When we lost our house in the Woolsey fire I knew we had to move quickly. We would be competing against hundreds of other home owners for materials, contractors, skilled workers. I knew NOTHING about building a home. And we would be at the mercy of a City infamous for planning log-jams and red tape. So we hired the guy who literally wrote the book on building in Malibu. Hiring Lester was our first and probably smartest decision. He took our ideas and gave them an architectural reality check, and incorporated our suggestions whenever he could. When friends ask me how we got back into our house so fast when everyone else was floundering, I tell them, "Because I hired the best f*****g architect in Malibu!”

- John Watkins

 The home that Lester designed for us on the beach in Malibu is, without a doubt, the best home on Malibu Road. It is fantastic on so many levels, from the one-of-kind style to the way we move through the house (including the rooftop terrace!) to the dynamic spaces and the complicated de- tailing that were built without problems. I am fas- cinated at what he created for us!

- Jeff Kerr

 I have been involved with Lester for years on private residences for my family, development projects built on spec, and bringing his invention (the shelf shark) to market. The fact that I have worked with him on several projects over the years is testament to his talent and integrity.

- Bill Chadwick

I am a "hands on" individual that spends a lot of timing educating myself on whatever is going on in my life at the time. When we found ourselves building a new house with Lester as our architect, I became a fixture at his office, the building de- partment, and the job site. Lester and the team at Tobias Architecture were as accommodating as anyone could have ever been. I was always wel- come to drop by the office with changes that would be immediately integrated into the plans. I could call or text at any time to ask questions, bounce ideas, check bids, and Lester would always make the time to hear me out and either run with the idea or tell my why it wouldn't work. Tobias Architecture really afforded me the oppor- tunity to play a major role in the design and con-struction of my home.

- Dana Christiaansen

Despite the extensive design work that Lester and his staff generated and presented to us on our rather complicated new home on a canyon edge in Malibu, I literally had no idea what my house was going to look like. I literally had no idea what my house would "be" like. Now that it has been completed and we are living in it I totally get it and it is fantastic! I am so pleased and impressed with the process and the people at Tobias Architecture and am so glad that I trusted him.

- Melanie Goudzwaard

As a builder and developer in Malibu I have worked with all types of architects and designers. I have built all types of projects in all types of environments. I can say without equivocation that my experience working with Lester was the best design and construction experience I have ever had, and the home we built together is the best home I have ever built.

- Chuck Kloeris, Bu Built Construction

 I first built a home designed by Lester over 25 years ago. Since that time, we have built more projects together than I can remember. I will always find a way to work with Lester for several reasons, the two most important being that I love his designs and his experience and knowledge always gives me the confidence that, no matter what happens on a job, he and I will always figure it out and pull it off.

- Mike Grosswendt, All Coast Construction

 While our Malibu second home was not the first home that we built from scratch, it was the first that we had to build under the uncharted territory and pressure of the Woolsey Fire process, which was confusing, frustrating and frightening. Not only did Lester design us a fabulous home, but he took every bull that came our way by the horns and wrestled them all to the ground on our behalf. He fought our insurance company, the regulatory clusterf**k, and the Covid lockdowns to make sure that we ended up with a more beautiful home than we could have imagined.

- Lela Franco