We came in with a binder of magazine clippings and a tight budget. Clara gave us a house that's smaller than we asked for and feels twice as big. We still don't know how she did it.
I.Vol. 17 · Autumn 2026 · Southern Oregon
We design houses that fit the way you actually live.
A small architecture practice for homes, additions and light-commercial buildings too personal for a plan book and too small for a big firm.
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II.The Feature
An architect who actually draws your project.
Most of our clients call twice: once to ask if their idea is even possible, and again when they're ready to start. Both times they get one of the two principals, not an intern or a sales coordinator. There is no hand-off between a designer who meets you and a drafter you never see. It is one studio, one set of drawings, and one person who knows the whole project.
The gap we fill is simple. Your project is too personal for a stock plan, and too small for a large firm to give it real attention. That describes most homes and small buildings in Southern Oregon. We fix our fee in writing before design starts, keep the drawings clear enough that a builder can price them without guessing, and leave you with a building that still makes sense in twenty years.
"Call with a question and you get Clara or Sam — not a coordinator reading from a file."From the client letters
The hardest problems rarely need more square footage. The kitchen that feels dark and cramped is usually one wall in the wrong place and a window facing the wrong way. The addition that looks impossibly expensive is usually a smaller room, built well, in the right spot. The energy "upgrade" is usually insulation, air sealing, shading and good windows — and a list of what matters, in plain English.
Our job is to draw that list, price it with your builder, and then see it built, so you can get back to living in it.
III.How to reach us
Send us a sketch.
Most projects start with a phone photo of a floor plan or a napkin drawing. The principal who will design it replies, usually the same day.
Sam, Hollis & Wren(541) 555-0187
Hi Sam, our builder says the kitchen wall is load-bearing. Is the open plan dead?
Not at all. Send me a photo from the crawlspace.
Easy fix. A flush beam and two posts carry it. I'll mark up the plans and send them to your engineer today.
Huge relief. Thank you!
Example of a typical question, answered same day
IV.Table of contents · services
Every stage of a building, drawn, permitted and seen through.
S/01New homesCustom houses designed around the site, the light and the way you live.p. 10
S/02Remodels & additionsKitchens, second stories and rooms you keep meaning to fix. Fee in writing first.p. 14
S/03Accessory dwellingsBackyard cottages and garage apartments, drawn to pass review the first time.p. 18
S/04Light commercialSmall offices, shops, tasting rooms and clinics under about 10,000 sq ft.p. 24
S/05Energy & passive designOrientation, shading and envelope details that cut bills before any equipment.p. 30
S/06Permits & codeDrawings, zoning research and plan-review responses, handled for you.p. 34
S/07Construction supportSite visits, builder questions and change orders, so the drawings get built.p. 40
S/08Free site walkNot sure what's possible? We walk the property and tell you straight.p. 48
V.Figures
By the numbers.
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In practice together
Clara Hollis and Sam Wren opened the studio in 2009.
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Projects built
Homes, additions and small buildings, most within an hour of the studio.
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Architects in the studio
Two principals and one project architect. No hand-offs.
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Permits approved first round
Across the last five years of residential submittals.
VI.Letters
Letters from clients.
Sam answered every one of our builder's questions within a day, usually with a sketch. Our remodel finished three weeks early, which nobody on our street believes.
They designed our tasting room around one view of the valley, and it's the first thing every guest photographs. The permit went through on the first review.
VII.Common questions
Clients ask.
How much does an architect cost?
For most homes our fee is fixed in writing before design starts, usually 8 to 12% of construction cost. Small projects are billed hourly with a cap.
Do we need an architect for a remodel?
Not always. If you're moving walls, adding space or changing the roofline, it usually pays for itself. We'll tell you if it doesn't.
Do you work outside Southern Oregon?
Yes, across Oregon and Northern California. Most meetings happen on video, with site visits at the moments that matter.
We already have a builder. Can you work with them?
Yes. We like bringing your builder in early, so the design gets priced as it's drawn.
VIII.Fin
Not sure what's possible?
Book a free site walk. In about an hour we look at your property, your wish list and your budget, then send a one-page, plain-English note on what's possible and roughly what it costs.
Demo site. Hollis & Wren Architects is a fictional business; names, reviews and figures are illustrative.