Topos Architects
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Topos Architects
Palo Alto residential architects and construction serving: Palo Alto, the Bay Area, Portola Valley, Silicon Valley, the South Bay, the Peninsula, Los Altos Hills, Los Altos, Menlo Park, Redwood City, Belmont, Atherton, Stanford, Woodside, Emerald Hills, San Jose, San Francisco, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Palo Alto high end residential architects, TOPOS Architects, provide award winning architecture and design build services by Peter B. Baltay and his firm, and have extensive experience in contemporary craftsman architecture, high end design build services and contemporary home architecture.

These Palo Alto contemporary architects are expert custom home architects and builders, high end residential architects, LEED AP architects, and sustainable architects.TOPOS Architects provide LEED AP accredited sustainable architecture and construction with a special emphasis on Palo Alto high end residential architecture.
Services
TOPOS Architects works to help you realize your goals. Together, we will create beautiful, elegant and practical buildings for your home and family. Our 25 years of residential and commercial design experience will give you a wide variety of unique and graceful possibilities. Consult with the local planning and permitting authorities to verify the exact zoning parameters and entitlement process.
At TOPOS Architects, we believe that every project should be uniquely designed to fit specific site conditions and occupant requirements. We depend on our client's input and participation throughout the design process. Everything we do must be environmentally sustainable. We strive to reveal the 'topos' of every project, beautifully.
Reviews (19)
Andrew Martin
Andrew Martin
Nov 16, 2019
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Topos delivered from start to finish on our custom home and I can strongly recommend Peter. I've written much more on yelp for details.
Jon W.
Jon W.
Aug 18, 2014
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We lived in a 3/1 rancher from 1946 in redwood city, and couldn't afford to move. Instead we decided to add to the existing house. We looked at several different architects, and asked a few for ideas at a set construction budget. Peter Baltay at Topos was the highest cost for design services, but also the best concept by far!

Me and my family appreciate modern architecture, and told Peter to go wild -- on a budget. He and his associate worked really hard to understand what we really wanted, and came up with a great proposal. They kept with the project through ups and downs, and in the end
Alex N.
Alex N.
Mar 28, 2013
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Peter designed our total remodel in San Francisco and we embarked on the process with a clear design intent in mind, especially for the interior. The design Development was quite quick and once he understood our requirements we quickly found a solution we all were happy with. Initially we just thought of using him for Design Services but, having not found the right GC for the project Topos stepped in as the GC, calling upon a good set of subs for the various aspects of the project. We did go over budget but not by more than what the original contractors quoted us fixed fee, and that was before
Andy M.
Andy M.
Mar 11, 2013
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I'm happy to strongly endorse Peter Baltay and his crew at Topos Architects as both a design firm and as a project management service.

When my wife I are were contemplating building a home, we approached Topos as we had seen a previous spec project they had done and loved it. Design elements include maximizing space utilization, minimizing hallways, lots of light and windows, beautiful wood accents, high quality trim and attention to detail all appealed to us.

During our first meeting when I complained about not finding any good lots for sale, Peter pointed out a few, including one particular
Mattias B.
Mattias B.
Feb 14, 2013
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We selected Peter Baltay for an extensive remodel to our house on the Stanford campus. The original was designed by William Turnbull, a famous west-coast architect. Our design requirements included more space, more light, and above all a more functionality. We also wanted to retain the unique character of our home. Peter's solution was thoughtful and innovative, and more than met our objectives.

Peter served as architect, and also managed the construction. Peter worked with us to solve the changes that always come up during construction, and always graciously found ways to incorporate our
Jeff D.
Jeff D.
Feb 02, 2013
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We engaged Peter and his team for a second story remodel on our home. Peter did the architecture and design as well as took on the construction phase. My wife and I really enjoyed working with Peter and his team on this project.

Peter was great to work with during the design process. He was a great listener and very responsive to our feedback and requirements. He also provided great guidance to help us through the process and steer us away from unsuccessful paths.

We contracted with Peter for the construction of the project. Our experience on this phase was also great. The project manager
Jan H.
Jan H.
Feb 01, 2013
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Peter did a fantastic job working with us on our remodel. We struggled with a concept that would work on our existing home and structure. He drew up several designs, discussed them with us, but none seemed right. Then a few weeks later, Peter called and said that he hds a concept he believed would meet our needs and after review we agreed! As this was our first major remodel, Peter assisted with getting us through the city planning and design reviews and worked well with our General Contractor. I would absolutely utilize Peter's services in the future.
Tor R.
Tor R.
Feb 01, 2013
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We worked with Peter Baltay on a 2000/2001 remodel (rebuild) of our house. As an architect, he did a superb job developing a creative innovative design that brought out exactly what we wanted but could not see ourselves. We then signed him on a GC and he completed the house on time and on budget. He brought in great subs, dealt with our whims, desires and stresses and was fun to work with throughout. An excellent experience - have and will strongly recommend him.
Marina M.
Marina M.
Jan 31, 2013
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We recently moved into a house in Palo Alto that we designed and built from the ground up with Topos Architects. The process took about 2 1/2 years start to finish including slow Palo Alto permitting, and we love the final product. Peter Baltay's houses are full of light and windows, well thought-out detailing, and high quality materials. We first encountered his work when looking for a built home in Palo Alto several years ago, before we ever considered building for ourselves. One of the few houses we saw that really appealed to us (except the location, which wasn't ideal for our
Rich D.
Rich D.
Jan 30, 2013
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Peter is a very talented architect and perhaps more rare is of high integrity. We would welcome the opportunity to work with him and his team again.
Meg G.
Meg G.
Jan 30, 2013
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Peter Baltay and Topos Architects transformed my very small fixer-upper into a gem of a house for my family. He was able to design a house that suited the needs of a young teenager, a working parent and a disabled grandmother. His design made the optimum use of light and space. His creativity and sense of design not only made my home livable, but he made it a pure delight. He took a kitchen that was no more than a hallway and turned it into the centerpiece of our home. His attention to detail and functionality was superb. The handmade maple cabinets and the beautiful wraparound granite counter
R. R.
R. R.
Jan 29, 2013
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My wife and I totally renovated the 1500 sq foot basement of our Palo Alto home and Topos helped us start to finish as both designer and general contractor. They showed both an ability to turn our rough ideas on how to use the space into a great livable design and also great attention to detail in the execution. Their design process was truly collaborative and open and there were no surprises. Importantly in Palo Alto, they also helped us navigate the city permitting process very effectively. They also worked quite effectively with other contractors we retained for other aspects of the
Jacqui W.
Jacqui W.
Jan 29, 2013
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We were extremely fortunate four years ago in having the rare opportunity to purchase a newly built house designed by Peter Baltay. It sits on a ridge with the most magnificent view across the Bay from every aspect of the living, dining, kitchen and bedrooms. Its overall layout is designed to emphasise the view while providing a comfortable and elegant interior. The house is finished to perfection in an eclectic minimalist style with elements from Japanese and German interiors, which we learned from the realtor and neigbors, matched the heritage, desire and budget of the previous owner. We&apos
Steve G.
Steve G.
Jan 28, 2013
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We hired Peter and Topos to do a major renovation and large addition to our home in Palo Alto. He served as architect, and although we bid the construction, Peter was our choice for builder as well. He was very creative as an architect and learned our taste and designed to it very well. There were a few special features in the home that were quite unique and the result of Peter's creativity, and we enjoy these immensely. He was easy to work with, highly ethical, and completed the job on time and budget, even while tolerating us living through the whole project. I can recommend him without
Javier G.
Javier G.
Jan 28, 2013
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Peter Baltay is an excellent professional who pays close attention to detail and does a great thorough job. I definately recommend him for any construction/architect jobs and is backed up by years of professional experience. I wouldn't go to anyone else!
Carla C.
Carla C.
Jan 27, 2013
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Peter Baltay and Juan Guillen have handled design and management for us on two large projects. The first was a complete gutting and buildout of an office condo with 8 offices and open work space. Fabulous, creative design that did not break the bank. Now he is working with us refurbishing a school campus for a private school. Peter and Juan have been dedicated and relentless in helping us through the city planning department to get necessary permits. A very complicated process they've handled really well. I know I will always go to these guys any time I need an architect or project manaager
Mark K.
Mark K.
Jan 27, 2013
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Peter Baltay, and his firm Topos Architects, is one of the preeminent residential architects on the West Coast. Peter completed two large projects for us -- a brilliantly designed art studio with water feature, and a stunning new modern Craftsman-style home on a challenging but beautiful rural site. Peter is a master designer-builder with fine attention to detail, natural light, sustainability, expert understanding of structural engineering and how you get great designs actually built in the field, including working with neighbors, design review, and getting top-tier results from subcontractors
Jon M.
Jon M.
Jan 27, 2013
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TOPOS did a great job on a 2002 renovation we did. Peter Baltay came up with some creative designs that I never would have thought of. We turned a crummy utility room into a 25-seat movie theater and a leaking sun porch into a 5th bedroom. The selection of windows and doors was excellent, and the whole middle of the house went from dark and gloomy to very bright with an entire wall of floor-to-ceiling doors and windows. During construction we had some issues with the contractor, but the architectural design itself was exactly what we wanted, and I would certainly recommend Peter for any residential
Anne D.
Anne D.
Jul 10, 2012
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Peter Baltay certainly knows how to design a house (and we love the design of our house) but when things get hard like interior details he isn't terribly helpful. His design services "include" interior work, such as tile, but what we found is that he doesn't do interior work in thorough manner. We needed a 3rd party interior designer so in a sense you're paying double for design help.

He is competent but basically not very hard-working - when the going gets tough for him he gets irritated or passes the ball to one of his employees.

He recommended a contractor to us