Kariouk Architects - Ottawa, Ontario

Anne Maheux

How lucky we were to find Paul and his team: professionals who are nice, smart and honest, with a sense of humour and love of animals—what more could one ask for when embarking on the design and birthing of a precious project?

Paul was thoroughly invested in our plan to build the perfect little cottage on a modest budget. We worked together through many concepts and iterations, using drawings as well as models to develop what turned out to be a unique solution to our list of “must-haves”- especially a loft for our daughter. Chris Davis, one of the firm’s greatest assets, brought a welcome pragmatism to the table by helping to channel ideas into viable options with his easy, personable way. Building projects are rarely problem free and ours was no exception. Paul skillfully guided us over some challenging hurdles. We did not end up with the cottage we had envisioned, but with a superior jewel that speaks to the imagination, effort and energy of Paul and his team.

Mike M

Paul is amazing and we are lucky that he was our architect, and now our friend. It was serendipity that brought my husband and I together with Paul; we live in Manhattan and found him in by searching for leading architects in Ottawa, which is close to our place in cottage country in the province of Quebec (see the "cross laminated timber (CLT) cottage") on Paul's website). From day one we just all understood each other. His design sensibility is incredible, and he personally took us through various design iterations before we settled on our chosen one. Given our back and forth life between NYC and Canada, Paul was always available, day and night, for us to ask questions, propose new innovations, and deal with inevitabilities that come up after construction started. He found us an amazing GC and Paul stayed with the project to the very end to make sure everything was perfect. The consummate psychologist, Paul's honesty, candor and creativity led us to a very happy place. We love our CLT summer home and are so pleased with the material due to it's sustainability, it's amazing R factor (perfect temps in heat and cold because the house is so well sealed) and it's design. I can't speak highly enough of Paul and his team and for the vision that created our forever summer home.

Mark Holmes

In September 2018, I and my wife Franca and her sister Sandra, met with Paul for the first time. Our hope was to build a back to front semi detached home on the lot where Sandra’s small bungalow stood in Hintonburg in Ottawa. The 3 of us hoped to build a home where we could age in place in a neighbourhood we loved and where we had lived, and hoped to live, for many years.

Our home was finished in 2022 and we love it. Paul, Adam and Chris were extraordinary to work with and our home is wonderful. Almost everyone who walks by stops and admires the house.

That said, I want to talk more about their humanity and excellence as human beings. Early in our journey with Kariouk Associates, Franca was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Paul and Adam and Chris were kind and supportive and looked for ways to make the design work better with Franca’s diagnosis. In the end, the house was a godsend for Franca.

After an indomitable fight, Franca passed away in August of 2023. Paul and Adam (Chris was out of the country) attended her Celebration of Life and left a note letting me know they wanted to honour Franca in some way. Their idea was to laser cut into the surround of our fireplace a line from a poem I read at Franca’s celebration. What an incredible gesture.

If you want a skilled and incredibly creative architect, hire Kariouk and Associates. If you want caring and empathetic human beings, double down on that.

Patrick Stacey

We have completed two homes with Kariouk Architects, one in the Cayman Islands and the other in Caledon, Ontario. Our family first hired Kariouk to design a new home for us on Grand Cayman Island, which was not a beach home but rather a year-round canal-front home that is for full-time use by us and our three young children. They hit it out of the park, so we had them design our second home in Caledon.

Building in Cayman is somewhat complicated even for a standard run-of-the-mill house, but we expected to multiply this by factors to successfully build a bespoke masterpiece that comes with the designs Chris and Paul come up with. Nearly everything needed to be shipped in, from the structure, to the complicated roof design, to the finishes. Further to that, usually decisions are made on the spot in person during the construction phase, but here not only did they have to perfectly time the shipment of materials from various overseas locations but also had to make construction decisions at a distance of almost 2,000 km away. All of this went off without a hitch. It speaks to Chris, Paul, and Adam going above and beyond in the projects they choose to participate in.

Here we are now, about 2 months away from occupancy permit in our second Kariouk-designed home, and it's during this COVID pandemic. Yet again, they still managed to hit it out of the park but with even more challenges such as managing pandemic restrictions. Previous to this, they managed the nuance of building in the Caribbean from a distance and accomplished it without a hitch, and now they are somehow managing the final most complicated stage of design during a world wide pandemic.

They've provided us with equally, stunningly rich design for both our homes while maintaining our family design requirements and space needs. A real testament to the architects’ design skill and their commitment to originality. Given the amount of time we've worked together in these two projects, we've become friends through the process and even occasionally play some strategy games online together. That's special.

Diane O.

Paul and his team are the model of professionalism, honesty, and creativity. Finding an architect who clearly, patiently listens and can then make a rough idea a reality was already a gift.

But there is the equally important other side to the coin: Anyone who believes that even a small construction project will be hassle-free, is misguided. The reality is that between your budget and the completed design, there are innumerable supply chains, middle-men, (necessary) building codes, and then the dozens of workers needed to try to pull it all together.

Kariouk Architects not only got me to the finish line, they got me there protecting my interests at every step. If you are seeking to work with an extremely original, gifted intellect, with profound integrity, hire Paul.

jeff d

When I approached Kariouk Architects about creating a home for me in the Niagara area, I thought it was a long shot given they were in Ottawa. It turns out that was not a challenge at all and, further, I found out really fast, as they got me to think beyond “starter home” thinking, that Kariouk Architects thrive on challenges. There were many issues that they had to deal with as we moved from design to construction, such as dealing with local zoning bylaws and the fact that Bower House (their own playful name for the design we developed) didn’t exactly fit into those local codes (or match much else in my area ?). But every architectural and construction issue was handled extremely professionally and with a great attitude. The guys of this office are as smart as they are sincere, and they are just nice guys, which all counts for a lot when you’re building a home and making such a big personal and emotional investment.

Thanks Kariouk Architects!

Jeff

Gilbert Freynet

We've had the opportunity to work with Paul and Chris on two projects, and we wholeheartedly give our two thumbs up for them!
The first was a modernization project to update the exterior of our condo corporation dating from the 80s, that transformed the rather dowdy exterior into a smart, contemporary and fabulous looking one. The whole experience of working on this extensive project with the Kariouk team was a great experience. From the initial consultations with the stakeholders, to the completion of the wonderful transformation, we were impressed with their professionalism and their ability to work with the different groups of people involved and all the challenges that this presents.
Responding to questions and concerns with sure handed competence, using excellent visual back-up, working together as a team with the engineers, the board and owners, they managed to get all of the stakeholders on board and itching to set sail.

The second project was to follow a few years after our Condo modernization. We hired Paul and Chris for a more modest, but equally impressive interior transformation of our condo. We added a washroom and renovated the other, and reconfigured the top floor where the bedrooms are situated. Again, Kariouk, together with their excellent contractor, worked their magic, making what at first seemed unlikely into reality...with style!
Paul's generous spirit and creative energy made the experience a satisfying and collaborative one. Most of the pressure and stress was lifted away from us, as he was able to help us focus and to choose the various components that can often be overwhelming in these projects.

We love our home now...Inside and out!

Marwan and Gilbert

Sanchez Homes

We are a professional Project Management firm that builds custom homes in Ottawa. We had the pleasure of working with Kariouk Architects and enjoyed the experience immensely.

From the very beginning we were impressed with their high level of professionalism, knowledge, creativity, attention to detail and the level of pride they have in their work.

Kariouk Architects’ cooperation, availability and communication made the building process from zoning/permit drawings to completion a fluid exercise for our team.

Paul is a kind and intelligent architect, his innovative and unique architectural designs are impressive to say the least. Chris is an amazing problem solver with a unique set of design ideas. Their entire team has a broad sense of knowledge, experience, excellent communication skills and customer service to offer their clientele. They are honest, hardworking, supportive, and consistently on time.

If you are looking for an architect to design your dream home, we would highly recommend Kariouk Architects.