Alameda is a laid back, modest city with access to major cities in the San Francisco Bay Area and great public natural areas like Neptune Beach. The city has a number of neighborhoods and communities that are suitable for families and individuals with careers in the Bay Area. Current residents and those looking to move to the city should consider hiring a residential architect to ensure a smooth process and impeccable results.
This list features the best residential architecture firms in Alameda. To come up with this list, our team gathered a number of local firms and assessed each based on a set of criteria that measures each firm’s work history, their capacity, and the overall quality of their work.
If you are thinking about building a custom home, we recommend checking each builder’s license with the local licensing board, speaking to past clients, and using our bidding system to get competitive quotes from at least 3 contractors. Getting multiple bids is the best way to ensure you get a fair price and that bids include the complete scope of work.
Angela Klein, Architect
2622 Lincoln Ave., Alameda, CA 94501
A licensed architect for over 20 years, Angela Klein is an expert architect with a thorough knowledge of the local construction industry and its nuances. Klein and her team are experienced in residential and small commercial construction projects. The firm has ties with Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Ski houses in the Sugarbowl Resort. Publications such as Interiors, Interior Design, American Bungalow Home, and Alameda Magazine have repeatedly featured Angela Klein’s work.
The company has a firm understanding of a particular home style. Klein and the team have completed homes in the Craftsman, Transitional, and Ranch styles. The featured home, with its striking burgundy anchored palette, is among the firm’s finest works. The home has a distinct symmetrical structure and a timeless style.
Greg Klein Architect
2622 Lincoln Ave., Alameda, CA 94501
Greg Klein Architect is the namesake firm of a 30-year architectural veteran and California native. Mr. Klein has held the Plym Fellowship for Architecture, and he has a proven track record in large commercial architectural and residential projects. Greg and his team are known for their precise, calculated designs that reflect the comfortable, the warm, and the familiar. Greg Klein-designed projects not only have a distinctive hospitable atmosphere but a durable quality.
The Laguna Beach home is an example of this dedication to quality. The home has warm tones and a familiar appeal that complements its practical and functional design. This interior-exterior continuity is impressive thanks to the intelligent use of glass doors and an ingenious two-story structure.
Ignition Architecture
1347 Park St., Ste. D, Alameda CA 94501
Ignition Architecture is a boutique architecture and interior design firm known for having a unique design perspective. The firm has a passionate outlook on design solutions that its contemporaries shy away from. The firm has been lauded and revered for this boldness. Publications such as Builder Magazine, Architect’s Newspaper, and Multi-Family House have featured the firm multiple times. Members of the firm’s team have also served as guest panelists for the annual Dwell design conference.
The firm channels its expertise into luxurious Contemporary and Modern homes. The contemporary home featured here sports the sensibilities of modern living that Ignition favors. Its vibrant atmosphere provides a safe, comfortable feeling without compromising clean design.
Joanna Bianchi Architect
3013 Santa Clara Ave., Alameda, CA 94501
Joanna Bianchi of Joanna Bianchi Architect is a tenured architect trained in the UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design. Bianchi has spent over 25 years designing custom-tailored projects. The firm has provided pre-design, planning, documentation, and construction administration. The firm approaches design work in a straightforward manner.
Bianchi and her team believe that effective communication is a prerequisite for good design. That approach has yielded compelling results in residential architecture. The firm’s, such as the Craftsman home in the photo, demonstrated the results of this practical, focused, and efficient approach to building.
Mikiten Architecture
2415 Fifth St., Berkeley, CA 94710
Mikiten Architecture is an architectural firm that emphasizes the importance of collaboration when it comes to residential and commercial designs. The firm was established in 1991 by Erick and Elisa Mikiten, banking on their higher levels of design and experience. The two have instilled a work culture of quality workmanship and focused customer service into the firm. As a result, the firm has gained a reputation as a reliable, skillful name in residential architecture.
As seen in the pages of Multifamily Executive Magazine, Residential Architect Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, and Dwell, the firm has completed major residential projects including the Africa-inspired contemporary home in the photo. The project is a multi-generational house that combines cutting-edge technology and timeless design.
modern house architects
1265 Indiana St., San Francisco, CA 94107
Named after their specialization and excellence in modern architecture, Modern House Architects is an architectural firm led by brilliant architect Curt Cline. He is a veteran of over 30 years and a respected member of the local architectural community. Cline has close ties with the local community, having established a reputation for being design-savvy and customer-centric.
The firm has worked on high-value projects in various market sectors from Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum to a renovation of a Julia Morgan-designed home. The firm has been featured in California Home & Design, Architect Magazine, and Curbed San Francisco. A modern home nestled in lush greenery is an example of the firm’s keen eye for detail. The home employs a simple and straightforward silhouette, deploying sharp lines and well-defined corners to create an atmosphere of elegance. modern house highlights the pool area that surrounds the home.
Norman Sanchez Architecture Inc.
1151 Harbor Bay Pkwy., Ste. 206C, Alameda, CA 94502
Alameda-based Norman Sanchez Architecture is a full-service architecture firm focused on residential and commercial design. The firm has over 20 years of experience designing custom homes and extensive remodels throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area. The firm consistently creates work characterized by a deep understanding of proportion, flow, lighting, and material use. Throughout the design and construction phases, the firm emphasizes the benefits of the collaborative process with the client and peer professionals in order to realize the best possible results for every project.
As exemplified in the pages of Metropolis Magazine, the firm also has completed an impressive array of commercial projects in addition to their residential portfolio. When it comes to residential projects, the firm is experienced in a variety of different home styles, including Tudor, Victorian, Craftsman and Contemporary-Modern which reflects the built diversity of the region. The beautiful home displayed here is a Grand Tudor home in Alameda with an expanded L-shaped house layout.
Robert Nebolon Architects
801 Camelia St., Ste. E, Berkeley, CA 94710
Robert Nebolon Architects is an award-winning architectural firm with experience across California. The firm’s namesake, Robert Nebolon, was born and raised near Los Angeles beaches, giving him firsthand experience in coastal residential architectural design. He studied architecture at the University of California at Berkeley and earned a master’s in architecture at the University of Washington at Seattle. Nebolon’s formal training and natural talent for design have been recognized by publications such as Sunset Magazine, 7×7 Design Magazine, SF Curbed, Dwell, and Architectural Digest India.
The firm’s residential portfolio is decorated by awards and accolades including the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association Design Award, the Downtown Berkeley Association Design Award, and the Grand Award for Sustainable Architectural Design by AIA California Council Design Awards. Nebolson has produced numerous outstanding projects across the state, including this lovely floating house in San Francisco
Saikley Architects
2533 Clement Ave., Alameda CA 94501
Emphasizing the values of collaboration and synergy, Saikley Architects has provided holistic architectural solutions all over the Bay Area. The firm maintains a modest team size in order to keep close contact with clients and business partners. Since its establishment in 2003, the firm has completed over 300 projects in 35 cities. This precise and calculated approach was introduced by Alexandra Saikley, the firm’s principal. Saikley took her bachelor’s degree in architecture at MIT and Wellesley College; she earned her master’s at UC Berkeley.
Saikley has a strong portfolio of Contemporary residential, commercial, and civil projects. The photo shows a Contemporary home built atop the Richmond Hills. This home packs 2,300 square-feet with three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths.
Thornton Weiler Architect
452 Lincoln, Alameda, CA, 94301
Thorton Weiler Architect has a straightforward approach to architectural design. The firm is known for its no-nonsense style, frictionless services, and honest pricing. The company leader and namesake Thornton Weiler is an alumnus of the University of Oregon and a 15-year veteran in the East Bay. He has established a thorough, systematic process that covers design, planning, and construction support.
The firm has worked on various residential projects all over Alameda and surrounding areas. Thorton Weiler and his team have compiled a strong portfolio of Craftsman, French, and Bungalow homes that suit the laid back California lifestyle. In the photo, a massive French home with neutral colors steals the spotlight as one of the firm’s best. The home exudes a polished look without overdoing the detail and structure.
Tierney Conner Architecture
363 17th St., Oakland, CA 94612
Since 2004, the triad of Anne Tierney, Erin Conner, and J. Jarrell Conner has integrated architecture, interior design, and landscaping into a tight, comprehensive, and seamless service. Anne has a Master’s in Architecture degree from UCLA while Erin and Jarell have received their Master’s degrees from UC Berkeley. The three are not only partners but friends: these tight relationships have led to the firm’s strong, synchronized operations. This synergy and cohesion have resulted in multiple residential projects featured in CA Home + Design, Dwell, and Wall Street Journal.
Photo by David Duncan Livingston
Homes such as the Rockridge Boulevard Residence display the firm’s synergy of architecture, interior design, and landscaping. The project challenged the firm to create a cozy yet fashionable atmosphere by fusing traditional and modern techniques.
Todd Jersey Architecture
1321 8th St., Ste. #2, Berkeley, CA 94710
Todd Jersey has been building and designing since the tender age of ten, and he steadily improved his craftsmanship as he aged. He later trained in the Netherlands and Italy to push his design skill further. Mr. Jersey has cultivated his team to provide cost-effective, sustainable practices that yield impressive results. The firm has completed over 300 projects across the state of California, and it has delivered consistent quality and uncompromising design. Homes such as the Feichtmeir Residence demonstrate how the firm generates wondrous designs tailored to the client’s demands and lifestyle.
The home pictured here has a 2,600-square-foot-space tucked into a sloping lot. This environmentally-synchronized design is complemented by its eco-friendly technology: a rainwater harvesting network, a solar electric system, and geothermal heating for domestic hot water.
About Our Rankings
This list takes a range of ranking criteria into consideration, including but not limited to: work history, customer satisfaction, awards and recognition, geographic area of work, cost, building permits, and clientele. We spent over 40 hours researching local contractors before calculating the final ranking for this post. If there is additional information about your business that could affect these rankings, please fill out this form and we will take it into consideration.
Get Bids For Your Build
If you are thinking about building a custom home, we recommend checking each builder’s license with the local licensing board, speaking to past clients, and using our bidding system to get competitive quotes from at least 3 contractors. Getting multiple bids is the best way to ensure you get a fair price and that bids include the complete scope of work.
