Kramer Architects

We worked with Mark 20 years ago. We are as happy now as we were then. He designed an addition to our 1956 tract home in Bethesda. The addition fits with the house and the neighborhood. It also fit our budget and schedule. It has been easy to live in for 20+ years. The quality of the construction was excellent. We have had no «surprises» over this long period of time.

Our first meeting with Mark Kramer demonstrated that he had already done his homework. He had already looked at our land records to see what kind of options existed within the framework of current zoning laws. And because Mark is so heavily involved in Montgomery County Zoning issues, this was important and we were confident that we be working within the bounds of what was allowed and acceptable.
Engaging with an architect and builder to improve your residence is not for the faint-​hearted. Expectations of a Nordstrom service experience would fall into the delusional category, in my humble opinion. The architect is not the project manager. The architect is not the builder. But in our engagement with Mark Kramer, I was surprised at how much the architect DID do. Not only did Mark design a beautiful addition to our 60 year old Bethesda Cape Cod, but he was our representative at the table with the builder.
My favorite quote from Mark was, «You don’t pay the builder, until I tell you to pay the builder.»
And because Mark has such a presence in the Bethesda area, the builders Mark works with have to meet his standards, or they won’t be included on future bids. Mark gives you leverage in a relationship that can be fraught with stress. This allowed me to sleep easier.
There are thousands of details in a home renovation. And thousands of opportunities to make mistakes… by everyone. I really wish we had used the suppliers that Mark and our builder had recommended. Instead, we used our own supplier on a number of items. This sometimes caused problems. It’s important to leverage the relationships that the builder and architect have built over the years. Because when those inevitable mistakes occur, a simple phone call can fix it — when those relationships are in place.
We love the way our house turned out — both inside and out. One of Mark’s specialties is taking an old house and making it «new» without destroying the original character of the house.
If I had to do it again, I’d call Mark, and I always direct my friends to call him as well.

We hired Mark Kramer for a very large project. Frankly, we were unimpressed by all the mistakes he made, especially the mistakes that ended up costing us a significant amount of money to correct.
With his plans, be prepared to go over them with a fine tooth comb. Kramer needs a significant amount of hand holding and we had to «dot every i and cross every t» that he neglected. There were many errors and changes that were necessary because Kramer simply did not listen to us or read our emails. He left out many requested features. Some mistakes we caught in time and some we did not catch until it was too late.
He is an architect but actually measured several things incorrectly! We are not architects, so we failed to catch several of his errors– we are living with those errors in our new home on a daily basis and they tick us off.
Mark Kramer was one of the pricier architects we consulted with regarding our project. We were baffled by the extent of his errors and omissions and his inability to really apologize for errors that cost us extra time & money.
Thank god we toiled over his plans before the job commenced. We had a long list of errors and omissions. Instead of acknowledging his mistakes, Kramer was arrogant and insulted. Arrogance we can handle as long as it a backed up with skill and decent communication.
At the end of the long project we joked that We had forgotten who worked for who in terms of this architect! All in all he made the project more stressful and way more expensive. You don’t always get what you pay for…

Kramer Architects came highly recommended to us from a number of people and I could not be happier with their work. Mark Kramer is a phenomenal architect in so many ways. He listened carefully to our wants and needs, but more importantly, was always present during the 6 month construction and renovation process. Mark kept close watch on every aspect of construction, ensuring that everything was done properly and to our liking. It was such a relief to have him with us every step of the way with his meticulous attention to detail. We have been in our home for over four years and we still check in with Mark about ideas we have for future projects. He is always available to answer questions or chat with us. In short, I could not recommend Mark highly enough. If you want an exceptionally skilled architect who is patient, knowledgeable, experienced, and a pleasure to work with, go with Kramer Architects.