Testimonials

Mark and I feel very fortunate to have found Todd to design our house with us. I say “with us” because he was able to sit down with us and listen to our ideas of a dream house and manifest that into the final product. His use of sacred geometry in architectural design has made our house the healthy, healing and spiritual environment that we had envisioned when we began working with Todd.

 

-Leslie Lovejoy

 

 

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"Todd was able to translate my dream about a house into reality.  He made it better than I could have conceptualized.  I described my needs and wants and he began to sketch the ideas.  The desire for a quality designed environment motivated use to co-create.  It was very inspiring to work with Todd."

 

-Thedo Remmelink

 

 

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"It is my pleasure to recommend Todd Young to you.  He worked with me on designing our "dream home" for a lovely valley in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  From the beginning, I felt that Todd made it his express goal to design the home with all of the features that were important to me.  He took the time to check in with me regularly and confirm that his vision was also my vision.  One day we even went traipsing in several feet of snow so that we could "walk the land" and get a feel for how the home would sit on the property.  So FUN!  His enthusiasm and attention to detail were especially appreciated.  I was continually impressed by his work ethic as he made our project his primary goal and worked diligently to get it completed in a timely fashion.  Todd gave 110% to our project and this is a quality which I have personally found difficult to find.  In the end, I felt that we created something very special and I dream about the day that we can see it come to life."

 

-Lisa Harris

 

 

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     "I began working with Todd Young as an architect in 1994 while he was an intern at a local firm.  My wife at the time and I were expecting our first child and were living in a mobile home on a 14 acre farm.  We presented Todd with a pretty challenging proposal, to design a unique home, on a unique property that showed some southwest character, that looked a little like a lodge, had a large open central space, master bedroom suite on one side and other bedrooms on the otherside.  We liked the southwest idea of having some nooks and crannies,  but we didn’t really want the classic Santa Fe rancher design that meanders and sprawls and never seems to flow.  We had seen a sitting area with a fireplace in a local house that we really liked, and we were interested in having some passive solar, without it being too conspicuous.  And of course, there was always the budget concern.

     What he presented to us, still fascinates me to this day. It’s hard to believe it’s been over 20 years since he brought us that first sketch.  Along with so many others that have been to my home, I frequently sit in spots, or stand outside gazing at how the curves and lines blend so well with each other.  It intrigues me how the round windows work together and the archways create large and complex views from within the house, a well as from outside the house.  The house is constructed entirely of adobe blocks which present all kinds of challenges from an engineering and design standpoint.  There are concrete bondbeams, large spruce vigas, lodgepole latillas, and a massive 48” thick wall all placed on an extremely stout foundation.  Electric and plumbing installations are complex in adobe construction and create unique challenges to the architect, and Todd worked diligently to overcome any problems. I calculated once that the with the concrete and adobe, the house weighs somewhere around 1.5 million pounds. The adobe house with radiant floors and 3 fireplaces was warm and comfortable in the winter and cool in the summer.  We never installed central air or a swamp cooler.

Eight years after the house was completed, we decided we needed a detached garage, which expanded into a guest house, workshop, storage area, on and on.  Naturally, since we were so pleased with the design that Todd Young had created for us on the house, we hired him to design the garage.  The end result is a very functional and large 3 car garage, a large workshop and a guestroom, kitchenette that serves many purposes and has some great backporch space.  The garage/guesthouse is architecturally different than the house in that it has covered porches on both sides somewhat like verandas and it is single story.  Todd did an excellent job creating a structure that is different than the house, but complements it and has fantastic utility.

    When I remarried in 2010 and added of 2 teenage girls, my current wife and I made the decision to do a extensive expansion to the existing house so we would have a larger kitchen and more bathrooms.  Adding the kitchen, more common space and  a large master bedroom suite to an already existing adobe structure was an enormous challenge that required tremendous forethought on the part of the architect.  We added about 1100 sf to the existing home, and the architect had to figure out how to remove walls, and open one structure into the other and of course we wanted to make it all look like it was part of the original design.  The addition really does look like it was intended to be there all along.  It is a little more contemporary, but still has the same basic style and blends nicely with the original house and garage/guesthouse from the outside.  Inside, we really have to explain to people where the two structures meet.  The addition is connected to the original house along a 60 foot dimension, so we had to design the addition to blend with the house in numerous locations. Todd was also extremely helpful when selecting cabinets, counter tops, fixtures, etc. which of course is a tedious job during construction.

     Our  home as it is today, has become a wonderfully, comfortable place that we are very proud of, and we receive raving compliments from our friends and visitors.  Even building inspectors and appraisers remark at how different and unique the place is, and how great it looks, and how well it fits in the river bottom setting.

    Todd Young has been instrumental in creating what has begun to look like an estate for me over the past 20 years. We are extremely happy with the end result of his and many other’s hard work, creativity, and vision to create a home that will be difficult to leave if that day ever comes."

-Mike Carter

 

 

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"I have worked with Todd for the past two and a half years on a remodel and expansion project for South Routt Medical Center Health Service District, a government entity.

 

Todd is a very dedicated individual, always striving do his best for his clients.  He was quick to recommend to us outstanding professionals to assist us in our planning.  Having the correct information helped us identify our needs and we were able to put together a challenging project that satisfied the majority of the public’s feedback.  This made Todd a great resource at public meetings concerning our project and he expertly handled adverse comments to the project as well as positive ones.

 

The uniqueness of our projected created special challenges for Routt County Building Department that Todd managed with skill and level headedness.  His knowledge of all the current and relevant codes proved a valuable asset time and again.  This skill and knowledge also was very important when we met with state, county and town officials.

 

Todd also created a concise specification manual and managed the bidding process, responding to requests for information in a timely manner.  His productions of project renderings also were a valuable tool for our board and the rest of the design team to be able come to decisions.

 

I would highly recommend Todd for any architecture project. Todd’s tremendous work ethic, dedication, and knowledge of architecture make him a prime candidate for any project.  Please feel free to contact me."

 

-Ann M Trout

Director