Award Winning Homes

My name is Tom Nott. I’ve been a member of the American Institute of Architecture (A.I.A.) for over 38 years. I’m a graduate of U.S.C. and belong to the service clubs of Kiwanis, Oneonta, and the Maestros. Over the years I’ve designed over 200 projects in the San Gabriel Valley and Glendale areas. I’ve designed and worked on the 1984 Olympics, the Korean War Memorial in San Pedro, and several commercial, industrial, and high rise projects.

Twelve years ago my son, Jeffery, a general contractor, and I formed a “design and build” relationship where I design a project and obtain a building permit and Jeffrey builds it. Sounds simple but it isn’t. Keep in mind that the close-in easy to build projects have already been done and the governmental restrictions seem overwhelming and require a skilled and experienced professional, such as our firm.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of my job is sitting down with a client and compiling a want and needs list. From this list we come up with a satisfactory design that meets the client’s budget. So many times when an architect completes a project and lets the plans out for bidding, the construction costs are much higher than anticipated and the project is cancelled. That’s where I feel we have a big advantage over the competition. As a design build firm, Jeffrey provides cost input as the design develops which allows the client and architect time for adjustments as to scope and economy. This input keeps the project within the budget with no surprises when a building permit is ready to be issued.

One of the unique features of our office is that the structural design is done in-house and not by an outside consultant. Also our work is hand drawn rather than computer generated which I feel produces a superior product especially as pertains to custom work.