Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michelle Vassallo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Michelle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Please tell us about starting your own firm and if you’d do anything different knowing what you know now.

I spent many years working for a well known firm in Georgetown on high end homes and over time worked my way up the ranks. After many years I realized I had gained as much from the firm as there was to offer, I had to decide whether their transition plan was right for me or if it made sense for me to go out on my own. I had several conversations with well respected colleagues in the field (contractors and architects) and with clients. All of them consistently told me they thought I had what it would take to start my own firm and that this option seemed to be a better trajectory for me.

Being a young family with three children that depended on dual income, I started to build my business on nights and weekends while working a full-time job during the day for a large firm. I did this until I had enough work to leave my full-time job. This was probably the most challenging and exhausting part of establishing my own firm.

The second most challenging part has been being a female in this industry. The construction industry is very much still a boys club. It is more often than not that the contractors are male, the lead architect is male, the consultants are male. It feels like women still have to prove that they can be as good as the men. I find it always a welcome surprise when clients come to me because they are specifically looking for a female architect or a female owned company. I have had 5-10 projects that came to me specifically for that reason.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

We are an 8 person firm located in NW DC. Our focus is single family residential but we are beginning to do some commercial work as well.

I studied architecture in undergrad at Miami University of Ohio and moved to DC for architecture graduate school at The Catholic University of America.

My focus is single family residential work although we are starting to get involved in more commercial projects. I have worked on residential projects with a large range in costs, the largest being a $25 million renovation. I have also done some commercial work including several schools, civic buildings, restaurants, multi-family, affordable housing and some of the new construction at the DC Wharf.

I really enjoy the social part of working on single-family homes, getting to know clients and how they use their home.
Solving problems that would allow them to enjoy their homes more and create memories for years to come. By the time a project is complete we have become good friends.

An advantage to working in single family residential is that the relationship with contractors becomes more of a collaboration which leads to a better end product with every build. I also really enjoy mentoring younger staff.

My experience, having worked on high end single family homes, has taught me to provide a higher level of service to the clients. It also has allowed me to experience a wide range of issues that might come up on a construction site and how to properly manage them. Additionally I have had the opportunity to work with true craftsmen in the field. With this past experience I have been able to provide a higher level of service to my clients than other firms might provide.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients has been our past clients. I feel a firm’s reputation is the most important marketing one can provide. Most of our projects come through word of mouth because someone had a good experience working with us.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I feel that you have to treat your staff with as much respect as you would treat your client. If your team collaborates well and feels appreciated then coming to work each day is fun.

Contact Info:

• Website: mvarchitects.com
• Instagram: @mv.architects
• Facebook: MV Architects, LLC
• Linkedin: MV Architect, LLC
• Other: 202-489-1103

Image Credits
Laura metzler and Jenn Verrier Photography