Atypical Studio

We just finished an addition to our Brentwood house using Atypical Studio for design and construction management. We loved working on the design options with them and Chris created many large digital perspectives of each room addition that really helped explain the differences from old and new. As promised, the old cramped rooms are now big, bold and modern with tall ceilings and big sliding doors.
We couldn’t be happier with the supervision of all their sub-​contractors and the quality of their workmanship. I never had to watch over them and they left the rooms spotless after each workday. Chris and his team accommodated all of our changes as the work went forward and made the switch from drawings to building

We have been consulting with Atypical over the last ten years to complete many small projects for our Echo Park home.
This summer they recently designed and supervised the installation of an enormous floor to ceiling fireplace with ceramic tiles that had been waiting for just the right geometric ideas. The tile installers were real artists and we all worked together by trying out different patterns on the floor before they were permanently placed on the walls.
We are so happy with this transformation and now have a great centerpiece to compliment the original old wood beams and maple flooring. Chris’ commitment to quality is a sign of his continual integrity and honesty that allows us to use his design group whenever we have any new projects. He and his crew are excellent craftsmen, creative, courteous and trustworthy. I have recommended them to friends and they have done great work for them.

Very relaxed in his response, finalized plans but thereafter less talk no action. To make matters worse — claims to be lining up engineers for the next phase of my project and has not contacted me for 8 weeks and is unresponsive.
Highly recommend you look elsewhere for this type of service.

I usually check out 3 different contractors before starting a big project. This time I checked out about 7 or 8 because something always seemed amiss whether it was lack of detail, not understanding our design elements, or the price was too expensive or too cheap. I met Chris and had him come by to give us an estimate. A few days later he emailed me a detailed proposal and showed me sketches of my Craftsman fence and pergola. We were sort of copying another house’s fence and Chris took it upon himself to go look at that fence, take detailed pictures, and measurements. Needless to say Atypical Studio got awarded the job! While it’s true that Chris is an architect by trade, he is also an artist and his artistry came through in the quality and craftsmanship of his work! He worked with my wife and I to help us to understand how the fence we have chosen works with our house and this enabled us to make other educated decisions regarding our project. Having done many other projects on our 1913 Silver Lake Craftsman home, my wife and I realized that there could be changes along the way which may cost a little more than the original budget. This was true when it came to our front walkway that Chris did for us. The design was sussed out but the execution took us a couple times to get it right. Chris kept the energy positive and the walkway came out beautifully! After all was said and done, it was totally worth it! Another example to mention about Chris was that he was so dedicated to my project and to keeping the costs down and quality high, he knew a vender near San Diego that had beautiful redwood at very reasonable prices and drove down to San Diego to pick out the wood and drove it back up to L.A. All of my neighbors have raved about my fence, pergola, walkway, and Chris’s work.

He has great ideas and wonderful knowledge of plants and building materials. Claimed to be an architect, that he did high-​profile jobs, and that his proposed design/​work will require no permits. Upon research, all three were false. Request to see his architect license, getting references, and if you decide to move ahead with him, draft a DETAILED contract with PRE-​APPROVED drawings. Pay 50% down and 50% upon completion of work on agreed upon schedule, NOT his suggested week-​by-​week payment system.