Approved Pro
O'Brien Custom Home Designs
Architectural Service, General Remodeling, Interior Design and Decorating,
About us
Custom Home Designs - Award Winning Firm since 1953. While we NO longer build, we continue to design Custom Homes, Remodels and Additions, Barndominiums. 3-D renderings of inside and outside elevations. Video walk-thru available. Multable Awards & Past President of Builders Association.
Business highlights
72 years of experience
Services we offer
Custom Home Designs. Free Site Evaluation and Concept Meetings. Design plans include 3-D renderings of both inside and outside elevations. Our Experience and passion produces Innovative - Ranch, Golf Course, Lake Front, Airpark & Resort Homes. Attention to detail and accuracy of plans aids in bidding, permitting, controlling cost and expediting construction.
Amenities
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- Check
Our recent projects
- 4
Assorted photos uploaded by O'Brien Custom Home Designs
- 3
20223-D RENDERINGS AND VIDEOS NEW FEATURE
- 2
2024Ranch house 2024
Reviews
4.945 Reviews
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
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| 96% | ||
| 2% | ||
| 2% | ||
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Filter reviews by service
Showing 1-25 of 45 reviews
Shama A.
Sep 2024
Architectural Service
We had an amazing experience with Dave...we needed architectural drawings ASAP and found him via an Angi's inquiry. He got in touch right away, we set up a mtg for the next day at the site, talked through what we needed in the drawings, and he turned it around in less than 48 hours! I can't thank him enough. The package was perfect, he was communicative and reasonable. I highly recommend and would definitely use him again in the future.
Jack P.
May 2024
Architectural Service
We used Dave to create a complete set of plans for a guest house we intend to build on our property. The house is to be fully wheelchair accessible. We were able to get an appointment quickly after our initial contact. He listened to our ideas and asked all the right questions to help bring our vision to life. He respected our ideas and gave thoughtful consideration to the unique features we are working to incorporate into the space. He gave us a fair quote, delivered the complete set of plans in a reasonable period of time, made adjustments based on our preferences and offered suggestions to make the home even more functional. He even made additional adjustments to the plan after the city required certain modifications and did not charge any additional fees. He was very easy to work with. We highly recommend Dave as an architect.
Abby
Oct 2023
Architectural Service
Dave drew up a mother-in-law suite addition for our home and it was a pleasure working with him. He was quick and efficient, while still being thorough and attentive to detail. He gave helpful advice while keeping in mind what our end goals were and never compromised what we truly wanted. Our final product is exactly what we needed and I am so grateful that we found O'Brien Custom Home Designs. I would recommend working with Dave to anyone in need of architectural plans!
Scott M.
Dec 2022
Architectural Service
Was referred to Dave by Hite Baldwin custom home builder who has used O’Brien homes multiple times. Upon meeting Dave we knew from the start that he would be the designer of our home. Dave detailed his work history and experience and shared a few projects that he was and had been involved with. The impression we received from Dave was just an honest and professional designer who would strive to exceed our expectations! Upon moving forward Dave said he would provide a concept drawing in 2-4 weeks and we received in a week! Dave was always polite and guided us in every step of the way and can not be anymore satisfied. Anyone looking and undecided whom to hire then give Dave a call and you will not find a more trustworthy, honest and just a great individual to work with.
Ivan G.
Jun 2022
Architectural Service, Interior Design and Decorating
Dave was a game changer for us. I had previously hired a different architect, who would miss deadlines and take multiple days to deliver the updates to the design. Now working with O'Brien Custom Home Designs it has been a 180-degree change. Dave delivers or beats his target delivery dates, provided a very sound plan for the home (he improved the previous architect's work) -- both exterior and interior look great for our lake home. I plant to hare O'Brien Custom Home Designs for my next project. I highly recommend.
Davita P.
Mar 2022
Architectural Service
We started working with Mr. O'Brien a few weeks backs for our first custom home building project. Working with the Mr. O'Brien is an absolute pleasure for so many reasons: His experience is unparalleled, he has an abundance of patience, he is highly professional and quickly developed a shared vision for the project with us. He listened to our ideas and worked on them develop a coherent design for the house to the vision we had in mind. We went through a few versions but Mr. O'Brien worked very efficiently through the process and in turning the drafts around. We were given personal attention and value the input and experience that has helped shape our end product. Thank you for all that you have done for us. You were the Big Starting block ").
Scott M.
Dec 2021
Interior Design and Decorating
Dave was absolutely great to work with. This is the first time for us to build a house. We met with Dave at our lot, which has quite a challenging slope, and immediately liked him. We gave him an idea of what kind of house we wanted and he ran with it. He has great ideas and imagination when starting from scratch. He was very patient with us as we made changes to the original plans. Even more important, he was straightforward when an idea of ours just couldn’t work and he explained why in layman’s terms. Likewise, he was forthright when comparing different ideas with cost in mind. When it was all said and done, we got fantastic plans for the exact house we wanted and we are very excited to see it completed. His price was very reasonable and more cost effective than a couple other designers we checked with. We HIGHLY recommend Dave O’Brien to anyone wanting to design/build a custom home.
Lori C.
May 2021
Architectural Service, General Remodeling + 1 more
Perfect! Incredible work!!
Cindy C.
Aug 2020
Architectural Service
Dave O'Brien is a DFW treasure. He has 50 years worth of experience as a builder and now lends that expertise in home remodeling and design. Beyond simply producing a set of architectual drawings describing what I wanted done, he saved me over $30,000 in repairs by suggesting smarter, more unified ways to approach the challenges associated with upgrading systems within my house. He was extremely patient with me, stayed in close contact throughout the process and made more than one special trip across town to meet with contractors. I strongly suggest that anyone looking for help navigating the challenges of a major remodeling project dconsider workign with Dave before deciding on a course of action.
Amanda C.
Apr 2020
Architectural Service
It could not have been better. Mr. O'Brien is a true gentleman! I appreciate his honesty and his attention to detail. He seemed to intuitively know exactly what we needed. He really listens. After our initial meeting, my husband and I sketched what we wanted. Without even seeing our modest design, Mr. O'Brien came back and his design was our dream layout! We only needed to change a couple of things, and Mr. O'Brien made me feel so comfortable about those changes. He was extemely positive and happy to walk through everything with me. He has my highest recommendation.
Jeffrey O.
Feb 2020
Architectural Service
It was an amazing experience. This guy is a pro!
Dale G.
Jan 2019
Architectural Service
Dave O’Brien designed our home addition with a 2nd story. He was so knowledgeable and had great ideas we hadn’t even considered. He listened to exactly what we wanted and created the perfect design so quickly. When it came time to find a builder, several contractors commented on the excellent, well thought out design with all the details they needed to complete the job. There is no doubt we hired the best person for the job. Looking forward to using him again in the future. Completely satisfied.
Sheila L.
Aug 2018
Architectural Service
We interviewed and hired O'Brien Custom Home Designs after a previous designer did not work out. I spoke with several of his past clients, who all raved about him. Dave is quite knowledgeable and shares his experienced opinion as necessary. He is very conscientious, professional, responsive, and thorough. Working with him was smooth and enjoyable. We would definitely hire him again and highly recommend him.
Pam H.
Feb 2018
Architectural Service
Dave did an exceptional job on designing my home. He was very professional and pleasant to work with. I highly recommend him for any design work you need done. You will not be disappointed.
Tom F.
Sep 2017
General Remodeling
It went well
Jacki S.
Jun 2017
Architectural Service, General Remodeling + 2 more
Wonderful, Dave met with us immediately and had our plans ready to go within 3 days. Dave is very professional and pleasant to work with. He worked with us at a difficult time with moving and cleaning out the house and trying to make a few upgrades as well. He helped us amend the plans a couple of time due to changes we wanted to make but he always did it pleasantly and immediately and have them ready to go again. He also helped a non-architect inclined person with services such as where to get the best deals on copies etc.
Joni L.
May 2017
Architectural Service
The pergola is completely built and is simply amazing. We couldn't have ask for a better person to design our pergola. He was very professional and easy to work with. I would highly recommend Dave O"Brien!
Carole E.
May 2017
Architectural Service
Dave was very punctual each time we met. He addressed our questions, concerns and ideas with interest and provided his professional opinions to help us in decision making. The quality of his plans is top notch and he made any changes and turned them around to us very quickly. He is professional but has a sense of humor and is interesting to talk to. We have received a set of plans that we are now ready to turn over to a contractor to start the bidding process. I believe that the quality and detail of the plans we are able to provide the contractor will minimize the amount of work required by the contractor to provide a bid and will maximize the accuracy of that bid. It was a pleasure to work with Dave O'Brien.
Jeremy S.
Oct 2016
Architectural Service, General Remodeling + 1 more
The understanding was that he would provide everything we needed to begin construction. We hired a firm in Dallas to survey our property so that Dave could begin his design. The survey cost $500. Dave's designs are detailed and easy to read/understand. Before we agreed to do business with him, Dave told us he expected to have to change the plans several times as that was typical. We told him up front that we had two different options we were considering and he told us he would produce both options for our contractors to quote. The plans came to us with the wrong address listed, not a big deal but worth noting because the city will not accept them like that. We ended up going with the cheaper build and had to tweak it a few times due to Garland's codes. Also, not a big deal but it was at this time that Dave started complaining about how much work he was having to do for us. The ultimate complaint, and the reason why I will not use or recommend Dave's services came after we FINALLY submitted the plans to The City of Garland. They told us that they would not accept them without an engineers' stamp. I called Dave to ask about this and he recommended a couple of engineers but NONE of them would stamp plans that they did not design. We networked our own engineers and they all said the same thing. So we were left with a $5,000 pile of paper. We ended up not doing the addition because we would have had to draw a larger line of credit that we budgeted for. In conclusion, if you are building in a city that requires and enforces code compliance DO NOT USE O'Brien, find an engineer you trust and make sure they stamp the plans.
Response from O'Brien Custom Home Designs
"Thank you for your review. My list of revisions count was at seven. I have no control over construction cost or city requirements for engineering, I am sorry you are not able to move forward with your project. Perhaps your expectations were reaching a little high. My hope is that you find the appropriate design and financing for your vision. Thank you again Dave."
Jackie K.
Sep 2016
Architectural Service, General Remodeling + 1 more
I spent a week looking up local architects who could complete the work. Again and again, I was told they were too busy, only do complete houses, or charged the same amount to my 600 sq ft room as they would for a 3000 sq ft house. I found Dave on Angies list, saw his great reviews, and gave him a call. He was absolutely fantastic. Saying Dave was extremely responsive to my email requests for changes is an understatement. He would literally be sending replies back, with changes complete within 30 minutes of my request. The final result was finished in around 2 weeks, which is WAY WAY WAY faster than anyone else I talked to could have turned it around. The builders who have seen his plans have all commented on how great the work is that he provided. I can't recommend Dave highly enough - I would use him again in a heartbeat.
Carla P.
Apr 2016
Architectural Service, General Remodeling
As we walked through and talked about what we liked and didn't like about the original house, Dave asked about our design influences and how we imagined using the spaces in the house. Then he created a floor plan that perfectly met our needs and specified details that created the exact look and feel we wanted. A lot of people can design a house; the rare few can envision a home that fits its space and its inhabitants. Dave is one of them.
STEPHEN T.
Jan 2016
Interior Design and Decorating
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John H.
Jan 2016
Architectural Service, General Remodeling
Dave is just amazing to work with. Even after completing our final design a few months ago, Dave was more than willing to make several modifications to the drawings, over the course of at least a week. Thank you again Dave for your patience and for perfecting our vision for our home renovation. This has been a wonderful experience and we will continue to tell all of our friends and family about you! The Hearlds
John H.
Oct 2015
Architectural Service, General Remodeling + 1 more
Dave O?Brien is absolutely AMAZING. We hired Dave to draw up plans for a complete renovation of a fixer-upper we are purchasing. The renovation plans call for redesigning/expanding kitchen, master bathroom/closet redesign, adding a full bathroom and redesigning a jack and jill bath, and adding an outdoor half bathroom.
From the moment that Dave met us at the property with our contractors, we were very confident that Dave would do a great job. He was able to offer extensive structural engineering insight for increasing the ceiling heights while keeping in mind that we were adamant about installing structural ceiling beams, as opposed to support columns.
Dave added so much value to our project that we never dreamed of. He drew up plans for the existing home, and also provided 4 different blue print options, each outlining the basic requirements that we requested. We had never worked with an architect before so we really didn?t know what to expect from the experience. But Dave has surpassed any expectations that we had. He is always so easy and pleasant to talk with and he always responds promptly. I think it helped that we knew exactly what we wanted in the home, so he was able to work his magic and perfect our vision. Best of all, the whole process took just one week.
We couldn?t be happier with Dave. He is amazing and we will definitely be referring him to any friends and family who need an architect!
David D.
Sep 2015
Architectural Service, General Remodeling
Dave was great to work with. He was always very patient, punctual and provided us with a great floorplan. I would definitely use him again and recommend him highly.
Licensing
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FAQ
O'Brien Custom Home Designs is currently rated 4.9 overall out of 5.
O'Brien Custom Home Designs accepts the following forms of payment: Check
Yes, O'Brien Custom Home Designs offers free project estimates.
No, O'Brien Custom Home Designs does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, O'Brien Custom Home Designs does not offer a senior discount.
No, O'Brien Custom Home Designs does not offer emergency services.
No, O'Brien Custom Home Designs does not offer warranties.
O'Brien Custom Home Designs offers the following services: Custom Home Designs. Free Site Evaluation and Concept Meetings. Design plans include 3-D renderings of both inside and outside elevations. Our Experience and passion produces Innovative - Ranch, Golf Course, Lake Front, Airpark & Resort Homes. Attention to detail and accuracy of plans aids in bidding, permitting, controlling cost and expediting construction.