ACI Architects Inc.

I used ACI Architects Inc. and William Joannou to design a complete re-build of my house. I did not want to deal with the Committee of Adjustment and Bill's knowledge and experience ensured that I had the house I wanted without the delays and stress associated with Committee of Adjustment hearings. He knows the permit process and works to make the process work as quickly and easily as possible. He made a very complex process much easier to deal with and I appreciated the little bits of advice he gave, like taking a picture of my curbs before construction started so I could more easily recover my damage deposit. A real asset throughout the process.

We own a mixed use building in mid-town Toronto to which we were interested in making some internal changes. Because of mixed use zoning, we needed a professional opinion to determine whether or not the proposed changes would be allowed by the City.
We contacted the principal from ACI Architects Inc. to do a review.
He in a very methodical manner did a proper analysis of the various uses and applicable regulations and produced a thorough and understandable report.
He took the time to review the report in person and explain the methodology used in reaching the final conclusions.
If you want a firm and an individual to provide thorough and precise information you cannot do any better than the firm of ACI Architects.

This was our first major project for our home and first time hiring an architect. We received many quotes high and low but only William came to our home to take proper measurements and asked questions about our project. We then received a detailed contract outline the costs and any other costs that were all Cleary explained so there would not be any surprises. He took us through the process of obtaining our permit and did all the paperwork and kept us updated throughout the way. We reviewed our drawings throughout the process fully and he answered all our questions. He also added many creative ideas. We would not hesitate to recommend him or contact him again for another project. He is an expert in his field. We found him to be friendly, knowledgeable, trusting and professional. He always provided us with the time and attention whenever we called.

I found William and ACI right here on Homestars. He was the second architect I spoke with about designing an accessory office/studio in our backyard. William listened very closely to what I was envisioning in that first round of communications and suggested a reasonable way forward. His design was much more creative and elegant than I had imagined, and also far more functional. William clearly puts his heart into his work and cares deeply. Beyond the wonderful design, he handled the permit process for us, and has continued to help me out as lately as this past week as I've run into issues with my contractor. Couldn't recommend ACI more highly.

William of ACI Architects, has been a pleasure to work with. He is very professional , and has a wealth of knowledge regarding our City By-laws and Building Regulations. We had no idea when we decided we needed to have a garage built what was involved and that it would take so much planning, with permits from the city and an arborist. William walked us through the process step by step. His designs are impeccable, and he gave us the plan that we had envisioned even down to the little accents that we wanted.He was always available by phone , text or email to answer our questions every step of the way.We would highly recommend him.

I worked with William at ACI Architects to design a second storey addition to our home. It was an extremely positive experience that was not only fun but allowed me to learn a lot about my house and the ways it could be expanded to suit my family's needs. From our first meeting with William it was clear he is an expert in his field. He went out of his way to understand our needs and thoughts about how our home addition could work. William made himself available to answer any questions and was fantastic at keeping me up to date on the latest status of the design and building permit application.

William addressed everything we wanted for of our home addition. The ultimate design was logical and realistic for our needs, and he went out of way to add unique elements which made the design absolutely incredible. He was able to do this because he went out of his way to make sure to understand our project, and create a design that reflected our tastes.

I strong recommend ACI Architects and would not hesitate to work with William for any future plans I have for my house. Thank you William!

I can't appreciate William at ACI Architects more for doing a top-notched, transparent, effective job to design and obtain a permit for my garage studio. Before engaging ACI Architects, I had a terrible experience with another company/ architect, and in order to salvage the project, I made the right decision to engage ACI Architects. William was very professional, and most importantly knowledgeable and honest, did not overpromise, and did not pretend when he needed to find out the answers. These are the key qualities needed to deal with design of a structure, since the client only has architect's words to go by, until the very moment when City approves or disapproves, which opens up space to bad contractor gaming a client. At the end, I obtained the permit, with a design that I truly love, through a smooth and speedy process, and reasonable pricing.

You can't go wrong with William at ACI Architects. I highly recommend his services.

Eric

William is a professional. Meticulous, thorough and owns his work end to end. He arranged for all permits and partners including structural and mechanical engineers. A very enjoyable experience were he took our feedback and made amendments suitable to our needs. Very satisfied with his work and demeanour. We have our stamped drawings in hand and are commencing our project in the spring. Thank you

Finding ACI has been a true blessing. My wife and I had researched and interviewed several firms offering architecture services, but we found most were offering services as part of their bundle pricing that were replicated with services from the contractors. William to be exactly what we were looking for from both a professional approach and capturing our needs. William was extremely detailed oriented without being overwhelming with all the technical lingo. He definitely took the stress off in terms of navigating the city for the permits and easing the way with the committee of adjustment and other challenges we could potentially encounter.

We can't say enough about William and ACI Architects Inc. The overall experience has been amazing and we would work with him again and wholeheartedly recommend him to family and friend.

William (Bill) Joannou of ACI Architects worked with us on the renovation of our 1-1/2 storey home. He provided the plans, handled the consultation with the other professionals involved in the redesign, managed all of the necessary interactions with the City of Toronto, and remained available to our contractor throughout the project.

Originally, we’d planned to add a second storey with the same square footage as the main floor, but Bill presented us with some ideas that would give us more interior space at very little added cost. These design ideas also improved the exterior appearance of the house. The appearance of the house from the street was a principal concern of Bill’s; making sure the house fit in with the character of the neighborhood was very important to him, and we really appreciated this. Bill spent a great deal of time examining the house from various angles and approaches, making sure that the new design would be consistent with the style of the neighborhood, and that it wouldn’t impose on the adjacent homes.

Bill was very easy to work with. He gave us his ideas and we worked together to come up with a design that was satisfying to everyone. He was always happy to explain the technical aspects of the plans, and he kept us informed of the steps involved in the production of the plans. In terms of his character, Bill is very easy-going, but he doesn’t compromise on detail, and he’ll advocate for his clients when he needs to.

Overall, working with Bill was a great experience. We learned a lot from him and we’re still proud of the home we wound up with. We wouldn’t hesitate to hire him again or to recommend him to our friends.