Watsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, with approximately 54,000 people. The city is well-known for its agricultural industry and its pleasant weather, outdoor recreation activities, and convenient location in the Monterey Bay area. Watsonville also has restaurants, cultural attractions, and shopping areas such as Overlook Shopping Center, East Lake Village Shopping Center, and Pajaro Plaza.
This guide will help you find the best residential architects in Watsonville to assist you with the construction of your home. Each of the firms on this list has years of expertise across various structures and designs.
Fuse Architects
512 Capitola Ave, Capitola, CA 95010
Fuse Architects, a full-service commercial and residential architecture and construction company specializing in progressive modern architecture, connects its clients’ needs and environment to design empowering and practical spaces that improve their lives, neighborhoods, and natural landscape. The firm’s team can see projects through from conceptual design to project completion, ensuring that the project is realized as designed.
The Fuse Architects office is composed of a talented team of architecture and construction professionals who share an interest in great architectural design. It takes on every creative design challenge, from large commercial projects to private residences, custom furniture to product design, with a wide range of expertise. It is an awardee of the 2020 International Design Bronze Award (IDA), with works featured by publications like Dwell, Architectural Record, Gentry Home, Design Bureau, Seeking Serenity, Builder + Architect, Home Style, and Santa Cruz Sentinel News.
GKW Architects
710 E McGlincy Lane, Suite #109, Campbell, CA 95008
GKW Architects, Inc. is a full-service architectural, general construction, and real estate development company. The corporation was founded in 2010 on the principles of ethical business practices and providing exceptional solutions to problems. It discovered that these workarounds frequently exist outside of architecture, so it has diversified its approach into construction and real estate development to be responsive.
The GKW team takes sketches and turns them into construction drawings. Its clients are frequently surprised when they learn about the breadth of its project types, quality, and quantity, which includes over 100 residential remodels and additions per year, hillside high-end residential homes, custom homes, large scale multifamily, general plan amendments, and developments, commercial foodservice, mixed-use, commercial tenant improvements, hospitality, and education.
Gordon Wong, the founder of GKW Architects, holds a Master of Architecture from Columbia University in New York, a Bachelor of Architecture from California Polytechnic State University, and has studied at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. He is a California registered architect, LEED-certified, licensed general contractor, and real estate agent. Gordon has worked on projects in Shanghai, ChongQing, New York, and California.
Lattanzio, Inc.
750 Baker Rd., Aptos, CA 95003
Lattanzio, Inc. provides full-service design-build contracts for clients who prefer to work with a single architect and general contractor. Conversely, the firm can be hired as the architect on a project, and the client can choose their general contractor.
Since 1986, Fred Lattanzio has served as the principal of Lattanzio and Associates Architects, which provides comprehensive design and project management services for residential and commercial developments. He is the designer of many exceptional custom homes and multi-family residential projects throughout California, including Aptos’ Seascape Resort and Conference Center and Seascape Village, Santa Cruz’s Gault Street Townhouses, Aptos’ Racquet Landing, and Aptos’ Baker Road minor land division. His projects include custom single-family homes, multifamily townhomes, condominium developments, commercial offices, retail, and resort developments.
Mr. Lattanzio has worked as an architect in Santa Cruz County since 1986. He obtained his general contractor’s license in 1991 and has worked as an architect and general contractor on several projects, including single-family homes and townhome developments.
Wald, Ruhnke & Dost Architects
2340 Garden Road, Suite #100, Monterey, CA 93940
Don Wald founded Wald, Ruhnke & Dost Architects, LLP after falling in love with the Monterey Peninsula in his late teens while stationed at the former Fort Ord U.S. Army base. Don finished his bachelor’s degree at the University of Illinois after his service in the Korean War delayed his studies. Don developed cutting-edge construction methods for locally built modular churches, hundreds of which were shipped across the United States after graduating. Don and his wife Cynthia decided to relocate to the Monterey Peninsula while serving as a field superintendent in California.
When Don retired in 1994, he chose employees Henry Ruhnke and Frank Dost to lead the firm. The two new principals had grown WRD Architects into one of Northern California’s largest and most successful firms within a decade. Today, WRD Architects is growing while staying true to Don’s creative and inventive example and love for the Monterey Bay community.
The firm holds an Evidence-Based Design Accreditation and Certification and is affiliated with the American Institute of Architects and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
Spector Corbett Architects
54 Penny Lane, Suite C, Watsonville, CA 95076
Spector Corbett Architects’ architectural services prioritize design ability, budget, and schedule oversight, but it goes beyond that with the team’s value to the process. Each project is distinct, with its own set of standards and conditions to be met in the final result. Its process is solution-focused, and it employs a creative approach to create high-quality designs that are appropriate and attentive to the project’s specifications. The firm’s design ability adds value to all of its projects and focuses on providing innovative solutions that integrate sustainable design, functionality, and aesthetic qualities with its client’s budget, needs, and objectives. This value can improve their asset and serve as the finished product that the owner can be proud of.
Brian Spector heads Spector Corbett Architects as president and principal architect. Mr. Spector is also a U.S. Green Building Council Member and is among the United Way of Santa Cruz County’s Board of Trustees. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture from the Tulane University School of Architecture.
MP Architecture
86 Lilly Way, La Selva Beach, CA 95076
MP Architecture, founded in 1987, creates thoughtful, innovative, and energy-efficient structures and homes. MP Architecture embodies the enthusiasm and desire of clients looking for unique architectural design, from beachside cottages in Costa Rica to a ridge-top property in Aptos, California. The firm specializes in coastal, rural, and small, challenging sites and serves clients in Santa Cruz County, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Latin America. Site planning, land use, feasibility studies, project presentation, and interior design are among its services.
MP Architecture’s principal architect is Miguel Podolsky. His zeal and business acumen stems from his upbringing in Argentina, a vibrant culture rich in artistry, architecture, and community. Mr. Podolsky brings his love of architecture to each project, applying his knowledge of environmental design and permit processing.
