful vineyards of Sonoma.

Ilene & Jim McAllister

San Francisco, California

On a trip to Paris, we were taken with the design of a public structure we saw there. Upon our return to the States, we described the building to Al and drew some embarrassingly rudimentary plans attempting to incorporate what we’d seen with what we required of the home we intended to build in 2001. These we took to Al Majlessi at DesignTech, principally because we’d lived in two other homes that he had designed and were more than pleased with their unique elegance and practicality. The lot we’d chosen did not make for an easy “build,” but Al was able to capture all that we’d envisioned and accommodate the site while heeding structural considerations and the County’s building requirements. Through his imagination, accessibility and keen sense of proportion & elegance in design, he created a home for us, not just a house.
 

Mr. & Mrs. Cassidy

San Rafael, California

Al has the most amazing ability to transform his clients’ dreams and visions into reality. From day one, he worked intently with us to find realistic, “do-able” ways to build our dream home. Between our ideas and his artistic genius, several sources of inspiration merged to create the perfect storm of creativity. Thanks to Al, and his team, each and every one of our wants and needs were catered to. We couldn’t be happier.

Mr. & Mrs. Shamsian,

Tiburon, California