David R. Smith Design Inc.

I am not quite sure where to start, because there are so many fantastic things to say about David. Many of those things have been said. Repeatedly. And I will say them all over again.......David is an amazing resource, sounding board, draftsperson, and designer. And, he is actually a really great guy to boot!

In the late summer of 2014 we purchased a new home and knew that we would be doing an extensive renovation. We met with 2 other designer/drafting companies prior to meeting with David, both recommended by our contractor. One was very technical and seemed primarily focused upon doing the basics - getting our project drafted out - but did not seem very interested or capable in providing design advice. The other was very design oriented, but without much substance and very expensive! Because we were not happy with the people we had met, we took to our own research and in that process, we came across the many amazing reviews of David and his work. Given the reviews, I called him out of the blue and we never looked back. In the first conversation, his passion for and knowledge of home renovations came across loud and clear.....for instance, he raised a number of practical issues that he wanted us to be aware of with a project of our size (a 3000sq foot total gut job) - and he had no obligation to do so. This was a cold call, where I simply asked a number of questions - some pedestrian, some detailed, and he took the time to answer those questions without reservation. I knew right then and there, we would have a great working relationship.

We were not disappointed. David was charged with drafting plans for our existing house structure and for forecasting our renovation plans - it is a 3 floor house plus a basement - this was not a small project. At all times David encouraged a very open relationship where he invited us to provide him with as many pictures, ideas, and comments about our wish list as possible so that he could understand our design aesthetic in order to create a house that reflected our needs and wants. While he was very positive and encouraging in that way, he was also never shy to politely advise us when something in our wish list was impractical in terms of space or expense.

I could honestly go on and on. Bottom line, the reviews are true. If I could highlight anything, I would say that he really is as good as everyone says he is. But even more, his attitude, his initiative (especially in dealing with the City and the permit process), his openness to questions, to making revisions, and to be involved even after his formal role is complete, are attributes that made all the difference for us. In this day and age, where everyone is renovating everything - be it big or small, there are people out there who are happy to cash in on the movement - some of them may know what they are doing and some of them may not. For us, we were so happy to have found someone with David's expertise, creativity and down to earth personality. Full Stop. But there was a bonus......his fees were more than reasonable and were less than the other quotes we received. In fact, given his attention to detail and level of service and response, I really feel as though we lucked out. He did not try to take advantage of us by including any surprise costs - at the end of the project we paid for what he quoted at the start of the project. Refreshing!

We would highly recommend David for any renovation project. He is the real deal and we will certainly be recommending him to our friends and family.

A heartfelt thank you David. Not only did you make this project easier to navigate and understand, you helped us achieve a really great lay-out that we are sure will work with our growing family for many years to come!!!

Cheers!

We were in need of doing some major renovations and found David from HomeStars. We had 3 quotes and David stood out from the rest in several areas.

Responsiveness - We realize that David is very busy. But he somehow seems to be able to pick up our phone calls almost every time when we call him with questions. And even when he is tied up, he would still pick up his phone and advise us that he would call us back. Even now when his services are completed, I feel like when I have questions, I can still call David and David would still try to help out. Knowledge - David knew the answers to all my questions. And in many cases, his answers where above and beyond what I expected the answer to be. David also has a wealth of construction knowledge which makes him more effective in planning out a design. Cost - David's services were the most cost effective when compared to 2 other companies. His quotes were accurate with no additional surprises and "gotchas". David was willing to do multiple revisions on our design plans with no additional cost while other competitors were not willing to do the same. David was also attentive to our needs. He simply did not create something that he himself personally liked. Instead, he created a design that he felt would meet our requirements after understanding what was important to us. I certainly recommend his services to others without hesitation.

We first contacted David almost a year ago to help us better understand our options with regard to better using our existing space. It has been an excellent experience. We reached out to him in need of a quick roof repair permit, and were thrilled to discover through our work with him that his advice and expertise are so much broader than expected. He led us through a process of articulating our needs and exploring options, and repeatedly surprised us by presenting ideas we would never have identified or considered without his coaching. When we encountered snags - the kind that are inevitable when dealing with a 100 year-old home - during the transition from the drawing/permit stage to actual construction, David did not abandon us! Throughout, he encouraged us to ask the silly questions, and has been more than willing to make modifications as needed. We would not hesitate to recommend David Smith to our family and friends.

We met David socially at a time when we were investigating having the basement of our century old east york home lowered. We found him to be knowledgeable, competent, and efficient throughout the process. He was patient with our questions and attentive to our concerns and we are very satisfied with our dealings with him.

We hired David to develop architectural drawings for our new back deck and help us steer our way through the City of Toronto's Building Permit and Committee of Adjustment process. Throughout the entire process, David was proactive, creative, thorough and always there to answer our myriad of questions. He really knows what he's doing, and helps take the stress out of the process.

Taking on a huge project like completely rebuilding your home can be overwhelming but David made the process so easy. He not only has an amazing ability to create something fabulous but also to deal with the ridiculous government bureaucracy allowing his clients to relax and maintain sanity that would otherwise be tested greatly.

I really doubted I'd deal with someone who I both liked and trusted, but I found both in David.

David was very thorough with our construction project and we were kept well informed each step of the way leading up to the city permits. He listened to what we wanted and constructed a 3D model showing what the final project would look like once completed. He was always quick to reply by phone or e-mail whenever you had a question to ask and had time to listen to each idea we had. I would recommend David to anyone who requires permit drawings or architectural design for their home.

David's approach is just like his motto: honest and relaxed.

His honesty included realistic timelines and some great recommendations on how to save money.

Although David was very laid back, he was also very thorough, meticulous, professional and lightning quick with follow ups. There was a perfect balance between sense of urgency and a relaxed and pleasant manner.

In addition, David was knowledgeable about zoning bi-laws, construction and home renovations. He was the perfect designer!

David is a completely professional and highly proficient designer. From initial contact through to the approval and delivery of our building permit, we have been continually impressed with his attention to detail and ability to stay on top of our project. He listened carefully to our requirements and designed a garage that reflected everything we asked for while keeping within our budget. We will gladly hire him again!

David did an excellent job designing our home and guiding us through the permit process. He is smart, professional and reasonably priced. If you're in the market for a renovation or new home, you can do no better than David R. Smith Design. Really.