CMSA | SCHOLZ | OSWALD | SHAFFER
Client Testimonials

At CMSA Architects, client testimonials play a pivotal role in affirming our commitment to excellence in architectural endeavors throughout Florida, with a special focus on Southwest Florida, including Sarasota and Venice. As a local architect near you, we understand the significance of client feedback in establishing our reputation. These testimonials, reflective of our architectural prowess, serve as a testament to our dedication to delivering exceptional architectural solutions. Clients seeking architects near me benefit from the firsthand experiences shared by others, which highlight our innovative designs and unique approach to architectural projects. As we continue to shape captivating spaces in Southwest Florida’s architectural landscape, client testimonials inspire and drive us forward in our pursuit of architectural excellence.

Our house did great! Not a scratch! Just yard debris. Great design & construction!

— Jeff S.

Thank you CMSA for designing a FORTRESS  of a house on the water that not only withstood two hurricanes, but came through the storm like a champ.  Everything worked as planned.  Your partnerships with Jackson and Associates and Hazeltine Nurseries ensured that it was built incredibly solid and to your design and the drainage/landscaping was effectively integrated to ensure it could withstand a 100 year storm.  We are very grateful for your guidance through the building process and post construction.

— Jennifer P.

We were personally very pleased with the Architecture and outcome of our new home. Cliff is a great team player and clearly understood our project and mission.

— Walter & Marilyn

We still love our home and want to express our gratitude to you for making it “our perfect beach house”! I can not believe you designed it over 15 years ago. It withstood Ian’s wrath and six grandchildren beautifully and continues to receive compliments all the time! Phil and I feel most fortunate to have had you as our architect! You made the process easy and fun for me!

— J & P

We enjoyed working with Cliff Scholz and his company. In the design process Cliff listened to our ideas and what we wanted to achieve. He was very attentive to making sure the house we envisioned is what we got. Cliff was very good at problem solving and his staff were very efficient and accessible. We would highly recommend Cliff as an architect and we would certainly use him for any other projects we may have in the future.

— Jim & Carolyn

Rick Oswald is our “Go To” architect since we moved to this area. Janet spend 2 1/2 years interviewing for our major remodel. We were introduced to Rick who helped us design what we wanted and make it fit into our budget. We had confidence in Rick. He has a collaborative approach to design and years of actual construction expertise that play out in the design and engineering – and they stand the test of time. Rick is the BEST in Southwest Florida.

— Mike & Janet

Colleen and I both have enjoyed this process. It has been so enlightening and exciting for us. Not only have we worked to develop an amazing home, but feel we have gained a new perspective on design. You have been patient and kind with us. You have given us dates and met them. We appreciate your professionalism. Once again, we are very grateful for all your work. If you have any perspective clients, I’d be happy to sing your praises.

— Todd & Colleen

We consider Rick a part of Hughes Design because it would be difficult to do the quality of work expected by our clients without him. Rick’s background as a contractor, developer and architect makes him extremely knowledgeable. Rick keeps up with the latest in construction techniques and products. He truly cares about his work and has great ideas! He is an excellent designer and is extremely creative. But most of all, you can trust Rick, which I believe is #1 on the list of attributes. We value Rick, and we don’t like to use anyone but Rick on our projects. We recommend him highly.

— Pamela Hughes, Interior Designer

We are extremely delighted to have been introduced to Cliff Scholz in the Fall of 2021 to consult on the design of our new home. We have had several timely and open discussions with him during our design process and feel he is a wonderful listener and communicator and has been most respectful of our input during our sessions with him. His willingness to be “all hands on deck”has certainly helped us navigate this project successfully and we feel most confident that the remainder of the process will continue in this manner. We are grateful for Cliff’s professionalism and his keen interest in the successful execution of designing our home. We feel most fortunate for the opportunity to work so closely with a very talented and engaging architect.

— Ruth & Tom

We first heard of what a creative architect Cliff Scholz was from our builder, Mike Collingwood. We decided to give him a try designing our house at Norsota Way. It was an amazing house. We then bought the property on Flamingo Avenue and we wanted a completely different look than we had ever done before. Cliff immediately got the concept and today it is one of the premier properties in Sarasota. We continued to work with Cliff designing houses at Bayou Louise, Mourning Dove, and Hillview. In addition to designing the houses, Cliff has a unique talent of locating the houses on the property to give the best views and the best sunlight. He worked very closely with our landscape architects and has developed great relationships with the county and city building departments. Working with Cliff is never about what “he” wanted; it was how he could make what “we” wanted even better. He has a great sense of humor and is a pleasure to work with. Of course, the proof is in the incredible end-product.

— Mickey & Brooke

When we began to plan for our new home in Sarasota, we asked a trusted realtor friend to recommend an architect. She told us that Cliff Scholz was “the best”! From our first meeting with Cliff, we knew we were in good hands. He showed his impressive portfolio as well as arranging for us to see several of the homes he had designed. We felt a strong connection to the beautiful and welcoming style of these homes, and we chose CMSA to create the home of our dreams. Tony and I live most of the year in California, and although we traveled to Sarasota as often as possible during the design and construction process, we were not always there to make the many critical decisions that are part of creating and building a home. We need not have worried. The CMSA team was on top of every detail and handled any question or problem quickly and efficiently. The end result was a beautiful and unique home that truly reflected the talent and creativity of Cliff Scholz and Susan Hritz Scholz, both of whom were great to work with. And the whole project was fun! Thank you, CMSA.

— R.M.

Since the first time we met Clifford Scholz in the early 1990s, CMSA has been our ONLY choice of architectural firms to design for us since we moved to the west coast of Florida. Cliff has an acute sense of what his clients want, matched with an in depth understanding and the creativity required for the design process as well as a great talent of how to balance all of the ingredients necessary to create a great home. CMSA has designed 3 homes for us since Cliff has taken his first site tour with us, and not only has his firm done an incredible performance on all 3 designs, he and his staff take the time to listen to what we were looking for and somehow end up with the perfect design on paper. We will continue to work with Cliff and his staff on any and all of our future projects, and would gladly recommend CMSA to anyone in need of their architectural and design talents and skills.

— Michael & Deborah

We selected CMSA because we were initially impressed with CMSA’s work but upon meeting Cliff we liked him immediately and felt that he would be very capable of helping us to realize our vision. Cliff had a very nice manner about him- he listened and never imposed his ideas on ours but worked with us to make our ideas better. He was enthusiastic and had great suggestions and creativity. The members of the CMSA team were very professional and efficient to work with. We particularly enjoyed getting to know Cliff as a person and not just as our architect. We achieved the result we wanted. We have a beautiful home that is exactly or even better than we envisioned. We built on the ocean which comes with a lot permitting issues but the team made it all flow smoothly. They helped us through a very difficult process always working towards the end goal in a timely fashion. Working with Cliff and his team made the process relatively easy enjoyable. We can highly recommend CMSA.

— C.K.

Clifford M. Scholz Architects (CMSA) led by Clifford Scholz AIA has been providing our family with architectural services on our waterfront home since 2002. In that time frame Cliff has designed seven major renovations to our home to keep it at the premier level of any home in our area on the West Coast of Florida. Each renovation has been thought out completely as to form and function. We could not be more pleased with our professional association and long-term friendship with Cliff and his firm.

— Bill & Christine

One of Cliff’s great attributes is as a listener. My wife and I sat down with him for a couple of hours and told him what we wanted. He asked thoughtful questions and a few days later his creative talents had — on paper — exactly what we had envisioned. CMSA is thoughtful, thorough, creative and a great partner. Our home is their home!

— Joel & Diane

We chose CMSA from touring houses that had been designed by Cliff and appreciated the quality. CMSA was highly referred to us by builders in the area who we respected their opinion. We had a great experience with the CMSA group, enjoyed working with them, and are very pleased with the end result. We would definitely recommend them and would work with them again on future projects.

— Bill & Eleanor

Cathy and I had a great experience working with Rick throughout all phases of our project. Rick spent time helping us define our idea of our perfect home and then guided us through the planning, design, construction and finish . We recommend Rick to anyone wanted to build their dream home.

— Paul & Cathy