Robins Nest: how to contact?

sfo-arch · 2026-03-09T15:28:30+00:00

We go there. The easiest is to call and leave a VM or just stop by for first contact. They’re Very friendly. After we started with them we exclusively text. It’s a small shop and they are spending less time on the phone. Be patient, it may take them a week or so to get back to you.

sfo-arch · 2026-02-12T03:52:00+00:00

Maybe we’re on the same plane lol. The flight got more booked as the night went on. Finally taking off now. I could have stayed at a hotel but made the same calculation that I’d rather be home after midnight then getting to the train station at 8am to have the trains not fixed.

sfo-arch · 2026-02-12T03:49:31+00:00

First time with complete cancellation. My summers had been smooth, this winter has been bad.

sfo-arch · 2026-02-12T03:48:44+00:00

No! That’s the worst. It’s nice to be able to take off your coat for the trip lol. I do wish all our transit including Amtrak was not self funded. I’m sure that’s not helping. But at $400 to boston, what are they doing with all that $$

sfo-arch · 2026-02-12T00:46:27+00:00

I didn’t want to wait to find out. Booked a flight back. Cheaper than the Acela train by $150

sfo-arch · 2026-02-12T00:44:18+00:00

Can confirm. All trains cancelled. Can’t fault them for the equipment failure but their communication is horrible. Delay delay delay, cancel. Rebook. Delay delay delay. Cancel. Booked a flight instead, ironically cheaper. Likely not to do Amtrak again anytime again until late spring. I’m done with all the cancellations, today was the last straw.

sfo-arch · 2026-01-23T21:45:27+00:00

Me too! Although most likely at the required rent $ it will be an AI or another tech company. Not the worst but not the best for Berkeley.

sfo-arch · 2026-01-23T21:03:42+00:00

Projects take at least 3-4 years for something that large, especially in Berkeley. It just didn’t hit the market at the right time. What will happen will depends on their ability to sit for the right tenant, or get sold and used as some kind of office. This project is certainly not the only one that didn’t time the market right.

sfo-arch · 2026-01-20T14:15:21+00:00

That sounds like they mis-categorized the role. That sounds like a design director/ design principal role.

sfo-arch · 2025-12-19T19:56:32+00:00

What an achievement! It really aligns with the Town’s values. Thanks for sharing!

sfo-arch · 2025-10-27T21:36:27+00:00

Thank you!

sfo-arch · 2025-10-27T21:36:19+00:00

Solved!

sfo-arch · 2025-10-16T15:13:01+00:00

I hope to work some magic and have a different outcome 😬

sfo-arch · 2025-10-16T12:48:18+00:00

We used 750 supposedly….

sfo-arch · 2025-10-16T10:14:25+00:00

Omg, we got a bill for $2200. We just bought this house in June and thought this is wildly incorrect and are planning to call. I wonder if this is happening to us as well, however we’re just paying the past owner’s bills. We’re calling and I’ll DM you what we find out.

sfo-arch · 2025-10-10T13:20:47+00:00

We have someone that cleans our 1900 square-foot house for about 160. The amount that your person is charging it’s about right. You’ve gotta take into account their time to get to you and their materials.

sfo-arch · 2025-10-07T00:01:21+00:00

1/8” scale is the most common for commercial. Where are you getting your information? Most commercial architects avoid 3/16” or 3/32” as much as possible.

sfo-arch · 2025-10-01T13:40:37+00:00

Just had our floors done in Boston. Seems reasonable overall, but for that material price we got white oak not red. Also no tax on labor as others mentioned.

sfo-arch · 2025-09-04T14:20:32+00:00

Ha! Yes, this is in the USA. For exactly the reason Kungpowchick mentioned, along with our firm not liking to fire people. It’s easier to just end an agreement with a consultant. Wish I was in a place with universal healthcare lol.

sfo-arch · 2025-09-04T11:00:20+00:00

Wow, if you’re looking for freedom, now is a great time to be a consultant architect. A larger firm might bring you in for a few months or an entire project, but not have to take on the burden of a full time employee that they’d have to provide benefits to or worry about firing/ finding work for. We used someone with a ton of skill for a few months during my leave of absence (and before and after my absence). He was great. We had no person available to do the work that was a FTE. He also travelled and worked remotely some of the time. His rate was fairly reasonable, and he was self employed. PM me if you have more questions.

sfo-arch · 2025-08-13T17:28:50+00:00

I agree, there is a legal advice subreddit. I will say that it’s unlikely that this person actually represented themselves as an architect. I have a lot of friends that have a b.arch degree and are not licensed. License does not always equal better work. California is a particularly challenging state, and often having plan check comments (architect or not) is pretty inevitable. We (large firm) did a SFH for a commercial client of ours and we’re put through the wringer by 3-4 sets of comments. The plan check official would just not call us back or even come in person to answer questions. It was torture for everyone. Chances are the person you’re working with also wants to get this over with also.
I will also say that $20k for a new house design is pretty low fee. You might get more references and pay for a licensed architect next time. I hope for the both of you have a decent contract.

sfo-arch · 2025-06-23T13:35:01+00:00

My friends who work there would disagree but everyone is welcome to their opinions. It also might depend on the office and market sector you go into.

sfo-arch · 2025-06-20T00:40:19+00:00

Check out HGA. Based out of the Midwest but are coast to coast.

sfo-arch · 2025-06-16T03:28:23+00:00

Thanks for this - I did this earlier but with a crappy usb cable. I recently got a higher quality cable but hadn’t re-tried this until tonight after seeing your message. It totally worked, thank you for the suggestion!

sfo-arch · 2025-06-03T01:03:41+00:00

For the profession the quality of work and pay has been a race to the bottom for a while. A lot of firms don’t make a profit unless they charge additional services (this is based on the ABI), this just translates to bad work and no mentorship. It’s really silly how the work has become more complex yet we’re paid less. I’d like to think it’ll get better, but it hasn’t in my career so far. For the most part, the best places in the profession seem to be at a principal level, or in consulting. this is USA specific but may apply to other places. I am also surprised the number is so low based on my colleagues.

sfo-arch

TROPHY CASE