REVIEWS

"You blew all those architects stereotypes right out of the water 😊. Flexible, personable, and reasonable... If you want a modern and efficient home or building designed, I highly recommend Meldrum Design. My experience in creating a highly efficient and stylistic building for my agency was a pleasant and cost-effective process with a terrific end result. Highly recommend."

DARRYL WOOD
Executive Director, LEAP Inc.

"Ashley of Meldrum Design helped us expand our home at Sugarloaf. This included a second floor addition w/2 bedrooms, full bath, & loft extension. We also added a two car garage with a finished apartment above. The main floor kitchen was completely demo'd and replaced with Ashley's new floor plans and color schemes. Ashley was wonderful to work with and her project management skills and communication skills are terrific! She also proved to be of great value to our construction contractor as her design and drawing plans were very detailed and complete. We would highly recommend Meldrum Design to our friends!"

JANE HARDER
Homeowner, Sugarloaf, ME

"Ashley was a gem to work with! She handled the red tape like a champ, worked her magic with the Fire Marshall's office and managed to come in on budget with very few hiccups. Her patience as we made numerous changes was unending. I highly recommend her and Meldrum Design!"

RENEE BLANCHET
Executive Director, Franklin County Children's Task Force

“I really loved working with you.  I found your processes to be very clear, so I knew what to expect from one meeting to the next.  You were very prompt in getting the design back to me for review and then were very quick to make changes.

I also really appreciated that you were experienced with the Western Maine area.  Your pricing was very realistic for what I was looking to spend.  I had spoken to one architect in the past and they estimated it would be $30-40,000 for a completed design—which to me, is just insanity.

The only thing I wish was different—I wish we were able to have a meeting in person!  But, due to the Covid time we were in at the time, that just was not a possible thing!  I do look forward to working with you in the future!!”

ASHLEY BROCHU
Developer and interior designer at The Maine Spruce House

"In a word…amazing. So cool to see the discussion come to life in your renderings and reimagining of the space... You would have seen a smile as I’m pointing at the screen with me nodding my head saying: ”Uh huh…yup…that’s cool…oh I never saw that coming…that’s a great use of the space…etc…” Great work, Ashley."

TOM BUTLER
VP of Skier Services, Sugarloaf, Maine

“Thanks so much for your work on this project! Love having you as “my architect”, and working with you is such a joy. Looking forward to all the projects to come!”

JESS CAPTANIS
Homeowner, Carlsbad, CA

“As far as I am concerned you have done a remarkable job & I can’t wait to see what the contractors are going to say once we can send this to them! Thank you so much for producing a very elegant home & not a huge white elephant! I am so thrilled with this! You do fine work! I know that our new home will surely be on display as everyone in Industry will go by it each day.”

CONNIE DURRELL
Homeowner, Industry, ME

“I am so glad that I saw Ashley’s FB post for a free initial consultation awhile back! She was able to design our complicated cellar renovation to include everything that we wanted AND stay in our budget. Communication by emails, texts and video conferences were simple and effective. Ashley is very professional and personable and we highly recommend Meldrum Design to others.”

CAROLYN SANDS EATON
Homeowner, Orono, ME

"Ashley Hopwood Farrar of Meldrum Design is a talented architect and designer who is also an excellent communicator and extremely well organized, which makes her a joy to work within my role as an Owner’s Rep.

Over the last 20 years, I have worked with many interior designers and architects in my role of managing residential construction projects. Typically designers and architects can be the most challenging because most creatives are not well organized or good communicators.

Ashley shatters that model as she is an extremely good communicator (check out her blog for a prime example), very responsive and exceptionally organized.

I am working with Ashley on a very challenging project with several people dropping the balls while Ashley is helping me to keep everything running smoothly. Her finish selection sheet is so well organized and detailed that I give it to my homeowner clients as an example of what they should expect from their interior designer.

If you are looking for a designer that is creative yet detailed, thorough yet efficient, impactful yet cost-effective, Ashley should be your top choice."

ED EARL
Project Manager, San Diego, CA

“Couldn't be happier with everything! Ashley designed and helped us navigate a whole- house renovation to include vaulting a ceiling and moving a couple walls. Her knowledge and professionalism are top notch.

Plus she's one of the nicest most genuine people you'll ever meet."

SARA DASSO
Homeowner, New Braunfels, TX

“Ashley and I were brought together by a kitchen & dining room remodel in University City. Often the combination of design-builder and designer breeds a power struggle that is hard to manage as differences in design, construction, and management styles clash. In this case, Ashley and I started working together like we had been successful partners for years.

Ashley is a designer who puts the customer first and works as a team with all parties. A designer like that is very hard to find. Experience and a style beyond their vision are what clients pay for. Ashley has this in spades along with the practical knowledge of construction that makes her invaluable to the contractor. I typically have to spend a lot of time changing a designer’s drawings so it can be built. Ashley was always a step ahead of me, she made my job easy. 

Ashley is a diamond in the rough kind of designer. I look forward to our next project.”

KERRY TAYLOR
Contractor, San Diego, CA

“Ashley is easy to communicate with and she has an excellent understanding of the structural elements of a renovation. She is an excellent liaison to the general contractor.

We hired Ashley to redesign our kitchen, and she created a design that made the best use of space and hewed to the midcentury style of the rest of the house. She led us through the most confusing parts of the process, like finding us a structural engineer and getting our project properly permitted. 

It’s great to work with someone who has an eye for design but also has the expertise and experience to handle the “unsexy side” of renovation at the same time. 

Ashley was also very good at working within our budget. She understood our priorities and “must-haves,” then helped us figure out where to spend and where we could save.”

MAGGIE FRANK-HSU
Homeowner, San Diego, CA

“[Ashley is a] very good, detailed oriented Architect. She works well with my clients and is very responsive. I would recommend her to anyone looking for Architectural services.”

MATT SLAUGHTER
Contractor, New Braunfels, TX

“We hired Ashley to help open up wasted space to become a fabulous living room. She was so easy to work with, professional and came up with wonderful ideas and solutions to every problem we encountered. We ended up with a stunning living room with a disappearing wall that has become the focal point of our home. She also helped us gut and redo a very cramped bathroom. It’s still small but now fully functioning, modern and not cramped.

I would highly recommend Ashley for any project.”

LISA PRIOR
Homeowner, San Diego, CA

“Ashley of Meldrum Design successfully helped me out of a really difficult situation with the City of San Diego. I found myself the owner of a business where some of the rooms on the premises were not permitted. This was terrifying as the State was threatening to close us down. After calling Ashley things became a lot easier. 

She explained the ways in which it could be resolved. Understanding the urgency of the situation Ashley started working on this difficult case immediately. She explained her charges and everything was clear from the outset. What impressed me most was that Ashley did this in a very short period of time. 

At this stage, thanks to Ashley, my business is up and running and I have no hesitation in continuing to recommend her. Thank you Meldrum Design. Great service!!!”

AL BAJRAMOVIC
Business Owner, San Diego, CA

“As a single guy venturing into my first go at home ownership, I was quickly overcome with all the decisions that needed to be made. The problem is I’m an engineer and I tend to overthink designs. Ashley stopped by after work one evening to go over my ideas. She gave me candid feedback with regards to realistic timelines and costs but also offered some ideas for how to save a few dollars.

After that first meeting, she sent me design ideas as well as a nice CAD layout that served as the blueprint all the way to the end of the project. With the CAD drawing, I was easily able to obtain quotes from contractors. I could also accurately quote materials for any work I was doing myself… which was most of it.

Finally, after 2 years, thousands of dollars, countless late nights, missed weekends, and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, the project was complete. I stuck to Ashley’s plan as the Rosetta Stone guiding the project. During a recent refinance, post project, it appraised for $120k more than before the remodel.

I can’t thank Ashley enough for her guidance. She helped me cement my plan when I was floundering. She got me moving forward with confidence. Without her expertise, I undoubtedly would still be spinning my wheels.

Thanks, Ashley!!”

BLAIR ZOOK
DIY Homeowner, San Diego, CA

"I had a great experience working with Meldrum Design on a trailhead building for a mountain bike trail network. Ashley readily took my ideas and concept and morphed them into a real, working space. Her knowledgeable suggestions and advice were valuable to the design process, and led to an awesome finished product!

Ashley is easy to work with and the process and product were very professional. Much appreciated!"

SPENCER LEE
Bike Park Owner, Kingfield, ME

“It has been a pleasure working with Ashley on several projects. She is prompt and timely. Her attention to detail makes plan reviews at City of San Diego, and other jurisdictions, very easy for the plans examiners. This makes a good first impression of Meldrum Design and of me with the people doing the reviews.

Additionally, Ashley is gracious and generous. She always has time for me.

I know I can count on Ashley and Meldrum Design.

PETER KLEIN
Permit Expediter, San Diego, CA