About Small Buildings, Inc.
This Architectural Company was established in May of 1986 by Neil Arthur Sofia with nine years of drafting, design and construction experience with several regionally notable firms in San Francisco and Philadelphia. For the past 31 years, our focus has been on residential design, tenant improvements and related disabled accessibility. This company is a design oriented architectural firm providing all aspects of planning, programming, design, drafting, working drawings, permit expediting, contractor selection and construction support. We will provide any combination of specific services that are appropriate to the needs of each client and their individual project. For more complex designs we also offer 3D perspectives and scale model making. Our range of projects vary from as small as a deck, stair, entry, balcony, elevator, wheel chair lift to additions, alterations, renovations, custom homes; to as large as multi-family apartments and mixed use buildings. Tenant improvements to date include professional offices, warehouses, tanning/beauty salons, small business retail, ADA restrooms and path of travel upgrades. I have personally obtained about 400 permits in private practice and have been involved with about 50 permits working for other firms. The majority of our business has been in San Francisco and San Mateo counties along with a few projects in Oakland, San Rafael and Sausalito. We are familiar with expediting permits in San Francisco, Daly City, Pacifica, South San Francisco, Millbrae, San Mateo, San Carlos, San Bruno, Half Moon Bay, Hillsborough, and La Honda; however we are interested in projects up to a 30 mile radius of the Bay Area.
About Neil Sofia
For a period of nine years after receiving a Master of Architecture (1977) from the University of Pennsylvania, I was employed in varying types of firms and projects in Philadelphia and San Francisco. I was a draftsman, designer and/or job captain for hospitals, medical offices, computer center/offices, laboratory facilities, airport support facilities, historical hotel/office renovation, movie theaters, motor inn, auto showroom/offices, custom homes, additions and alterations. From 1988 – 1993, I was a part-time consultant to a San Rafael Firm specializing in schools. As a project Architect, I coordinated design, produced workings drawings and back checked about 17 elementary, middle and high school projects in several districts throughout California. Over the past 19 years in Pacifica, I have been a member of the Chamber of Commerce (five years on the Board of Directors and Board President in 2007), member for two years on the “Little Brown Church” committee (grass roots group to save and restore a vintage building), volunteer for 15 years as community evaluator for Oceana High School senior project review and 10 years on the Board of Directors for Pacifica Performances (a nonprofit concert event group). Over the past 41 years, I have owned, managed and renovated 7 older residential properties. References and photos of work are available upon request to attest to the honesty, integrity, knowledge, and experience I bring to every project.
Neil’s Architectural Vision
Over the years, I have developed an expert skill in design problem solving for “hard to fit” projects and offer my clients a one on one experience from start to finish. My design approach is to first listen to the specific needs of the client, in order to create an interesting solution that will achieve an excellent result. I believe that good design is about intent, experience and passion, not about scale and cost. Each project should have its own identity and not a preconceived idea that is forced on a situation. Architecture is about creating a functional and harmonious space that will enhance the quality of one’s life or business. Our goal is to give the client options on paper, in order that the final design has been well thought out to ensure that the construction of the project proceeds steadily with a minimum of change orders. A well designed project, with a readable detailed set of working drawings, will save time and money.