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My name is Charles A. Matthews, Architect. Ever wish you didn’t have to learn things the hard way?
I grew up in a place where there were no applicable building codes, no inspections and at a time where a General Contractor didn’t need to be licensed (Mississippi). My Dad asked my Grandpa to serve in the role of a General Contractor for the construction of the house I grew up in.
There were many things that were done correctly… for being a math teacher.
The house was built as cheaply as possible, without an architect, and on a shoestring budget, over three years. We had been living in a different smaller house on the same property. But there were some slight problems here and there that kind of proved to eventually be disastrous- (I may tell you about those a little later…) but I should tell you this now: if you want an architect to provide a commodity, just to get a permit, I am NOT your man.
I expect to earn the privilege of being your architect. And, if I earn that privilege, you should expect me to take time to understand your specific design needs by way of the function of the final structure, your cost constraints, and your time-based factors of consideration.
I provide Architectural services including plans; not plans (alone). My overall goal is your overall success in every component of each aspect that I have input and relevancy to.
Because of that, I believe I can move you closer to a successful outcome in your project than you would have if you go to some other architect. I consider one of my hallmarks that of persevering to see the project finished, and finished correctly. Personally, I am not looking for average clients.
For me, the run of the mill just won’t do.
As you can probably guess, these services are outside of the reach and cost / expense level of most. That’s ok.
Testimonials
I want all of my clients to feel so exclusively satisfied with my being their architect that they are happy for the additional care I will take to complete their work. Here are a few…
Groom and Play
“After having a bad experience with our initial architect, my wife and I were in dire need to find a responsible and professional architect to lay out the plans for our business. We feel very fortunate to have found Charles Matthews, not only because he’s highly knowledgeable, but he got us back on track. He’s extremely experienced with Santa Clarita Building and Safety city codes and has an easy going nature. Was always quick to answer any questions and worked extra hours to get our plans completed for the city. We highly recommend Charles Matthews to anyone in need of architectural design.” Brett and Yeva Syslo www.groomandplay.com
SCVRC: The Santa Clarita Valley Remote Control Raceway
“Charles was able to save my business and legalize all of the unpermitted improvements made by the previous business owner… Charles worked with me over 2 years on this project, and his work allowed me to keep the doors to the business open the entire time. This was a very difficult project; without Charles’s experience and knowledge I would not have been successful in my dealings with the city.” E. Schlaifer
Miller Hull Partnership: San Diego Zoo Africa Rocks! and the Del Mar Civic Center
“Prior t
o August (2015), we had determined that we would need additional manpower in order to finish the work within a
tight deadline, in that our in-house staff was at capacity. We needed a reliable, temporary person who could come in
and get the job completed with a very short learning curve using the advanced BIM technology our firm uses and a depth of knowledge of the building code as well as building construction techniques in order to create details from scratch for the special conditions that existed in the project. We found that person to be Charles Matthews.He didn’t waste any time in getting to work when he began. To start, he was reliable and dependable, showing up in many cases earlier than required in order to meet the demands of the day. He exhibited a care for craftsmanship and professionalism as an Architect who knows how buildings are constructed. His technical software skills using Revit and learning our implementation of collaboration software (Blue Beam) allowed him to quickly stay ‘in the know’ about the status of the work and make changes rapidly. He was a tremendous asset to the staff, in that he was able to check their work and make suggestions as to how the work could be made more reliably, consistently and remove potential headaches that can come with construction as well as potential litigation. He worked well with not only potential vendors, but also our consultants and especially our client.
Charles is willing to go the second mile. His attitude is a good one, in that his view is not ‘can do’ but ‘will do’. We
were glad about the way that he jumped in and helped us reach our deadline with quality, skill, knowledge and
understanding in a timely way.
So, I recommend Charles for any work or jobs that you may have available. He has proven to be an asset to us, and
will surely be so to any person or organization requiring architectural services.”
C. Kreiser, AIA
The Miller Hull Partnership
Professional Qualifications:
I want to ensure from the outset, though, that you understand what you get when you hire me as your architect. I am Certified with the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards. I am currently licensed in 13 states. I attended a National Architectural Accrediting Board five-year accredited program where I earned my bachelor’s degree in architecture (BARC) and was in the Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society (Architecture Honor Society). From there, I moved to California and attended Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design, with a special emphasis on Entertainment and Themed / Narrative Design, which allowed me to work with Disney Imagineering as my first design job out of college. From there, I proceeded to work with all of the major themed entertainment design companies. As well, I worked with a number of Southern California architecture firms, including the Cuningham Group, AECOM, and Miller Hull. I acquired my architecture license in 2010 and started my company, Grizzly Bear Architecture and Design, Inc. in the middle of the ‘Great Recession’.
I have worked on projects as diverse as ADU’s transforming garages into dwelling units in San Francisco to (my largest) a 50,000 SF house in the Beverly Hills area, to the San Diego Zoo, Disneyland and the Del Mar Town Hall.
Back to the Story…
So back to the story- my Grandpa, in ignorance, left out the flashing in the roof. It was fine for a year or two. Eventually though, the gallons of Mississippi rain caused a torrential downpour to occur in the living room. He changed the design a few times, leaving the kitchen ‘landlocked’ with no views to the outside. The house was on top of a hill on a 40 acre property. It looked decent from the outside, but there was no ‘dramatic’ view from the inside. Missed opportunity = no architect. The bricks were laid by drunken masons = not straight courses. One end of the inside hallway was wider than the other = unintended forced perspective. No vent stacks attached to plumbing = all bathrooms had a stench.
It was after I attended architecture school that I had the platform to make recommendations and help make corrections.
Now, I doubt you will ever come up against any of these issues. If you have an architect, many problems will be designed away. If you have a responsible General Contractor, plan checker and inspector, the project should be completed according to the architectural plans.
My job, though isn’t all of the things that everyone else does. My job is to ensure, as much as is humanly possible, your unbiased success.
Can I cut through a lot of the business-ese and just tell you something personally? Back in 1990, I could have died because of a health condition that required that I underwent an eight hour surgery in order to correct it with a two to six month recovery time. I know what it is like to overcome adversity in life circumstances, in health, with family and a host of other things. I am married with nine children, so I know what it takes to care for and manage people. I personally believe that I am held accountable in deeper spiritual ways because of the blessing of simply being alive. I am happy to talk with anyone about those, but you should realize that I will take your project’s success very personally. My mission in life looks past the ‘project’ to the creator of life. My desire is to please The Creator, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, with everything I do, including your project, with the Judeo-Christian source of ethics that built our country- the Bible. I therefore have a higher accountability than the City, County, State, Nation and World. He is the source of my ethics and values.
If you would like to get in touch with me personally and learn more about architecture or any of the things mentioned above, fill out the below form and I will get back to you:
Thanks- I appreciate the opportunity to serve you!
Best regards,
Charles A. Matthews