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!