“We worked with Shawn Buehler and Lynn Khuu on a full remodel and addition to our 1935 Chevy Chase colonial. Shawn was with us the whole way – from looking at the house before we bought it to designing the most gorgeous roof line we’ve ever seen, guiding us through the process of choosing and working with a builder, helping us pick out kitchen island slabs and ensuring all the details were perfect. Throughout the entire process, Shawn and Lynn were kind, generous, and simply excellent at what they do. We can’t imagine having worked with anyone else and wholeheartedly recommend them.” – Nicole B. & Brian R.

“What an exceptional group of architects and people! I’ve had the pleasure of working with Larry and the team at Bennett Frank McCarthy Architects for 20 years on a variety of projects. These projects include architectural design guidelines for new communities (and managing builder architecture, material, and color selections), drawings and construction management for pool houses, the addition of my personal residence, and much more. Regardless of the project, the Bennett Frank McCarthy team is truly amazing – experts in their field, thoughtful, smart, creative, and so much more. The deep skills and collaborative teamwork embodied by Bennett Frank McCarthy create truly extraordinary results.” – Kate K.

“We had an excellent experience working with Brian and his team. From the very first meeting to the very last nail, Brian maintained a positive and helpful approach to a very large and complex renovation. He presented thoughtful ideas, taking advantage of the location of our house, that would never have occurred to us. He sought solutions to unexpected complications that inevitably arose during construction. The end result is simply beautiful. We love being in our home and could not be happier with the design.” – Stephanie K.

“We really enjoyed the process of working with Shawn and his team. He brought creative design, practical ideas and thoughtful solutions to help us create a truly beautiful and unique home. We loved seeing it come to life and the entire team communicated with us every step of the way. We recommend this firm to anyone with an ambitious home project.” – Michael & Sara R.

“Brian McCarthy did an exceptional job designing a whole house renovation and second story addition for our 1950s rancher – a home that has been in our family since the 60s. I had little to no experience with renovations or architects but Brian immediately put me at ease with his calm, thoughtful, and patient demeanor. It was important to us that the home have increased functionality but we also sought an aesthetic that would fit in with the existing surroundings. Brian’s design did not disappoint. He created a beautiful, functional, open and airy space that checked all of the boxes and fits right in with our tree-lined neighborhood. His depth of experience and attention to detail are hard to overstate – sentiments that were regularly echoed by our contractor and subcontractors. Brian’s work far exceeded my expectations and I am forever grateful to him for helping me realize my dream of transforming our generational family home into a space that will comfortably be enjoyed for years to come.” – Michelle H.

“We worked with Shawn and Ellen for two years, conceptualizing, designing and then building a gut renovation and major addition to our home. Shawn and Ellen were patient and highly collaborative from start to finish, lending their knowledge, experience and ideas every step of the way to ensure the end product reflected our vision while ensuring a beautiful and practical result. They were indispensable partners who helped us navigate the various aspects of the process, working seamlessly with our builder and other trades. We are incredibly happy with our home and would highly recommend them for your project.”- James C. & Jennifer O.

“Larry and the architects took the time to truly understand our needs and thoughtfully customized the design to fit our vision and priorities. We’re very happy with the final result and appreciate their collaborative, responsive approach throughout the process” – Jeff S.

“We did a major remodel of our first floor of our 100-year-old bungalow in the Takoma Park Historic District. Brian McCarthy of BFM Architecture was our architect. Brian was an excellent listener and problem solver. He had many excellent ideas and accommodated many of the goals and ideas we had. He understood both the practical issues and aesthetics we were trying to achieve. Brian’s suggestions have unified and opened up the living space. We are very happy.” – Cary B. & Devki V.

“We hired BFM Architecture—specifically Shawn Buehler and Ellen Mitchell—for our extensive home renovation, and we couldn’t be happier with the experience. Their communication, transparency, attention to detail, and creative vision were all outstanding. This was a complex and often stressful project, but they truly listened to what we wanted, were incredibly responsive and patient, and guided us thoughtfully through every step of the process. We were especially impressed with Shawn’s skills and vision—he transformed our home into exactly what we had hoped for— we love the house now.” – Rebecca D. & Clayton O.

“When does an architect work himself out of a job? When he is serving his client’s best interest, that’s when. That is exactly what happened with us and Brian McCarthy, who saved us untold time and money with his sound advice. We thought we needed a costly bump out to get the space we needed for our first floor renovation. Not so, Brian said. He showed us why we had all the space we needed. He then made a very simple suggestion that added wall space, by moving a single door to the basement stairs and creating a short wall that was perfect for the built-in hutch we wanted but could not figure out where to put. And then, after meeting with our contractor and designer, he told us we were in good hands and wouldn’t need him after he completed some drawings for our permits. I have, of course, looked over the firm’s gorgeous portfolio; it is why we picked it. We have another project in mind in a few years, and I know who I am going to call.” – Chuck A.

“We had a fantastic experience working with Shawn and Lynn. Their thoughtful design perfectly balanced beauty and practicality, all while staying within our budget. They were patient and clear in explaining complex aspects of the process, which made us feel confident and informed throughout. The design is cohesive and has truly transformed our home—we’re enjoying every minute of it. The highlight is our stunning screened porch, which has become the envy of all our friends! We couldn’t be happier with the result” – Amy & Lindsay G.S.

“Brian McCarthy and his colleagues were terrific partners in a whole-house renovation of our Takoma Park colonial home. Our project included a two-storey addition, remediation of long-standing structural issues, and updating bathrooms and other features throughout. During the design phase, Brian helped us understand the tradeoffs between items on our wish list so that we could accomplish as many as possible within our budget. He guided us through bidding out the project, and then served as an honest broker between us and our contractor and came up with creative solutions to issues that cropped up. We especially appreciated Brian’s easy manner and his understanding of our priorities – and we’ve since recommended BFM to neighbours.” – Jacqueline M.

“Amazing Architects, both Larry Frank and Shawn Buehler are talented thoughtful skilled experienced and most importantly fun an easy to relate to. They got us right away. My husband and I own an home goods store with a heavy focus on American antiques and we get a lot of requests for Architects and I proudly and loudly and confidently send everyone to BFM.” – Dan & Anna K.

“We hired BFM as the architects to renovate our 70 year old Cape Cod home in Silver Spring. We wanted our addition to keep with the character of the neighborhood, and wanted a more liveable floor plan. Brian McCarthy smoothly navigated us through the phases of concept, construction drawings and bid evaluations. BFMs involvement throughout the construction phase was critical as the honest broker between us and our contractor.” – Larry T.

“I worked with BFM Architecture on my home renovation in Mahwah NJ and I can say first hand that I couldn’t be happier with what Shawn and the team there have brought to the table. I initially found BFM Architects on Houzz from their Modernized Split Foyer project. I had spoken to several architects both locally here in NY & NJ as well as some west coast firms and none of them gave me the level of comfort and different approach to a renovation that Shawn Buehler and BFM gave me. From minute one my project was never about how to get me to spend more money upping my budget in order to increase fees rather it was finding out ecactly what i needed from my house and figuring out ways in which we could make minimal changes and get maximum impact from them. The design process was smooth and the constant communication Shawn provided was key throughout the process. From design to construction documents and throughout the permit processing and construction observation they have been top notch making my life much easier. If you are looking for an architect to help you with a new home or a renovation i wouldnt hesitate to call Shawn and BFM.” – Matt L.

“After having spoken with a number of architects recommended by friends and neighbors, we chose BFM Architecture. What struck us about this firm compared with the others was first, their willingness early on to offer creative ideas and solutions to presented challenges (even providing sketches during our initial consultation). In addition, we appreciated their collaborative nature, their professionalism, and their directness about how much such a project would cost. It was also important to us to preserve the original character of the house (we have a bungalow). After speaking with them and looking at some of their work, we were confident that they would develop a thoughtful plan that would satisfy our desire to keep the style consistent with the existing structure. Brian and Shawn were very good about listening to what we said we wanted in a renovation, and then translating those ideas into something that would really work for our family. Brian is good with detail, and thought to integrate a feature that we hadn’t considered into other areas of the renovation, making the design more cohesive. He’s also flexible (and patient), changing room dimensions by inches when requested. We’re still in the beginning stages of our project, but we’ve been happy with our experience with BFM. We are adding a new kitchen, screened porch, and deck. An office, powder room, and side entry will replace our existing kitchen. We highly recommend BFM Architecture.” – Debbie L.

“We have had an excellent experience with BFM. We hired the firm to design what turned into a whole house renovation project shortly after purchasing our house. The house is a 1931 center hall colonial with various additions throughout the years including a sizable 1960s addition. The scope of the project touched on many elements. It included reconfiguring interior areas to improve the flow, layout and integrity of spaces, a bump out of the kitchen to create an eating area, gutting and redesigning the master bedroom suite and bath as well numerous esthetic and structural improvements such as enlarging windows and raising ceilings to allow for light and openness. Brian McCarthy was the lead architect and has been terrific to work with. He has carefully listened to our ideas and desires throughout the process and offered many ideas and solutions…..as an old house we learned does not always bend easily to accommodate one’s visions and presented a number of challenges. We were novices to home renovation on anything but the most modest level prior to this project and Brian has been there to guide us through each step from design, to bid preparation, contractor selection and negotiations, and now through the construction process. He has been a voice of calm and reason through what is inevitably a stressful and at times overwhelming experience. Our project involves many complicated elements and challenges, such as a breezeway elevation, melding contemporary and traditional Colonial styles, structural changes to accommodate major increase in sunlight/glazing for the house, and the transformation of radiator heating to geothermal heating and cooling, Through all of these and other challenges Brian McCarthy has provided invaluable design and practical advice. He also has served as an objective and fair monitor of the contractor’s work, and a very valuable asset in resolving contractor errors and disputes. As said we are in the middle of the 4-5 month construction project and can start to see the visions taking shape and already know that the design ideas were right on. We also find BFM to be reasonably priced and sensitive to one’s budget; needless to say a huge plus. We highly recommend BFM.” – Frith C.M.