ZAA Studio

If you read one review about these guys, read this one. You were/are probably like me -- late twenties to mid forties, and looking at starting a semi-decent sized project. Probably one that you have a budget for, and, quite frankly, are a little nervous to start. Because mistakes in this line of work are not like something you can just erase and start over with. Mistakes with architectural plans or drawings can cost thousands of dollars to correct. And that's not even counting all of the lost time/wages, etc. Put simply, an architect is not someone you can afford to "cheap" out on. And if you're like me (I'm betting you are), you want the smoothest architectural process as possible at the cheapest price. Which means to say: you want the best quality work without problems from the city as quickly as possible at an unbeatable price. Right? With respect to the "without problems from the city" part, check that off in spades. These guys know what they are doing... I know because my wife and I were present for our final plan check with the city planner and Angel. The city planner and Angel knew each other and the conservation with the city planner was like talking to your favorite Uncle at a barbecue. Now come the "best quality work" and "as quickly as possible" parts. Because having to tell your wife that the architect you recommended and hired is not getting back to you sucks. Kind of puts a drag on the whole project. Zaven and Angel are lightning fast. I got most requests back within 24 hours. Layout changes, 3D model renderings, everything. They are young, they are hungry, and they are very, very talented. Zaven does most of the face to face with the client and Angel is kind of more the "city" guy. Zaven has an incredible trait of anticipation. Again, because trying to explain to your wife why the architect "can't get it right" with what you want sucks. None of that with Zaven. We are building a garage with a studio on top. Why? Well, the the f*ck do you think? To add value, of course. Zaven *got* this from the first time we met him and ran with it... -- AND THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT -- ... and did things WITHOUT us asking, like going after a modification and speaking with a city supervisor on his own to possibly increase our studio size above and beyond the norm. This is what makes ZAA so special: they just "get" you from the first meeting, and the rest is just sipping coffee and letting them do what they do without constantly having to check in and remind them. The rest is just showing your significant other awesome possible drawings and layouts and renderings. ZAA makes you look amazing in front of your significant other. Doesn't that sound nice? It is nice, let me tell you. Finally, with price, they are probably going to be your 2nd or possibly 3rd cheapest, depending. Every project is different in price, but I will say that I got five bids and ZAA was the second cheapest, so, yes, they are definitely on the "cheaper" side. The "cheapest" guys weren't nearly as well put together as ZAA and I am 110% glad that we did not hire the "cheapest" guys. As an aside, to start any project, if you are serious, the best very first thing to do, according to our experience, is probably to get a survey done. For my recommendation on this, please see my Yelp Review of GMON Surveying. In any event, with ZAA, please feel free to DM me for any further clarification or information. These guys are the truth.

Review This is by far an OUTSTANDING group of people to work with. My wife & I had planned for years to add some square footage to our home so we hired an Architect who was referred to us that turned out to be a nightmare. He strung us on for over a year, took our money & vanished. Given what we went through we put the project on hold until one day while browsing online I found ZAA studios on Yelp. They had great reviews so we gave Zavan a call. We just wanted someone honest that can help us get this project going. He heard all our challenges and concerns. We meet with him and I'm so glad we did. He went over a new layout that was completely different from what we had been suggested by the prior knuckle head. Zaven went over the project step by step informing us on what to expect. So glad we went forward with him. It's as if we were meant to meet Zavan & his team. We had no idea we needed to have a survey completed or an engineer done prior to build. So all I can say is Thank God for that Yelp review & ZAA. I'm happy to report with a great team collaboration we are all done with the build (Special Thanks to our builder who I will call big A for making what was on paper a reality)Whoo hoo!!! I've never written a review but owe it to this team. Yelp connected us and I wanted to share my story so everyone knows that they are the real deal. Take my word... Look no more! They will get the job done @ a reasonable price. Now give these guys a call so you can build your dream home. The Boghosian's

This review is a little late but I really want to share my experience with Zaven & Angel. My husband and I just bought a new single story home in Pacific Palisades but we felt like we needed more space. We decided to hire ZAA Studio for a 500 square foot addition to a traditional style home. First off, this was our first home and our first time ever dealing with Los Angeles City Building and Safety. We knew for sure that we wanted an additional bedroom, bathroom, and laundry room but had no idea where the addition will go or how the new layout of our home will look like. Zaven picked up our first call and gave us plenty of information over the phone. He walked us through the process of getting a permit and gave us some estimates of how much the construction would cost. The next day him and his partner Angel were kind enough to stop by for a free consultation where they presented some of their work and gave us a few more ideas about our own project. We made a few more calls to other firms but was very hard to get a reliable representative to come out to our property right away. ZAA Studio handled everything from preliminary designs all the way to construction documents. They even did a 3D computer model showing what our home will look like from the outside! They were able to get us our permits to build in about 3 months. The best part was that we didn't even have to step foot at city hall because they did all the requirements themselves. Thanks again for all your help and hard work!

Working in the the mortgage and loan industry, I often come across clients who are in need of an architect for their projects. I am very critical of who I refer, as the job the referred does will reflect on me. ZAA Studio is a company that I will always be proud to refer, as their professionalism, talent, and workmanship exceeds all expectations, and they do so consistently. I have referred them to several people, and have never regretted doing so. Coming across a personal architectural need for myself, I decided to use my own referral, and called ZAA Studio. They helped me design and get a building permit for a two story addition to my current home. This was my first time having to deal with the Building and Safety Department so Zaven & Angel walked me through everything. Even before I made my decision to move forward with this project, they both educated me on the process of obtaining a building permit and a certificate of occupancy. I hired them because I knew they were responsive, honest, and creative. Construction is finally complete and we love our newly designed home, especially the roof deck! I'm in love!

If you are looking for an honest and reliable architect, I STRONGLY recommend Zaven and his company. This is our first time to do a big construction project for our house and we are definitely beginners in this area. As you can imagine, we were very cautious because of the fact that there are a lot of companies that just take advantage of you. We contacted a handful or architects but we ultimately went with Zaven after speaking to him and meeting him in his office. He's very knowledgeable, gave us a lot of advice, and was fairly priced. I decided to go as owner builder for our ADU project to save some money and Zaven has just been always available for any questions even if it may not necessarily relate to the architectural designs. This is already a year after our plans have been submitted and he's still always there to help us out so it really says a lot about him and how he interacts with his clients. I only wish that there are more people like him in this business because that's really hard to find. I will use him again for any architectural plans, have and will 100% recommend him to friends and family.