Echt Architects

Andrew Etter, 44, and Kortnee Gonzalez, 33

8437 Tuttle Ave., Suite 355, Sarasota

Both originally northern transplants, architects Andrew Etter and Kortnee Gonzalez founded their firm, Echt Architects, in 2016. To this day, they're the ones who “answer the phone,” Gonzalez says, despite the high-profile projects they’ve completed—like En Pointe on Golden Gate Point.

The breadth of their work shows a fluid versatility. In their portfolio, you’ll see pivots between contemporary chic and rustic cottages, condos and single-family homes, and ground-up construction and respectful renovations like this one, a 1964 home designed by Sarasota School of Architecture’s Jack West.

Originally from Connecticut, for 11 years Etter worked with renowned architect Richard Landry in Los Angeles, Japan, the Middle East and across the United States. 

By the time Gonzalez was 26, she was a licensed architect and, with Etter, co-founded Echt-Architects, placing her among the youngest local women architects to reach that status locally. Growing up in a small town in Maine, her career choice wasn't common. She didn’t know any architects, and there wasn’t an accredited architecture school in the state when she started her college search. Once she graduated, she applied to architectural firms across the country and landed in Sarasota.

How would you describe your style?

"We start with the client’s style and cultivate that," Etter says. "We're not trying to make a particular statement. That’s a huge reason why we get hired—because [clients] want to be listened to. They don’t hire us because they want their homes to be noticed as being designed by the architect they’re working with; they want us to build them the best custom home to exceed their expectations. Our response to our clients is the true measure of our success.” 

"We love investigating all kinds of styles and we love it when clients come to us with unique designs," Gonzalez says. "It would be a mistake to pigeonhole ourselves into one style and cut out great clients we could work with. It's pretty rare that a client will say, 'I want this exact style.' Usually they have photos and ideas, and it's our job to figure out what suits them the best. So we start with them, and it has brought us projects we enjoy." 

Have your ages ever gotten in the way of success?

“I think maybe one time we didn't get a job due to age," Gonzalez recalls, "but I think that that falls more into commercial job; we focus mainly on residential. We both have families and young kids. We're the age of many of our clients and think about things that may not have occurred to them. Not many architects have young kids. A criticism I've heard from clients who have hired a name rather than the best choice for them is that they don't resonate with the same things."

 What trends are you seeing in the industry?

“More family homes, almost exclusively," Etter says. "Even if the kids are out of the house and in college or are grown up and have their own families, clients are planning for grandchildren. There are more primary bedrooms, with a space for a work desk. They're thinking about how everyone will gather and they want to make it comfortable; a place for the whole family. They don’t want their kids staying in a hotel.”

"We're also seeing more the addition of more butler pantries, a show kitchen in front and a clean-up kitchen in the back, where appliances are hidden," he says.

“It’s pandemic-induced," Gonzalez says. "I think there might have been more social pressure to have a smaller footprint pre-pandemic, but that’s no longer the discussion."

Another trend among younger firms and architects? A tighter industry community.

"We're a supportive group of people and we'll send each other work," she says. "We work on our own success, but also share that with others on a similar path."