GENERAL

Robert R. Larsen, A.I.A., Denver Architect serves Denver, Cherry Hills, Boulder and the adjacent front range of Colorado. Now celebrating 30 years in business, this award-winning boutique firm has been in general practice since 1987. We are known for our professional service and attention to detail throughout all phases of architectural service.

Although we enjoy all aspects of architectural practice, we are unique among Denver architecture firms due to our specialty in interior architecture. There are few Denver architecture firms who have our years of experience designing beautiful woodwork and interior features. Also, we sometimes provide the finishing touches for projects started by other architecture firms. Denver has many talented architects, but not all have our level of experience with private residential projects, or the patience to go to the level thought and detail we put into our designs.
We are proud of our years as one of Denver's more respected small architecture firms. Denver is a beautiful place to live, and it is our intention to continue contributing to that beauty through our services.

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
Robert R. Larsen, A.I.A., Denver Architect believes that our most important product is the service which we provide to our clients. We pride ourselves in our ability to carefully listen to our clients' concerns, design tastes, and specific design program requirements.
Rather than working in one design style and imposing that upon our clients, we endeavor to design to our clients' personal preferences in the belief that ultimately, they are the ones who must be satisfied with the final result.
We believe it is important to design in such a way that we minimize the building's impact upon the environment and are passionate about energy efficient, energy conserving design.
We also understand that every client has some kind of a budget, and we work hard to honor such financial concerns in our designs.

We endeavor to provide our clients with plans and specifications which carefully describe what the contractor is required to build, in sufficient detail allowing bids to be relatively accurate and change orders kept to a minimum during the construction process.

Finally, we believe it is important for us to be available to assist our clients from the beginning of the design process all the way through the completion of construction in order to ensure that what the contractor builds is what we and our clients had envisioned.

COMPLETED PROJECTS INCLUDE
• Single family residences
• Health care
• Commercial
• Retail• Religious
• Restaurants
• Institutional

SPECIALTIES
• Residential design, both new and remodels
• Health care
• Interior architecture
• Woodwork design
• Lighting design

SERVICES OFFERED
Programming, space planning, and site analysis. Schematic design, design development, construction documents, construction administration, post construction services.

FEES
Fees are charged by the hour, by the square foot, or as a percentage of the cost of construction. In order to quote fees for any project we need to first determine the scope of the project to be designed, and the level of professional services we are to provide. Services can sometimes be adjusted to accommodate the budget when necessary.

CREDENTIALS
• Graduated Syracuse University School of Architecture 1968
• Continual experience in architectural profession since 1968
• Colorado License No. 301582
• Member of The American Institute of Architects
• Certified by National Council of Architectural Registration Boards
• Member of Construction Specifications Institute
• Member of Architectural Woodworking Institute

CONTACT INFORMATION:  PHONE: 303-620-9911   EMAIL: rrlaia@earthlink.net

Many of our clients have never worked with an architect before. We offer the following information as a primer on what to expect during the design of your project.

STAGE ONE: Programming:     In this step, we put down in writing all of your requirements for the construction project. We ask you many questions, such as what is it which you wish to build or remodel? What rooms or spaces are needed? What goes into those rooms or spaces? What is your design taste? What problems need to be solved?     

STAGE TWO : Site Analysis
If you are building a new home, we need to see the building site. If you are remodeling or adding on to an existing home or building, we need to gather any drawings of the existing conditions which you might have. Otherwise we will need to take careful measurements and photographs so we can prepare our own drawings of the existing conditions.    

STAGE THREE: Schematic Design
With the information we have gathered in Stages One and Two, we can then begin sketching and preparing preliminary conceptual drawings to study alternative design solutions. We will then meet with you to discuss these drawings in detail. Sometimes we need to make a few revisions of the schematic design drawings in order to home in on the precise solution to your particular design requirements. Once you are comfortable with the schematic design, we recommend that we have a general contractor prepare a preliminary cost estimate. This is to give you a reasonable idea of what the project will cost to build. If the estimate is too high for your budget, we can easily make adjustments to the scope of the project at this stage. This ultimately helps save design fees.    

STAGE FOUR: Construction Documents
"Construction Document" is a fancy way of saying ‘plans and specifications’. During this stage, we prepare the actual dimensioned drawings and detailed specifications which will be used for taking bids and obtaining a building permit. We will have meetings with you during this stage as the drawings evolve to be sure everything meets with your approval. It is our philosophy that the more information which is put on the drawings and in the specifications the better, since this allows for tighter bids, minimizes change orders, and fosters better construction quality. Robert R. Larsen, A.I.A. is known for our thoroughly prepared construction documents.

STAGE FIVE: Bidding and Negotiations
Once the drawings and specifications are complete and you have approved them, we assist you to issue the plans to contractors for bidding. You may wish to take competitive bids from as many as three contractors, or you may want to negotiate with just one contractor with whom you feel comfortable. Either way, we will help you to analyze the bids and to finalize a contract for construction with the successful bidder.

STAGE SIX: Construction We strongly recommend that we remain involved in the project during the construction phase. Unlike the automobile or aircraft industries, where many prototype models are built and tested over many years before a final product is manufactured, your project will only be built once. No matter how many drawings we draw, there are always things which occur during construction which require our being available to answer questions and work the "bugs" out of the design.

In remodeling and addition projects, this is even more important since it is not uncommon for unforeseen problems to come to light during construction which need our attention. During the construction phase we act as your representative to guard your interests. For instance, we usually review and approve the contractor’s invoices to be sure they are appropriate for the work which has been completed. We also visit the project site periodically to monitor the quality of construction. Other services include checking the contractor’s shop drawings and answering the contractor’s questions. 

STAGE SEVEN: Project Completion
As construction nears completion, we will walk through the project with you to make a final review of the work and make note of any remaining items which need attention. We often issue a "Certificate of Substantial Completion" which establishes the date at which time warranties commence.

1987 W.O.O.D. Inc. Architectural Award for Excellence  

1988 W.O.O.D. Inc. Architectural Award for Excellence    

2001 Home Builders’ Association of Metro Denver, Colorado Awards for Remodeling Excellence

1st Place —"Interior Remodel, No Space Added"    

2001 Home Builders’ Association of Metro Denver, Colorado Awards for Remodeling Excellence

1st Place —"Basement Remodel over $50,000"    

2001 Home Builders’ Association of Metro Denver, Colorado Awards for Remodeling Excellence

1st Place —"Specialty Remodel"    

2005 Home Builders’ Association of Metro Denver, Colorado Awards for Remodeling Excellence 

1st Place —"Historic Remodel"

2014 Home Builder's Association of Metro Denver Colorado Awards for Remodeling Excellence

1st Place - "Addition over $1 Million"

Testimonials

I am a Project Manager in the Outdoor Living Industry. I work with hundreds of architects each month.

With no exception, Robert Larsen is the most professional, creative and detail oriented architect I have ever had the pleasure of working with on a project. His 35+ years experience as well as his credentials (AIA Architect) will serve any client well.

Robert's ability to listen to a client's vision for their project and provide a creative solution that accomplishes the project goals is unsurpassed in the architectural community.

His phenomenal portfolio speaks for itself.

If you are seeking an architect that will help you achieve your dreams . . . look no further than Robert R. Larsen A.I.A. !!!

Jeff M.

*****************************************************************************************************

My wife and I hired Mr Larsen to come up with a plan and drawings for our 1500 sq ft unfinished basement in November of 2014.

We had never done a project like this before and his fee seemed a bit steep to us at first but I quickly learned that what you pay for in the services of a professional like Mr Larsen is saved many times. It was 5% of the total investment but the other 95% would have been a heck of a lot more without it. This was my life lesson in the value of good architects!

I especially liked that Mr Larsen provided two sets of draft drawings for the project. Both were very logical and he was honest and accurate about which he preferred and why.

I cannot recommend Mr Larsen highly enough. In addition to the quality of his work he is very personable, communicative, and easy to work with.

Ted Wagner, Ken Caryl, CO

**************************************************************************************************************

I highly recommend Robert Larsen as an architect for your home. My husband and I have worked with Bob for more than a decade now, beginning with embellishments to our first home in Greenwood Village, and then the design and construction of our dream home in Cherry Hills Village--a 15,000 square foot Italian-style villa.

When we decided to move to a larger home, and my husband wanted to build, I agreed only if Bob was our architect. Bob worked with us painstakingly and patiently throughout the 18-month design process and the 3-year construction process. The final product reflects his deep expertise in both classical design and period-style design, as well as his attention to detail.

Bob never missed a deadline during the design and construction process, and in fact, came to our rescue on several occasions as we encountered construction or interior design issues.

We continue to involve Bob in each refinement to the interior and exterior of our home, because his vision and our vision have become synonymous, and we would never dream of changing this masterpiece without his counsel!

Karen Leaffer
Cherry Hills, Colorado

*********************

As an architect Bob is extremely seasoned and highly competent. There were many grand challenges in our large renovation project and Bob was unflappable when addressing each one. He had spot-on solutions and produced impressive and highly technical drawings which made our contractor's job much easier and had the ultimate effect of producing a highly successful outcome.

Most impressive is Bob's loyalty to his client, which is rock solid. He stands committed to his client and will fight to insure that the wishes of his client be met. He is tireless in his efforts to this end.

We were fortunate to have found and hired Bob Larsen for our project. The result has been a beautiful home and a new and loyal friendship.

Linda Keenan
Denver, Colorado

********************

Bob We originally used your services because you came highly recommended by a number of local design professionals.

We found your attention to detail and the care you took in making certain your designs were properly executed was extraordinary. You took our ideas and expressed them in a way we could not. Your attitude of seeing the job through until the client is completely satisfied, even if it means modifying the design, is exemplary. We received great value for your services, and would absolutely use you again.

Best regards,
Mike
Cherry Hills, Colorado

**********************************

Dear Bob, When we decided to add on to our Denver home, we were looking for an architect who could work with us even though we were living abroad. We were referred to you by our real estate agent who had heard that you were willing to work with clients who were not in the state. We depended on you to help us achieve our vision, and the designs were just what we were looking for. You listened to our desires for our project and you incorporated those desires into the completed project.

We had heard horror stories of projects going horribly wrong, over budget or extending time frames. Being abroad we trusted you to manage the building to achieve our design. We had communications from you every week so we could follow and comment on the project the entire way. Because of our close contact we never worried about things going wrong.

The design of our additions has greatly improved the function, balance and value of our home. When we tell of our experiences we realize how very lucky we were to have you as our architect. Your services were definitely worth the money we invested in your fees. We got what we had hoped for from your architectural services, and more.
Claire & Steve Parker
Denver

************************************

Dear Bob:

With this letter I am enclosing a signed copy of the Certificate of Substantial Completion.

Mary and I are very happy to reach this point, and I'm sure that you share our feelings.

Let me say that from the very outset of this project I was very apprehensive about remodeling of present structures and adding to them. You put our minds at ease in this regard, and as you developed your drawings our level of comfort kept rising.

Mary and I are very pleased with the final work product. You have done an outstanding job of accommodating our wishes, and architecturally causing both the new and the old to blend together so beautifully. And besides, you're sure nice to work with!

We are hoping to schedule a reception for some of the people involved in this project. We look forward to seeing you at that party.

With kindest regards,

Sincerly,
John C. Ostlund.
Remount Ranch
Buford, Wyoming

*******************************

"Negotiations with my brother began and finally we reached the conclusion which left Mary and me as the sole owners of Remount Ranch. I carefully analyzed our accounts to give us the peace of mind that we could handle it financially through the coming years. Once the deeds were signed, Mary and I began seriously to plan major remodeling at Remount. Although we generally had ideas about what we wanted to accomplish, we needed to have an architect with whom we could place our confidence. We found such a fellow. His name was Robert Larsen and at that time he was on the staff of Claus Heppner and Associates in Denver. Bob Larsen had respect for the historical and seemed to know just how to blend the new with the old. On top of that, he was a pleasure to work with. Since completing our job, Bob Larsen is now self-employed as an independent architect and I understand he is keeping very busy in the Denver area."

John C. Ostlund in his biography "Quite a Life"

********************************

Dear Bob:

I want to take this opportunity to salute you for your professional ability as an architect and designer, and to thank you for the professional manner at which you administered the work performed at the Remount Ranch addition, renovation, and remodel.

The Project as a whole could not have been a more complete success. A success of which you played a very instrumental part. Personally, I know myself, it required an Architect with the rare ability of possessing true concern for the job, as well as the sensitive ability to administer new construction and design without changing the historic accent or mood of the project.

For our own part I would like to reflect that you are one of the most personable and understanding architect s we have ever worked with. You administered the project in such a manner which made the most difficult of jobs a pleasure for not only we the Contractors, but I believe the Owner as well.

Our only hope in closing this letter is that we may have the opportunity to work together again someday.

With personal regards,
William J. Edwards
President
Edwards Construction Inc.
Cheyenne, Wyoming