MISSION STATEMENT

My purpose as an architect is to serve my clients desires within their budget requirements while making the built environment a better place.

The work that I want to be involved with is work of quality; not only quality of architecture, but also quality of construction. I dream of the next generations of family living in our house, a mom or a young boy thinking back to when the house was built, “what it was like back then…what a neat way to do that…they don’t make them like that anymore.” You see, a house is much bigger than all of us. A truly well-built house has a life of its own, and we are lucky to enjoy it for a while. This is my purpose: to make the stage for generations of memories.

I will always work to serve my clients and strive to meet their goals and expectations. From schematic design through project management, my approach to the process will always be based on honesty and sage advice. I will approach every person involved in the process with kindness, with the belief that involvement of the team is the way to achieve the highest quality. Communication and full disclosure are the tools to success.

This firm is based on achieving quality of the work first and fulfillment of the client’s dreams next, all while having a bit of fun on the way. Life is short, you may never build your own house again; let’s have a few smiles while we make your dreams come true. This is my mission, and I hope to serve it justice over the years.

Ecology of the Built Environment

A significant subject and one we I could go on for quite some time, but it boils down to let’s use less, and leave a smaller footprint as we pass through this world. My attempt is to hit three easy things towards ecology in every building, every time: beauty, build quality, and energy efficiency. If it’s ugly someone will tear it down, if it’s built poorly it will just fall down, if it is not efficient it will burn the planet down! Let’s continue for a bit.

Personal Philosophies

Beauty

If we build things of timeless beauty from an architectural standpoint, folks are less likely to destroy beautiful things. In contrast of we make ugly structures someone is much more like to not care for it or simply tear it down after it is not “useful” anymore.

Build Quality

From a structural standpoint if we make a hardy structure, not wasteful, but something that is built right it can last for 100-200 years. Longevity resulting from these first two points equates to less future material used for the replacement house and less junk in our landfills from the teardown. It is estimate that 40% of landfill usage is from the built environment. We must do our best to help that load.

Energy Efficiency

We all want our houses to cost less to operate. Building envelope tightness and the efficiency of the equipment is paramount. In the majority of our structures we currently use spray foam insulation in the walls and roof underbelly creating a full and tight building envelope. Additionally, we seal and condition any unfinished basements and crawl spaces. This combination stops warm/cold air from entering the building, allows us to control humidity, and in turn allows us to operate our HVAC equipment in less drastic environments aiding in its efficiency. We always try to use the most efficient HVAC equipment available. Building tightness, keeping the elements out, and efficient equipment equates to lower energy bills and a decrease impact on the environment as a whole. The obvious uses of solar gain, appropriate roof overhangs, water economy are always incorporated as best we can.

Renewable Energy Sources

Solar can be done for financial reasons or just because you simply want to use less carbon-based energy forms. Battery storage capacities have come a long quite a bit but are still costly. The needs of the solar array and potential battery storage are greatly influenced by the scaled demands of the building. In any case any energy created on site decreases demand on the greater grid. Geothermal HVAC systems offer tremendous savings due to efficiency, but the drilling of vertical wells is costly. In both cases, of solar and geothermal, the cost of the systems is based on front end cost, life cycle cost and possible federal and state tax credits. These credits change for year to year, per political motivations unfortunately. Bottom line is there are some great progresses being made in the renewable industries and the cost and efficiency of these systems makes them more and more desirable.

Materials

Another subject that has many nuances. The bottom line is wood is king…still. Wood gathers and stores carbon, creates oxygen, and when harvested grows back; all with very little energy needed along that path. Cement, steel, and asphalt base products consume depleting resources, and many require mass energy to create. Cement based siding may require less maintenance, but it requires significant resources to manufacture, further has zero character compared to the beautiful color dynamics of real wood. As we work our way through the specification process we will discuss all materials and the pros and cons of each; trim, doors species, siding, roofing, paint and stain products. The intent of these conversations will be based in ecology, maintenance, and cost.

BIOGRAPHY

Andrew brings his solid education, excellent professional experience, and a desire to offer high quality design to the client with an overall gracious experience. His energy, positive vision, and devotion to his clients are his promise.

Andrew Willett was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. His interest in the built environment began in high school; taking woodshop, drafting classes, and watching his dad build the first of many architect designed homes. Andrew attended Virginia Tech and graduated in 1993. Experiences in college included design work on residential houses, institutional facilities, summer work as a woodworker, as well as study abroad program in 1992. During this program he visited most of Western Europe. This proved to be a pivotal time. Experiencing other cultures and the truly timelessness potential of Architecture moved him deeply.

After graduation from college, Andrew worked as a carpenter for two years in Asheville, NC. Experiences during this period include: foundation work, rough carpentry, roofing, exterior finishes, electrical, plumbing, painting, and finished cabinetry. As he moved forward in his career, these real-life experiences in the field became invaluable as he applied them to design. In 1995 Andrew moved to Atlanta, Georgia working for a large production builder. These years showed how to build quickly and cheaply to meet the demands of a competitive market. However, the quality of the work was unsatisfying, and failed to meet his expectations of how an architect can serve his clients and community.

In 1995 Andrew was offered a position with Bill Ashe, Architect back “home” in Asheville, which he gladly accepted. Over the next eight years Andrew worked on 50 houses with Bill. Responsibilities started as drafting and grew to designer and then project manager. Andrew received his Architectural license in 2002. The years with Ashe were truly fabulous. Bill was one of Asheville’s premier residential architects with a high-end client base that brought the potential for architectural exploration in many different styles.

Andrew started his own firm in December 2005. Since then his firm has worked on over 150 projects. One of the firm’s greatest successes is the breadth of the styles over the years. Many firms have a “look” that they adhere to, but Willett’s firm has a wide range due to our varying clientele. Styles to date include: Arts and Crafts, Tudor, Contemporary, Italianate, Euro-Contempo, Mountain Rustic, and our favorite Jappalachian…what’s next? While the work mainly consists of residences, some of the outlying notables are a community lodge, a wedding event center, a commercial pool house, a group home for autistic children, and a Japanese tea house. One of Andrew’s greatest skills is to communicate to the client. Making sure that the client understands the process involved in design and the building of a structure. Additionally, he has a keen ability to “read” the clients and adapt to their desires.

Client Feedback

You’re going to to enjoy working with Andrew. He has excellent design skills and works collaboratively with his clients to achieve their dream in both style and function. All his houses are beautiful, and unique to each client’s desires and to the land they are built upon. He is very communicative and responsive. His attitude is honest and humorous, which leads to good relationships not only with clients but with professional contacts. He will be your guide and ally from beginning to end (or if you wish, just any step along the way), from site selection and design to project/contract management.

“Stryker”

My husband and I interviewed 3 architects before choosing to hire Andrew Willett. The deciding factor for choosing Andrew is that we knew we were a good match. Andrew is smart, talented, and a people-person; but just as importantly, he’s a good listener. Our project was adding a room on the back of our 105 year old Arts and Crafts home, which is in a historic neighborhood. Andrew’s drawings for our room incorporated all the design elements of the existing structure, down to the multi-paned windows all around our house. Because of his adherence to our house’s original features, our plan sailed through the approval process with the Historic Resources Commission. Another unusual aspect of our project involved taking extraordinary measures to protect a 140 year old white oak that is next to the addition. Andrew went the extra step of supervising the excavation around the tree’s roots. We were especially happy that we’d chosen Andrew as our architect when he went to bat for us with the windows and door company for our addition. This company made the windows wrong twice. When they did this the second time, they tried to say their product was satisfactory. I called Andrew in a panic, and he came right over, to meet with the owner of the company. Andrew told him to remove all the windows and door from our property, and to get it right. Since the windows and door cost $12,000, we were glad Andrew was there to advocate for us. Now, three years after the completion of our addition, people are frequently surprised to learn that the room isn’t original to the house. One of the best outcomes of our working with Andrew is that we are now friends.

Pamela Dupuis

Andrew designed many of the homes built by my construction company. A more professional, responsive and kind hearted man and network partner I have not known to date!

Sean Cashin

Andrew has an excellent understanding of the construction process and from a builder’s perspective is excellent to work with. He is a very knowledgeable, talented designer and i would highly recommend him to anyone.

Marc Propst

We asked Andrew to design a mountain home for our one-acre parcel that would be our ‘forever’ home. He was very receptive to our thoughts and helped guide us throughout the process of designing an amazing home. He is extremely responsive, listens carefully to what his client’s needs are, and infuses a wonderful sense of balance, architectural significance, and humor to the project. As first time homebuilders, we were somewhat nervous about the process. We needed a calm expert not only to hear our thoughts but also to teach us about basic construction concepts. Andrew provided all this in a very patient and approachable way. His positive attitude and enthusiasm regarding our project was very encouraging and helpful. His professionalism, ability to meet deadlines, and stay within budget parameters was exemplary. Not only did he create a great architectural design, but also he was instrumental in the successful completion of the construction. Andrew was proactively involved in the oversight of the construction and made sure the project went according to the plan. He carefully reviewed each construction draw and made sure that everything was being done according to his design before authorizing contractor payments. He is a great guy to work with and we’re glad we found him. We highly recommend him to anyone who wants to embark on designing a new home.

Osborne52

We are incredibly pleased with the screened porch that Andrew designed for us! Adding on to a 100-year-old house requires an eye for detail, and Andrew did an outstanding job of seamlessly blending the new with the old. We had a sense for what we wanted, but Andrew’s vision exceeded our expectations. He’s a good listener, he’s easy to work with, and he collaborated well with our builder. He also gave us thoughtful advice as we made decisions about materials and finishes. We absolutely recommend Andrew.

Anne Imes

Andrew has made our home building project both fun and creative. He has a mind for details and helped us navigate the process in a way that balanced both our dreams and our budget. Not only does he bring building process knowledge and creative design skills to the team, he’s also got a great sense of humor and is fun to work with. Highly recommended.

Tuckerhome123

Having worked with Andrew while working for an architectural mill work company I had a chance to see his work and how he developed ideas. Later when it came time to look for a design professional I knew he was the only person I needed to talk to. I came to him with some ideas for a garage apartment. I was a little worried the job might be to small for him. Not at all. He was gracious and helpful from the first day. The project had several unique criteria as we live in an older neighborhood and wanted to respect our neighbors. I kept having a problem with my design as it was such a small space. The traffic pattern in the space just wasn’t working. Andrew looked at my drawing on the ‘napkin’, moved a door and looked at me with a grin. Absolutely elegant solution provided on the spot. He had earned his money on that one idea as far as I was concerned. He took my ‘napkin ‘ drawing and in just a short time I had exactly what I needed to tic off each of the unique criteria. Some people do what they are meant to. Andrew is one that I know.

Scott Little

We worked with Andrew Willett on an extensive, year-long remodel of our home in 2011. Working with Andrew was a joy! Our house was built in the early 1980’s and it was time to update. We took the house down to the studs and then rebuilt with more modern construction materials. As a result we greatly improved the comfort level of our home- important because we live on the top of a mountain. We modernized both the outside and the inside of our home. Our first attempt at remodeling was disastrous, and we ended up having to terminate our relationship with the original architect. Once Andrew took over we were able to create a wonderful collaborative atmosphere. With his help and the help of our subcontractors, we were able to put together a great team. Not only did Andrew meet all deadlines, but he remained intimately involved in the project from beginning to end. I can’t thank him more.

caboone

Prior to working with Andrew, my husband and I had never built a home from the ground up. Once we provided details on our desired style and needs, Andrew drew up a beautiful floor plan. As he worked through the details, Andrew stayed in constant contact, providing various suggestions and alternatives to his design. We are immensely pleased with the final product. I would highly recommend him for anyone looking for an extremely talented, detail-oriented, and wonderfully personable architect

Pamela Egan

We began working with Andrew on our plans for our dream house in 2015. It took us 2 years to plan and design and 2 years to build. He started our project with a visit to our homesite where he found the sweet spot for siting our home. He was the ultimate professional. He listened, offered alternatives, suggested upgrades and solutions, addressed our sometimes silly concerns and provided guidance and advice down to the last detail. During design and construction, Andrew was not afraid to pushback on our desired design elements, instead offering alternatives or other ways to accomplish what we wanted in a more reasonable or cost-effective way. When we became frustrated with the pace of the design process, he would remind us that we needed to stick with the process. And he was right. We love our new home and Andrew worked long and hard to help us realize our dream.

Chuck Baer

Andrew is an outstanding architect! We have been continually impressed by his intelligence, integrity and professionalism. His knowledge is extensive. He easily maneuvers between the technical aspects of architectural design and the artistry required to bring his client’s dream home into a reality. He is extremely attentive to detail and straightforward in his manner. Andrew is always prompt to address any questions or concerns and patiently explains concepts in layman’s terms. And he has great sense of humor which just makes the whole process fun!

Stephanie Baer

We chose Andrew after interviewing two other architects. His plans were elegantly functional, drawn in a timely fashion and once completed, so livable. He communicates well and was tactfully informative when we suggested poor ideas. His recommendations for materials were excellent. He counseled us on different builders and the result has been better than we anticipated. Andrew Willett is top drawer professional.

Chip Bell