Our first experience with Peter C. Weiss Architect was in 2009 for the construction of a new home in Longport NJ. Peter was recommended to us by a neighbor. We provided Peter & Andrea with our simple wish list of items to be incorporated in our new home along with several photos of home styles we liked. Peter & Andrea pretty much nailed the final design on the first shot. They had the unique ability to listen to a rudimentary project description then design and expand it beyond our expectations. They were attentive and listened to our questions and requests for modifications. There was a seamless transfer of architectural design to construction drawings. The result was a beautiful well-designed home.
Since our initial engagement, Peter & Andrea have provided services for several residential renovations and a commercial project. Most recently they designed our newest home and once again exceeded our expectations. Our most recent project required creative planning to accommodate an irregular shaped lot. Peter & Andrea developed a building footprint and alternative home position which resulted in the maximization of space and exceptional water views.
We have and will continue to recommend Peter C. Weiss Architect to anyone in need of creative architectural services.
When we purchased an empty lot on the bay with the intent to build, my wife and I knew the process would be trying as we had never built from the ground up and we were working around vague FEMA regulations post Hurricane Sandy and a newly sub-divided property. We interviewed a number of architects and chose Peter Weiss based on local knowledge, his reputation, his willingness to work thru new FEMA and building standards and approach the project with an open mind. As someone who self-acknowledges, with a need to understand every aspect of what the process entails, my wife and I were thrilled at the patience Peter (and Andrea) showed with my thousands of questions and numerous “ideas”, meaning “revisions”, that were needed over the months we developed the drawings and thru feedback from the city code office. Every question was answered, or researched for feasibility, and changes put into new drawings with clarity, speed, and a willingness to best handle bay front building issues as they arose. With new FEMA classification, Peter did an extraordinary amount of research to ensure that not only did we exceed all new building standards, but more importantly, the house was designed and built to the highest standards for safety and to ensure long term wear and tear on the water. As the building progressed, and challenges arose, Peter was available for every question, change of idea or plans, and issues throughout the process. We now have a beautiful home to enjoy for years. A big “Thank You” to Peter and Andrea for working so closely with us to build our dream home.
Working with The Peter Weiss Architectural Firm made the potentially stressful process of designing a new home actually enjoyable. While dealing with our ever changing ideas and needs, they both listened to us and guided us in the right direction without tossing us down the stairs! The Weiss Team anticipated our questions and answered them tirelessly. We are extremely pleased with our final design and gained two friends as a bonus. We highly recommend using Peter and Andrea for your project.
We are writing this to very highly recommend Peter Weiss and his team as architect for your new home. After having spent two years with another architect team, we switched to Peter and found out how much better the whole process can be.
Here’s what we can say about the process with Peter. Having spent two years with the first architects we had a good idea what we wanted but there were still plenty of challenges fitting it all into our desired square footage. Peter listened carefully and his initial draft plan was on target with achieving both functional and aesthetic considerations (we are on the bay and wanted certain views). But we did decide on some major changes and immediately saw that Peter was challenged and not offended (versus other architect). This continued as we fine tuned needs and design issues. It was great to never hear “oh not sure we can do that,” and furthermore to have turn around changes within days. This was primarily due to Peter’s brilliant capabilities which sometimes allowed him to redesign on the spot. Besides aesthetics he is on top of all of the technical and many building considerations. In addition, Peter was incredibly patient when we changed our mind and was always receptive despite frequent changes.
We have had our construction plans since September (2016) and even afterwards Peter has been available to make changes and consult with, in our case even flipping the house design!
Clearly, I have gone into this detail to let people know how great an architect Peter is but also to help you not make the mistake we did and to understand how important the design process is versus the wow factor of website pictures or houses you admire. Experience, ability to listen to your needs, commitment, and expertise is what matters! Peter and his team have it all. We couldn’t be happier with our final design.
We have known Peter and Andrea for a long time, and through the years we have worked with their plans and witnessed their work on many local successful projects.
From the initial planning and design of our new shore home to the finished product it was a pleasure to work with Peter and Andrea. Throughout the process they were very attentive to our needs, and timely in the delivery of their plans. In our new home we were looking for a minimal design laid out to meet our family’s needs and our style of living. Having been in the home now for over a year there is nothing that we would have changed.
Thank you Peter and Andrea for your care, your professionalism and your attention to detail.
We wanted to write to you to let you know how thrilled we are with our new home.
From the very beginning, you seemed to know exactly what we wanted to do in our new space.
We lived at the property for over 17 years in a small rancher and the time came to tear down our home and rebuild.
You were able to utilize the space we had to accommodate our master suite and bath on the first floor and 2 lovely bedrooms with private baths upstairs. We absolutely love the outside areas with our gorgeous decks. We never had to go for a variance and the township approved your plan easily.
Also, we were happy that you helped us picked the type of exterior siding that we used. It’s so much nicer than what we’ve been seeing on other new homes.
We had a great experience and found you and your staff very easy to work with and making appointments was never a problem.
We would gladly recommend you to anyone we know who is looking for a highly competent Architect.
In 2011 we contracted Peter Weiss for the design of our new home in Margate, NJ. Instantly, it was obvious we had made the right decision. From initial design, timeliness, specifications, township approval, material selection, pricing and willingness to help answer questions both at the job site and during construction we could count on Peter every step of the way. In meeting after meeting it was clear Peter and Andrea listened to every detail of our conversations, extracting with precision the critical details needed to insure the next revision met our expectations. Peter’s knowledge of building materials and specifications are impeccable, in addition to his intelligence. As for Andrea her passion for the stylistic details and organized approach are what helped to make our home so special and unique.
As each Summer season approaches we look forward to another year of enjoyment in the magnificent home Peter and Andrea designed for our family. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to work with them in the past and look forward to the next project on the horizon.
We cannot imagine going through the process of building a house on the bay with anyone other then Peter and Andrea of Peter Weiss Architect.
Hurricane Sandy left Margate and many other beach communities with a whole new set of issues when it comes to building a home along the water. To complicate matters these “guidelines/rules” are constantly changing, and can be different from one block to the next. Peter Weiss is beyond knowledgeable regarding these changes sometimes even before they occur. Peter grew up in Ventnor so he not only knows the players, but also has earned their respect. He is able to quickly get us answers when sticky situations would come up, in part because of those relationships as well as the respect he so clearly has in the field. He is honest, has integrity, won’t steer you the wrong way, and tells you like it is when you want to do something that he knows just won’t get approved.
Although Peter is a man of fewer words (then myself or Andrea) he is able to communicate complicated things in a way those of us without his background (most of us) can understand. Andrea was also incredibly helpful through this process, and was able to help translate my ideas into practical solutions fit for our needs. She quickly grasped our family dynamics, and was able to help me think not just about today, but our future in this home, which helped me to build a house that will grow with our family, not one our family would outgrow.
Building a house on the bay has not been easy, and both Peter and Andrea did everything they could to help us keep the project moving through all the necessary steps. When we needed them to make changes so we could get approval, and keep building they understood the urgency as if it was their own home and had those necessary changes made as soon as humanly possible.
Bottom line, besides being talented and knowledgeable both Peter and Andrea care. They don’t just make you a set of plans and step out of the picture; they are an integral part of the house building process from start to finish. It has been a pleasure to work with them, and although I never want to build another house as long as I live, if I did there is nobody else I would even consider for the job. Happy to talk to anyone about specifics or show off our new home when it is finally finished (hopefully soon)!
We are extremely appreciative of the work that Pete and his team did on our behalf. Given the limited lot space in Longport, it seemed a monumental feat for an architect to work in a pool, porches in the front and back, a garage and enough parking while still giving us the inside living space that we desired. Pete worked with us through several iterations to utilize every bit of space on the property and ultimately gave us a home better than we could have ever dreamed of.
Now that we have spent some time in our new home we could not have imagined that it would have turned out as great as it did and would not change a thing. We would enthusiastically recommend Peter C. Weiss Architect to anyone looking to build the home of their dreams.
We have nothing but great things to say about Peter Weiss and the home he designed for us. We had a vision for the type of home we were hoping to build and had several meetings with Peter to discuss our dream. We provided him with a folder of various related ideas along with our commentary and he took everything and created something very special and perfect for us.
We have a space-constrained lot with wonderful views and wanted to maximize our living space, take advantage of the scenic location, and build a home that was architecturally interesting. From the initial rough conceptual drawings through the final design, Peter worked closely with us and quickly provided numerous revisions as we adjusted the plan to meet various zoning requirements; not to mention our ever-evolving ideas.
We completed our home six months ago and could not be happier with the result. Nearly every time we are outside, someone stops by to tell us how much they love it… and we agree.
