Kamala Choudhury
Principal architect
Leads the design team and signs the drawings.
Architects and builders · Greenwich, Connecticut
Designed first. Then built, by the same people.
Choudhury Polanco designs and builds renovations, additions and second homes in Greenwich and along the Connecticut shore. The design is a project of its own, agreed in writing before any build is priced.
- An architect leads the design
- A design agreement before a build agreement
How a project goes
You, us, and what you leave with
Every stage has three parts: what we ask of you, what we do, and what you take away from it. Design and build are agreed one after the other, never together.
| Stage | Us | You leave with | You |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design: listening | UsWalk the house and the land, ask about the years ahead | You leave withA written brief you have read and corrected | YouTell us how the house is lived in |
| Design: concept | UsDraw two or three ways the house could work | You leave withA chosen concept and a plan of every room | YouReact to options, in plans and in models |
| Design: drawings | UsDraw and specify every room, and coordinate the engineers | You leave withDrawings and specifications that are yours | YouChoose materials, fixtures and finishes |
| Build: price | UsPrice the finished drawings, line by line | You leave withA build agreement you can read in an evening | YouRead the scope, the allowances and the schedule |
| Build: construction | UsBuild the house, and write down every change first | You leave withA schedule you can plan around | YouMeet weekly and decide what comes up |
| Build: handover | UsFinish the punch list and hand over the records | You leave withThe house, and a binder of what is inside its walls | YouWalk the house with us, room by room |
Why design-build
The person who draws the wall is there when it is built
On most projects the architect and the builder meet after the drawings are finished, and the first thing they discover is what the drawings left out. Here they work together from the first meeting. The drawing can be built, the schedule can be believed, and a question that comes up inside a wall goes to the person who drew it.
Drawings a builder can price
Our construction team reads each set before you do.
A builder who reads drawings
The people on site know why each detail is there.
One project lead
One person to call, from first sketch to handover.
What we design and build
Six kinds of work, each one a whole house question
A kitchen changes the rooms around it, and a porch changes the roofline above it. We take each job as part of the house.
Whole-house renovation
Rooms rearranged, systems renewed, and the house made to work for the way you live now.
See whole-house renovation
Additions and second stories
New rooms that read as if they were always part of the house.
See additions
Kitchens and pantries
Planned as rooms where people gather, with the cabinetry drawn for the house.
See kitchens
Primary suites and baths
Bedroom, closets and bath designed together, down to the waterproofing behind the tile.
See suites and baths
Second homes and seasonal houses
Built around your calendar, with decisions and photographs that reach you wherever you are.
See second homes
Porches, terraces and outbuildings
Screened porches, stone terraces, carriage houses and guest houses that belong to the main house.
See outdoor rooms
Two agreements
Sign the design first. Decide about the build afterward.
Starting design commits you to design, and nothing more. The line between the two agreements is where you choose.
- Agreement one
The design agreement
A defined scope and a fee agreed before we start.
Survey of the house and the site
Concept options, then a chosen plan
Drawings, specifications and selections
Engineering and the drawings the town reviews
A set of documents that are yours to keep
- Agreement two
The build agreement
Written afterward, from the finished drawings.
A price with its scope, line by line
Allowances for what is not yet chosen
A schedule with the weeks written in
A written step for every change
What we repair after handover, in plain words
Rooms and houses
Finished rooms, with the scope beside each
Sample photographs, to show the kind of work and the level of detail. Your own project photographs go here.
Sample photos.
The studio
Architects, builders and the people who keep a project moving
Six of the people you meet before anything is signed.
Erwin Polanco
Principal, construction
Runs construction and reads every drawing before it goes to price.
Marsha Burks
Director of interiors
Leads finishes, millwork and fixtures, and sets the sample table.
Jing Cheung
Senior project manager
Your project lead through design and build.
Reza Hamdan
Site superintendent
In the house every working day, protecting it while we are in it.
Christy Pratt
Studio manager
Keeps the agreements, the selections and the records, and answers the phone.
From clients
What clients say about the first stage
“The design stage felt like being listened to by people with pencils. By the time anyone gave us a build price, we had already walked through every room on paper, twice.”
Penny D.Homeowner, Belle Haven
“We are at the house on weekends, not weekdays. They set up a standing Friday call and a photo of the site on Thursday evening, so we always knew what we would find.”
Roya H.Second-home owner, Washington
“Every change had a page. There were three by the end, and each was signed before work moved. I never once had to remember what we had agreed.”
Giorgos S.Homeowner, Glenville
Sample reviews.
Before you call
Questions people ask before they call
The ones we hear most. The rest are on the questions page.
Why are design and build two separate agreements?
Because they are two different pieces of work. The design agreement has its own scope and its own fee, and it ends with drawings and specifications. The build agreement is written afterward, from those finished drawings, with a price, a schedule and allowances you can read line by line. You can stop between the two.
If you design it, do I have to build with you?
No. At the end of design you hold the full set of drawings and specifications for your house, and any builder you choose can price them. Most clients stay with us because the people who drew the house are the people who build it, but that is a choice you make with the drawings in your hands.
How is the work priced?
The design agreement is a fee for a defined scope, agreed in writing before design begins. The build agreement is priced from finished drawings and states the price, the allowances for things you haven't chosen yet and the schedule. We don't give a build price from a conversation or a sketch, because it would be a guess.
Is an architect actually involved?
Yes. Kamala Choudhury leads the design team, and a licensed architect signs and seals the drawings where Connecticut law requires it. Her license is listed on the licenses page.
How long does design take?
Longer than most people expect and shorter than it feels. A kitchen is a matter of weeks. A whole house or an addition is a matter of months, because it includes a survey, concept options, engineering and the drawings the town reviews. We give you the design schedule in the design agreement.
Do we have to move out?
It depends on the work. A kitchen or a bath can usually be built with the house lived in, behind dust walls and a protected route. A whole-house renovation often can't. We plan this during design, so the decision is made on paper, not in week one.
Our house was built before 1978. Does that change how you work?
Yes. Federal rules for homes built before 1978 require a renovation firm to be EPA certified and to use lead-safe work practices wherever paint will be disturbed. Our certificate is listed on the licenses page, and we give you the EPA's renovation pamphlet before work begins. Minor repairs under 6 square feet inside or 20 square feet outside are exempt, but window replacement and demolition are always covered.
Who do I call once building starts?
Your project lead, named in the build agreement. The site superintendent is in the house every working day, and a weekly meeting with you covers what has been decided and what is coming.
Greenwich and beyond
Greenwich, Fairfield County and the Litchfield hills
The studio is on Lewis Street. Some of our clients live here, and some come on weekends.
- Greenwich: Belle Haven, Byram, Glenville, Banksville, Round Hill · Home ground, a few minutes from the studio
- Fairfield County: Fairfield, Southport, Ridgefield, Redding, Easton · Along the shore and up the Saugatuck valley
- Litchfield County: Washington, Roxbury, Kent, Sharon, Salisbury · Second homes, with site visits planned around your weekends
We work in Connecticut only. We don't take single-trade jobs, such as a roof or a deck on its own, and we don't do commercial work.
Start a conversation
Tell us about the house and how you use it
We write back about a time to talk. A first conversation is not a commitment on either side.
Phone(203) 555-0104
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- By appointment
- SundayToday
- Closed