Ballard & Mensua Architecture

I’m thinking that the first guy who posted here was working with a different architect. Our experience with Seth was excellent. He is beyond talented, and he was an excellent collaborator throughout. Seth understood our needs and worked with us to come up with a truly original design that worked with our budget. He recommended a great contractor — a real craftsman who actively looked for ways to trim the budget and almost never charged us for a change order.
People walk and drive by our house all the time and make comments about how beautiful it is (we spend a huge amount of time on the front porch that Seth designed). If you want to take a drive by, we’re at 5517 Potomac Ave., NW, in the District. I think you’ll probably agree with the assessment of everyone who’s seen the place.
We love living in our house. It’s a masterpiece, and Seth was the person who made it happen.

As we reflect on the prior year, we are enjoying our additions of extended family room and Master on the Main. Seth and Gerry Staley did an awesome job. We still so enjoy what they did with our home and have had numerous compliments on how the internal and external look as if they were there all along. The character and charm of this old 1904 Queen Anne was preserved thanks to the efforts, planning and strong execution by Seth and Gerry. We continue to recommend them to all our friends.
Happy New Year.

I am new to Unilocaling and thought I would start by writing a Unilocal review on this Architecture firm. I am into my third renovation project with Seth Ballard owner of Ballard & Mensua. .
The first project was a basement remodel of a older home this project included finishing an already existing space to add a laundry room, bedroom, bath and great room. We could not be more pleased with the wonderful new space added to the house.
The second project was a total home renovation meaning a gut from top to bottom, this particular property had major structural issues and water damage from previous owner. I am please to report the house is now a structurally sound and completely dry five bedroom 2 bath home. This older home had alot of issues .as many do. thanks to Seth’s guidance and knowledge of older home renovation we were able cost effectively work through all project issues. It’s now a gem thanks to the design work and project guidance from Seth.
After seeing his work and appreciating his care of detail, competence in his guidance and experience in remolding older homes we went with his firm to guide us in a complete renovation of our primary home. He has completed the plans for the renovation to includes a new upper level with two master suites with balconies and baths, new laundry. Remodel and expansion of the first level to include
new eat-​in kitchen, dinning room, office and butlers pantry. The plans include a front expansion of the current home to accommodate a beautiful front porch and foyer. I am in love the deign and the plans, we could not be happier! He took the time with me to get exactly what I was looking for in a new home design!
I would highly recommend his firm.

Seth Ballard designed an addition and renovation to our home.
He made serious mistakes in his plans, including recommending a dual-​zoned heating and air conditioning system, which is much too large for our home. This replacement system cost twice as much to install and costs more to operate than our old system, while providing a less comfortable environment. Since it is so oversized, it short cycles and does not properly remove the humidity.
He also set us up with a complete disaster of a general contractor. We accepted this arrangement thinking that Seth would ensure a quality job. Were we ever mistaken. Seth sided with the contractor most of the time, and the contractor’s shoddy workmanship and cut corners were accepted to our detriment. The mother of all errors was the floor level of the addition being 1−½ inches above the existing floor level. The repairs added thousands of pounds of unnecessary dead weight which serves no purpose to the building structure. Now, there is nothing left to do but to live with these mistakes for the rest of our lives.
I am sure that you could do better by looking at other architects.