Griffin Architects, P.A.

Robert and his staff have an unbelievable eye for detail and can design your dreams. In our project we wanted a new house with a historic design.

We have worked with Griffin Architects for over 5 years. We have a 1902 Arts & Crafts home that is on the local historical register. The original architect of the house was Richard Sharpe Smith, the supervising architects of the Biltmore House. We retained Griffin Architects to hep guide us through the restoration of our house. Our goal was to restore the house preserving the original materials where possible and matching those materials where necessary. We wanted all of the work to be consistent the original architecture. Robert's firm provided a broad range of services from architectural design, helping select and identify sources for interior products such as textiles, curtains and furniture, and identifying and managing the work of local specialty craftsmen to complete the restoration. Their were a wide variety of projects in which they were involved. I'll just use three projects as examples. Our house has first and second floor porches that extend the full length of the front our home. During the restoration we discovered that the major structural joists supporting the porches were unsafe. The porches are supported by two 12' stone columns on the outside corners and by two 22' stone columns in the center that supported both the second floor porch and the roof above it. Robert's firm worked with the Historical Review Commission to obtain approvals for the work, identified the structural engineer to design a new infrastructure to support the porches and then oversaw the completion of the project. The solution involved taking down the columns, inserting steel beams as the supports, then rebuilding the columns with the end result being porches that were safe, but identical to their original design. A second project involved design work in the two libraries in the house. The original owner was a prominent Western North Carolina historian who had two separate libraries that housed 33,000 books. Robert's firm developed an architectural plan that allowed us to connect the two libraries and restore the libraries to their original condition. They also designed bookcases appropriate for the libraries and helped us select and source curtains, lighting fixtures, and other materials consistent with the architecture of the house. A third project involved designing screens and storm windows for the house. We have 30+ large double hung, counter weight, windows. Previous owners had installed bright white, triple track white storm windows. Robert's firm identified a local woodworking firm and helped design old style wooden storm windows/screens that hang on hooks above the windows and are secured with hooks and eyes. The design was creative and restored the exterior of the house to its original look while providing effective insulation for the house. Griffin Architects has also been outstanding in identifying other specialty contractors to work on our house. They are easy to work with and always accessible. We'd recommend Griffin Architects to anyone. The Project Cost listed in the review is just the fees portion paid to Griffin Architects. The total cost of the restoration is several hundred thousand dollars. We've included pictures of the pre/post porch work as well as the library.

We have been very pleased in our work with Robert Griffin of Griffin Architecture. He listens well to our ideas and responds with creative solutions that far exceed our expectations. He suggests solutions that keep us on budget. We can count on him for alternatives where something may not work out well. We especially like that he works quickly, moving from design to workable drawings so our house is moving quickly and efficiently. .We have worked with other architects in the past, and have always been frustrated about timing, designs that proved far beyond our budget and the lack of thoughtful creative solutions. Work with Robert has met our expectations and more so in each of these important areas.

When I moved from Oklahoma City to Asheville, NC almost 10 years ago, I did a great deal of research looking for an architect that could help me completely remodel a home I had purchased. As a previous City Councilwoman, I always do my homework. I asked friends of friends who lived in Asheville for a good recommendation. Griffin Architects name was at the top of everyone’s list and theirs was the only name that was on everyone’s list! Their President Robert Griffin was also well known in the community for his work on historic preservation and his generous contributions of his time for community projects. So needless to say, it was an easy choice to pick him! I’ve remodeled several other homes and worked with other architects, so I knew what I was looking for in an architect. After our first meeting, I knew it was the beginning of a good working relationship and that he understood what I was looking for in my project. The project was extensive (we took the first floor down to the studs and started over) and it took 18 months to complete. Griffin Architects did an amazing job of completely transforming my home and turning it into a home that doubled in value in less than 10 years (even after the housing and financial crisis that hit in 2008-09). During the time we worked together, Griffin Architects also had a good relationship with the general contractor I used and they stayed on top of the progress to make sure things were being built to their specifications. When I had a problem with the contractor (a given in any construction project) Griffin Architects always managed to get things worked out on my behalf. The project turned out even better than my already high expectations and was published in Carolina Home and Garden which I was more than happy to do in hopes that I might be able to help them and others in some small way by sharing my wonderful home in photographs. The best bonus is that Robert became a very good friend during the process. I’ve called on him for other projects in other locations and he recently came to my rescue by helping my daughter resolve a potential lighting plan disaster in a home she’s remodeling in another state. I knew it was a disaster and knew that the only one who could resolve it for me quickly and to my high standards was Robert. As usual, he did a great job and was able to work with her general contractor to quickly resolve the issues! I highly recommend Griffin Architects to any one who is building or remodeling a home, whether it is in Asheville or in another state and I feel confident that you will be more than pleased if you decide to use him, too.

Vacation Rental - Asheville We hired Griffin Architects to redesign the interior layout for our vacation rental property including the kitchen and bathrooms. They also assisted us with choosing the furnishings. Our experience was excellent and we will definitely use them again for another project.

Robert Griffin of Griffin Architects, P.A. designed a beautiful home for us. Construction of our home took much longer than expected and continued past the conclusion of our contract with Robert. Though Robert was not responsible for the construction delays, his design skills are stronger than his communication and project management skills. Similarly, while he introduced us to some wonderful craftsmen and women who did spectacular work, his interior design advice on fabrics and furnishings was uninspiring and, with the exception of three pieces of furniture, we did not work with Robert on furnishings. We have since learned that Robert photographed our home for commercial use after we moved in without our knowledge or consent. In fact, we first saw Robert's photos of our home here on houzz.com in 2013. Earlier in 2013, we offered Robert the opportunity to participate in professional photography of our home requested by our general contractor, subject to customary commercial uses, including posting on sites like houzz.com. Robert declined. Despite our repeated requests, Robert has been unwilling to provide us with copies of his photos of our home. In 2013, Robert had posted on houzz.com a small number of photos of our home including one exterior photo. He subsequently removed from houzz.com the exterior photo. In July 2016, we noticed that Robert had posted on houzz.com several more photographs of our home, including additional photographs of our furnishings and art work. In August 2016, we noted that Robert had posted on houzz.com several exterior photos of our home. Robert has told us that we should have understood that he was photographing our home because we knew that he had taken pictures throughout the construction process and because our original contract with his firm included a provision allowing his firm to photograph its design. We believe there is a difference between photographs taken to communicate with a client during the construction process and photographs of a client's home taken for commercial use and posted on-line. The contract provision relating to photography expired at the conclusion of the term of our original agreement, along with most of the terms of the agreement. For this reason, homeowners and professional services firms often enter into separate agreements relating to commercial photography, for the protection of both the professional services firm and the homeowner -- just as we proposed when we offered Robert the opportunity to participate in professional photography of our home in 2013. Even if the provision did remain in effect, as Robert believes, it included a broad homeowner privacy protection provision which required Robert to obtain our consent before photographing our home for commercial use. We have never seen any of the photographs of our home Robert is using commercially. As we have told Robert, it is not possible to consent to the commercial use of photographs of our home which we have never seen. If we had known when we were selecting architects what we now know -- that Robert believes he has the right to photograph clients' homes without their knowledge and to use those photos commercially without the homeowners' consent -- we would not have worked with him. We thank Robert for his response to our review. The standard AIA agreement provision on commercial photography Robert references also states as follows: "However, the Architect's materials shall not include the Owner's confidential or proprietary information if the Owner has previously advised the Architect in writing of the specific information considered by the Owner to be confidential or proprietary." We have told Robert how we think this standard AIA provision is intended to work. In each case where we have been asked to open our home for commercial photography, we have removed possessions we consider highly personal. We have also removed or confirmed that certain works of art would not be photographed. In each case, we have been provided with copies of the photographs and a commitment with respect to their commercial use. Taking photos for commercial use without the homeowners' knowledge renders this standard AIA homeowners' privacy protection provision meaningless. Robert states that he "has not posted any images that show more of our client's home or furnishings, than are currently posted by others elsewhere on Houzz." In fact, Robert has posted photos of areas of our home, furnishings and art not photographed for commercial use by any other party. Most importantly, Robert has posted here on Houzz several photos of the exterior of our home. We believe that on-line search tools make it very difficult for homeowners to maintain their privacy with exterior photos posted on-line. No other party is using exterior photos of our home commercially. Robert is asking us to honor rights to commercial photography long after our original agreement with him concluded. We respectfully reiterate our long-standing request that Robert honor the associated homeowner privacy requirement and provide us copies of the photographs he has taken of our home. We are not trying to prevent commercial photography; in fact, we offered professional photography. We are just seeking to balance commercial photography with homeowner privacy.

We are just finishing a remodel with Robert and his team and couldn't be more pleased. Robert sat down with us during the first meeting and listened to what we wanted and immediately started sketching out options. We went through numerous designs and finally settled on what we both agreed was the best design and use of space for the existing footprint of the house. Following the design phase, we were blown away by the level of detail Robert went to to ensure the house not only looked amazing but was also functional for kids and our lifestyle. We never believed that our house could look as great as the finished result and would absolutely recommend Griffin Architects for any project, from a small remodel to a custom home.

We are VERY, VERY happy with the work of Griffin Architects in Asheville, N.C. WHY? Well, we spent three (3) years looking for our architect which turned out to be absolutely the best thing we could have ever done! We found the perfect partners--charming, gracious, amazingly creative and they LISTENED to our thoughts and ideas ! Our project was to create a complex addition--larger than the original house-- involving collections and display of museum quality art and antiques in a residential setting integrating architecture and interior design to create a cohesive end product. Griffin Architects has a terrific TEAM and we are thrilled with our final product and would NOT change a thing! How lucky are we?

Griffinf Architects enabled us to make our dream house a reality. Where other firms could not grasp the concept, understand the structural elements we wanted, or comprehend how we wanted the house to be an extension of surrounding land, Robert and his team GOT it andmade our special place perfect for us! Robert also took the time to meet with us on a holiday weekend as we are from another city and happened to be passing through then. Top customer care here!

Griffin Architects designed our beautiful Hollingsworth Building in downtown Brevard. This firm is the most talented in the area. We wanted a building that complimented the other historic sites in our community and looked old and as though it had always been there. When we went to talk with them about our project they listened to what we wanted and then began to sketch it out on paper right in front of us. Do you know how rare this is? Nobody does that anymore and subsequently there can be no miscommunication, which costs time and money. There is not a day goes by that a person doesn't compliment our building. We received the prestigious NC Main Street award for our building in 2004. The ultimate compliment was when an out-of-state architect asked us when we renovated our building and when I said it was built in 2003 he was stunned! I guess we accomplished our goals. We have used Robert on other various projects including our private home last year. No matter how large or small, his firm always delivers exceptional service and projects you'll be proud of forever!

I asked Robert to redesign my bathroom. My partner had Parkinson's and I'm not getting any younger, so I wanted to make it more friendly to our circumstances and still be attractive. He took a fairly small space and made it seem larger, adding a wonderful shower that has a gently sloping floor without an uncomfortable center drain. The shower has eight shower heads and is hugely popular with overnight guests. He included lots of grab bars, a seat in the shower, and a sink area that was lower and had a cabinet with removable doors so that a wheelchair could be rolled up if that should become necessary. The floor is heated, which I love, and the doors are all pocket doors for better room. It's also just gorgeous with stylish lighting (lots of it), a beautiful tile design, brushed nickle fixtures, and a great glass enclosure for the shower. I didn't want a bathtub but he designed the space so someone could add one easily if they wish.

We purchased a white stucco, 100+ year old home that had been remodeled many times, in many different styles, and with varying levels competency. Robert Griffin helped us design a low-maintenance, red-brick traditional home that provided all the modern features we hoped for. With a remodel that was that extensive, on a home that was that old, there were occasional unforeseen problems during construction. Griffin Architects was extraordinarily responsive with creative solutions and their supervision of construction insured a fabulous result. Twenty years later, we are still enjoying our wonderful home.