June 9, 2013 My wife and I were introduced to Paul Dowsett and his team of professionals at SUSTAINABLE.TO by our general contractor. From the outset of our initial meeting, Paul listened carefully and patiently to our ideas and vision for the design of our new main bathroom to replace our original bathroom in our 1926 tudor style home in the Beaches area of Toronto. We found that Paul as the principal architect and his assigned junior colleague, Sean Maciel worked well together and were extremely knowledgeable and easy to deal with in terms of meeting our expectations. Paul proved to have a wonderful sense of design. The project itself was much more complicated than we originally thought it would be because of our desire to have the bathroom totally updated and modernized while maintaining the integrity of the “original style” and architectural features of the old bathroom that would be in keeping with the age of the home. This resulted in a complete demolition of the bathroom and the addition of a heated floor, movement of the plumbing, the design of a “floating vanity” and the installation of a stand-alone shower in addition to a stand-alone bathtub. Paul made excellent suggestions as to updating the floor and wall tiles, lighting, custom designed vanity and bathroom fixtures while maintaining our home’s architectural features. Paul and his team attempted to incorporate our suggestions into the design wherever possible. He accompanied us to shop for lighting fixtures, vanity finishes and components as well as floor and wall tiles. They were also very helpful in making excellent suggestions to improve upon our design concepts which in turn resulted in our achieving a new bathroom that was both beautiful and functional. Paul’s greatest contribution and the most time consuming aspect of the design work involved the design of a custom made floating vanity that incorporated all of the practical features that we wanted in this important piece of bathroom furniture including storage and an oversized sink with two faucets. Paul and his team brought considerable imagination and excellent suggestions to the planning and design details that we would not have otherwise thought about that in the end significantly improved the overall functionality of the finished product. This particular aspect of the job involved Paul and Sean working closely and effectively with the vanity manufacturer’s in-house designer. There were many telephone discussions, e mails and meetings among ourselves, Paul, Sean and the manufacturer’s designer to ensure that the final design met all of our objectives and specifications. Paul’s sense of design, colour and finish was definitive and “right on” in terms of our making the correct decisions that combined functionality with the overall look that we were trying to achieve with our new bathroom. Paul is a real gentleman who is extremely pleasant to work with in addition to being a very talented architect. Finally he is always available via e mail even in the evenings and weekends to review our suggestions and provide us with important input. It was a real pleasure dealing with Paul and Sean and we would not hesitate to recommend SUSTAINABLE.TO to anyone. Brock and Elsie Grant

Company Response:

Thanks Brock ... it has been our complete pleasure working with you guys and we hope that you enjoy your 'new' bathroom for many, many years to come !! Paul@Sustainable.TO

I worked with Craig Race and Sustainable.TO on the design and development approval of my laneway house in east end of Toronto. Throughout the process, Craig and the entire Sustainable team were extremely professional in their approach. We were able to work closely together to formulate an attractive and sensible plan for the site, accomplishing my design and liveability goals while enhancing the built form neighbourhood. The project also created a sound example of how and where laneway housing can work effectively to densify Toronto's lowrise neighbourhoods in a way that is beneficial for all. Their guidance on energy conservation technologies and building techniques created a very efficient building, despite budgetary constraints. Paul's experience and articulation at the Committee of Adjustment was instrumental in securing the necessary variances required for redevelopment. In short, Sustainable.TO did a fantastic job on my project and I look forward to working with them again in the future. I would highly recommend Craig, Paul and the entire team at Sustainable.TO for all your architecture and building design needs.

Company Response:

Thanks Alex It was our pleasure working with you as well ! Your happiness is our happiness !! Paul@Sustainable.TO

After much deliberation (move or renovate) we finally decided to renovate since we love our established neighbourhood (Bloor West Village), with its good schools, shops, transit access and 'community feel'. We bought our 1920's house in 2000, but the house needed updating, and we wanted more space to accommodate the changing needs of our family - namely two young boys. We wanted to completely update the existing footprint of the house and add as large a 2-storey (plus basement) addition as was allowable. We knew a priority was to undertake a sustainable/responsible reno, within a strict budget, and have a house that was energy efficient and provided a healthy living environment for our family. Our first step was to find an architect and we found Paul Dowsett at SUSTAINABLE.TO on the Internet. We interviewed his references and met with three other architects, but we chose Paul - mainly as we felt he was a good fit with our needs, but he was the only architect who came to our home and actually made us re-think our plans just off the top of his head. Some of the key initial thoughts he had at our first meeting were incorporated into our plan and we are so happy with that initial advise today! Paul and his team were open and easy to work with - and they brought good suggestions to the design process - the layout of our home works for us perfectly, which reflects his understanding of our needs. It is also key to note that our Contractor worked well with Paul and his team, and often commented that the architectural drawings were excellent and easy to follow. Our entry-way mudroom is often remarked on by visitors as an incredibly functional room, and the open-concept allows for so much light in our living spaces that we are so happy with the results. Our house fits our street and neighbourhood very well and we receive many compliments on the style of our house - some even from strangers. Now that we have settled back in to our 'new' home we are even more convinced that we made the right decision to renovate rather than to move.

Company Response:

Dear M&G: Thanks so much for the referral. We are so pleased that you and your family are happy with your 'new' home. We trust that it will continue to work for you and yours for many years to come ! All the best, Paul

We hired Paul at Sustainable.to to design the gut of our 3-storey Riverdale home. He really understood our needs and design sense. Paul made a number of suggestions that we thought were "off-the-wall" to start (such as putting the kitchen in the front of the house, and an all-metal roof), all of which we now love. Paul and Donald also worked hard to work around a number of the building permit issues related to the Committee of Adjustments and various zoning issues, which we would not have been able to figure out ourselves. We're thrilled with our new house and would recommend Paul, Donald and Sustainable.to.

Company Response:

Thanks Jim: We sincerely hope that you and your family will enjoy your 'new' home for many years to come. Thank you so much for keeping an open mind and considering those "off-the-wall" ideas. I'm betting that you'll really appreciate that Galvalume roof next July. Think of it again in about 15 years when you are not sending a load of asphalt shingles to landfill ! All the best, Paul, Donald and the rest of the S.TO Team !!

When a condo was approved that was going to destroy our backyard privacy and serenity, in the Dufferin Grove area, we shuddered! Lucky for us we found Paul Dowsett of sustainable.to, who in turn assigned Nicholas Discenza to be our Jr. Architect. Sustainable.to is a very professional company to work with, who are easy to communicate with in that they are fast, efficiently, respectful and well organized, polite and respectful, and the icing on the cake is that they are fun to work with . The office is made up of the a very cohesive group of positive talent and the energy is contagious, and its easy to see where this positive energy comes from, straight from the top. Paul provides great enthusiasm, and leadership to his staff yet lets them be creative. He has carefully chosen a group of impressive young professionals. This is an outfit that listens to the customer’s wishes. They delivered a design I requested and envisioned, and even better! When I spoke with Nicholas as to the 3 Aesthetic principles he did his research and came up with the design for our car port using the ancient Japanese technique of charring wood, called Shou-sugi-ban, whose finish is a rich dark silvery textured charcoal finish on cedar, which acts as both a preservative and “reduces flammability”. It was such a pleasure to deal with this group that we have hired them again to design and modernize our newly purchased Victorian home in the west end of Toronto. Thanks Paul, Nicholas and the entire team at sustainable.to.

Company Response:

Thank you so much Sue: We had a ton of fun working with you and your family on this wonderful Japanese-inspired, green-roofed, car-port ! I am so pleased that you have recognized that we are "fun to work with. (That) the office is made up of the a very cohesive group of positive talent ... a group of impressive young professionals. This is an outfit that listens to the customer’s wishes." This is everything that we strive to be !! Looking forward to more fun with you on your next project ... modern renovations and additions to your new Victorian home !! Best regards, Paul

We were very pleased with the architectural services Paul and his team provided. Paul and his team are very easy to work with and kept us very informed on design and sustainability potential throughout the project. Paul and Nicholas are very knowledgable, polite, and prompt. Paul's team did a great job of designing a modern home in an old neighbourhood and working within the limitations of a small lot yet incorporating all aspects (and more) that we were looking for. It was truly a pleasure working with them and we would recommend SustainableTO to anyone! Thanks Matt and Katlin

Company Response:

Thanks Matt ! It was absolutely our pleasure working with you and Katlin ! We are glad that we were able to exceed your expectations ! Paul

Paul Dowsett (and Nicholas Discenza)took on the small project of designing a contemporary yet traditional garage to go with our Victorian semi-detached home. In addition, we wanted to put a green roof (garden) on the top, to visually expand our small yard. The result is just what we wanted - the garage bridges the gap between modern and traditional and is a wonderful addition. The roof garden was designed to step back from the edge to avoid overpowering the garage and it gives me great pleasure to see it surrounded by its stainless steel edging. The garage looks as if it has always been there, but then you realize that it is quietly contemporary. It has a sensibility about it which makes it outstanding without standing out. Both Paul and Nicholas were easy to work with - friendly, good listeners, dependable and they have a wonderful design sense.

Company Response:

Thanks Ellen: Nicholas and I are so pleased that you are pleased with the result. It was our absolute pleasure working with you, and we hope that you continue to enjoy your improved back garden for many years to come. Paul

Thank you to Paul and his team at Sustainable.TO. Our project involved the conversion of a small 3-bedroom semi in The Beaches, to re-invent the existing space and add another 2 bedrooms. This was no small feat, considering challenges posed by a complex roof-line, limited yard space and our primary design goal of minimizing the impacts to the symmetry of the entire building. Sustainable was able to address all of these challenges and design a home that will meet our needs for many years to come. In a neighbourhood where growing families and 3-bedroom semis are the norm, Sustainable's design should serve as a template for future development.

Company Response:

Thanks Craig: We are grateful for the opportunity to rise to the challenges presented by your Beaches semi, and are pleased that you and your family are happy with the results. We hope that you will enjoy your 'new' home for many years to come ! Paul

After interviewing several architects Sustainable.TO proved to best understand the needs and requirements of our historical home renovation. We supplied Sustainable basic design ideas, pictures, and overall goals. Within a few short meetings architectural concepts formed. To our pleasure the designs were quickly finalized and Sustainable took care of the rest - they handled all the permit applications, coordinated with construction contractors, all the while keeping the project moving forward. My wife and I were very pleased with Paul and his team and would recommend Sustainable.TO to anyone looking for quality design and attention to details for their architectural project.

Company Response:

Hi Patrick: Thank you for your review. SUSTAINABLE.TO was glad to rise to the challenges presented by your unique home, maintaining its historical character while providing for 21st century energy-efficiency. We are happy that you and your family are pleased with your historical home renovation and hope that you will enjoy the results for many years to come. Best Regards, Paul@sustainable.TO