Wheeler Architects

When we decided to renovate our home, we didn't know where to start. Looking at architects in our area, we eventually met Michael Wheeler and knew he'd be a good fit for us. Michael was patient and took the time to thoroughly explain the design process and answer our many questions. We felt we were in good hands with his experience and expertise. Michael was creative; we had a long list of things we wanted to add or change to our home and through the iterative design process he was able to create a design that was innovative and striking and addressed neatly every item on our wish list. At times, there was a push and pull between his and our ideas, but it was never contentious. Instead, our collaboration resulted in design that met our needs and we loved. Michael is also quite thoughtful. By that I mean besides being pleasant to work with, we could tell he was always *thinking* of ways to improve upon his design to meet our needs. Going over the latest design revisions, we were often surprised and delighted to see he was able to address our requests or something we had discussed earlier, with an idea we'd never have thought of. In our experience working with him, Michael is not interested to simply and quickly get to the first acceptable design solution, he strives to develop the best solution, with the fewest compromises. If you're looking for a patient, creative, and thoughtful architect, I encourage you to consider Michael Wheeler for your project. We're glad we did.

Michael Wheeler, of Wheeler Architects, earns my highest recommendation. I have known Michael for over 30 years and have been involved with many of his projects. He has a lot to offer. His many years of experience in both the residential and commercial realms have contributed to his exceptional creativity in problem solving. That is what defines the best architects. As a business owner and contractor in the mechanical and electrical fields I worked on many of his projects over the years and was uniquely positioned to observe his work. When I confer with him, which is often, he never fails to impress. His knowledge of cutting edge developments in design, building science, energy conservation and the environmental concerns that impact today’s building construction is unsurpassed. In order to build properly, comprehensive construction documents are required. Wheeler Architects documents are among the best I have worked with. They are always thorough, complete, clear and concise! The above provides ample reasons to consider Wheeler Architects for your next project. But for my money, you should choose his firm because he will have your best interests at heart. Okay, so I have read this over, and while it is certainly accurate it doesn’t quite convey what I am really trying to express. So bear with me while I resort to allegory… As a child I watched a movie about the famous U. S. Marine musician/director/composer, John Philip Sousa. (The name of the movie is Stars and Stripes Forever, and I heartily recommend it. I enjoyed it then, and have again many times since.) In the movie Sergeant Major Sousa is seen holding an audition for his prospective musicians. As he listens to each member audition, he realizes that they don’t quite understand what he is after. He borrows the cornet from the musician currently auditioning and demonstrates exactly how he wishes it to sound. He repeats this with consecutive musicians because, you see, he knows how to play each instrument! At the end of this exercise he has not just a mere band, but an orchestra! Just as John Philip Sousa knew how the parts needed to perform to perfect the sound of the whole, so too does Michael Wheeler understand the work of the plumber, electrician, carpenter etc. in order that they can properly contribute to his vision of the completed project! So, if you want to risk your project resembling so many disjointed parts, hire just any architect who may wave his arms to direct the various workers, perhaps to no avail. However, if you want your finished project to more resemble a symphony…hire Michael Wheeler. You will be glad you did!

We had Michael Wheeler design a renovation to our house in Silver Spring, MD and couldn’t be happier with his work and the finished results. He incorporated everything we hoped to include and did so creating a beautiful cohesive final product. His attention to detail is incredible — even down to specifying the precise floor molding and explaining his reasons behind those design decisions. His plans were approved by Montgomery County with no revisions and everything passed the county inspections with no re-work. We couldn’t be happier with that renovation — the space is a joy for our family and very comfortable for our guests. I wouldn’t hesitate to hire Michael again. You’re hiring a professional.

Our 1940s home had been updated several times over the years before we bought it, and the unfortunate result of those "design build" renovations was a house that lacked continuity in character and quality. This old house needed a make-over by a real architect with a lot of experience in renovating older homes. We interviewed several architects and found that Michael Wheeler was a great fit for us. He was experienced with modernizing homes in a way that incorporates sustainable technologies yet reflects the history of the home and neighborhood. We wanted someone who could maximize the light in the house, incorporate details that were technologically advanced as well as historical while making the house energy and resource efficient, and throw in a few luxury details without breaking the budget. We also wanted someone who could work patiently with us as we had a lot on our plate at the time. Finally, because we wanted the architectural firm to oversee the contractor at various stages of the work, it was very important to have an architect who knows the local contractors and the city zoning personnel (as Michael does). We were very pleased with Wheeler Architects, and still enjoy the many compliments that we continue to get about our home even five-plus years after the completion of the project.

"Our time and investment in Wheeler Architects has been repaid many times over. Michael's easy demeanor helped us to make difficult decisions when it came to the layout and design of our three-story addition. His recommendations, which sometimes we were unsure about given this was our first venture into the world of home additions, turned out to be spot on!! One of the major requirements for our project was that it not look like a box added to the back of our house. It wasn't until our project was completed, that we truly understood how Michael's design fit in with not only the existing house, but our property. Michael's attention to details in the design ensured the new space met our needs. To this day, there are still days when we walk through a room and comment on things we love that would not have been done without recommendations from Wheeler Architects." Mike R. | Del Ray, Alexandria, Virginia