REVIEWS

Working with Larry was a dream. Perhaps most important was that he really LISTENS. There is no ego wanting to take over your vision. My husband I and I hired him for two projects: The remodeling of an existing upstairs deck off of the master to extend the deck and create a vaulted screened room just outside the door, with a spiral stair at the end of the deck down to the pool area. The second project is a 3-phase new construction of my furniture studio, 45′ X 30′ X 24′ high (first phase), a two-story 20′ X 30′ apartment at the back side with wrap-around porches (second phase), all of which can be converted (phase three) to a 5-bedroom house when I am no longer able to do the work. Larry is the best space designer I have ever seen. No long useless hallways or odd unusable alcoves. Every inch is utilized to the fullest, in a graceful and meaningful manner. Beautiful roof lines. Considered placement on the property. Exquisite details. We highly recommend him. You will not be disappointed – you will be elated!

Larry at Martin House Designs was a great fit for our house addition/remodel project. We worked with Larry to develop plans to change our 3 bedroom/1 bathroom house to a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom house in the North Shoal Creek neighborhood. He worked with us very closely, was open to our ideas, and listened, and responded quickly when we had questions or concerns. He was professional, knowledgeable, and worked within our timelines and budget. Developing the final plans was the first major step in this process and Larry was understanding and helped us through the decision-making process to make our dream a reality.

We contracted with Larry Martin, Martin House Designs to work with us on designing an addition for our house. We could not be more satisfied. Larry provided professional design expertise. Above and beyond that, he involved himself in our project by listening, advising, responding, and delivering his service to a level we could not imagine. It’s also apparent that Larry is as excited to see the end result as we are!

I hired Martin House Designs to design a second story deck and screen room off the back of my house. I had a rough idea for a design concept but needed help with formal drawings. Larry met with me to capture my design concept and asked several questions about how I intended to use the space, what material I liked, maintenance requirements, cost goals, etc. He suggested using higher quality material and a more elaborate roofline to tie into the existing roof.

At first, I was reluctant to make these changes due to the higher cost but he convinced me to let him make a draft design. A few days later, he showed me the design and I really liked it so we went with his design improvements. As I was negotiating with contractors to implement the design, I frequently consulted Larry as questions arose. He helped guide me through the process and select a contractor and evolved the design as needed. During the construction process, Larry visited the site often and fielded questions quickly, and helped solve some tricky issues that no one could have foreseen. The results are outstanding! It turned out much better than I was expecting and is both a beautiful structure and a solid, functional addition to my home. If I ever need an architect again, I will definitely hire Martin House Designs.

Our collaborations with Larry Martin, Martin House Designs, have been rewarding in every way. As a remodeling contractor, it’s important that we have an excellent working relationship with a designer, and Larry has been a great complement to our work. Larry is a great communicator, offering suggestions beautifully suited to the homeowner’s needs, desires, and lifestyle. His designs are graceful, sensitive, livable, and our clients love him!

I had contracted with 2 architects before I reached out to Larry. The others were not listening to what I was envisioning. Larry took my ideas and turned them into a beautiful and functional dream home!

Larry designed and then helped the builder and contractors get his vision for my house perfected. He was present during the entire project. Go see for yourself what a great job he did.  It’s in his portfolio.

Last year my wife and I finally decided to give our 1960 Westlake Ranch the total makeover it deserved. A builder we know recommended Larry Martin for the design, and after an initial consultation and idea session at our home, we felt very confident in hiring him. Larry is a great communicator and was always available to us by email or phone throughout the design process.

He also made multiple visits to the house to collect information, measurements, etc, and each time he made sure to work around our busy schedule (and a pack of large dogs). We had an idea of what we wanted our home to be but had no idea how to get there. Larry coaxed us into a brilliant redesign with great ideas, positive feedback, and very quick turnaround time on revision after revision. We completed the design project on time and within our allotted budget. After this experience, we certainly plan on working with Larry again in the future. He made it easy and fun.

I found working with Larry Martin extremely easy and comfortable. We discussed my needs, he drew up preliminary plans. After we reviewed them, he quickly incorporated the changes I wished for. The final plans were exactly what I wanted and they were great. I would highly recommend him to anyone. Larry was professional, and he knew the requirements for the Austin area.

Larry was a joy to work with. He shared his expertise and really listened to what we wanted. He welcomed feedback on his design and the result in our project was met one of great beauty and functionality.

We hired Larry Martin to draw plans for an 1100 square foot outbuilding with 600 additional square feet of attic storage. The outbuilding consisted of gym, craft, kitchenette, and bathroom areas. Everything was wheelchair accessible except the attic storage. We found examples of Larry’s work online, liked what we saw, and asked him to meet and see what we were planning. He explained what he would do, we showed him our first rough sketches, he made us comfortable, was easy to communicate with, so we hired him. We did a couple more face-to-face meetings to make sure we were all on the same page. He then began drawing, sending us digital versions, which we would red-line and send back. As we got closer to completion, we introduced our builder to the plans ultimately providing him copies for his subcontractors. Larry provided the builder digital cad files for use by his engineer. The process was smooth and stress free. The products Larry provided satisfied the builder and contractor’s needs. We were pleased with the process and would hire Larry again if we were to construct another building.

I engaged Larry to design an addition for my residence. I wasn’t exactly sure what it should look like, but I didn’t want it to look like an addition. Larry did an excellent design, and people visiting the house are surprised to find out the “addition” wasn’t part of the original structure. The addition’s exterior, including stucco, doors, windows and surrounding deck, meld perfectly with the existing house. And the inside of the addition is both beautiful and functional. What more could one ask?

Larry welcomed our ideas and remained flexible as we agreed on a perfect design for our Casita. He patiently walked us through the necessary steps following the completion of the design, which helped us get the rendering engineered and permitted. We LOVE the end result and highly recommend Martin House Designs!

Larry Martin of Martin House Designs designed an addition for a 1950’s house that we own in the North Loop neighborhood of Austin. A heritage tree in the back yard limited our space for expanding so we went with an upstairs addition.  Larry listened carefully to our ideas and had lots of great suggestions for what we might do. Within a week he had plans for us to look at and answered questions we had.  We did make a few minor changes but overall, the plans were exactly what we had envisioned and within the budget we had set.  He continues to stay in touch with us and follow the progress of the project. Larry’s warmth, knowledge and professionalism make him a joy to work with.

we are all looking for about the same things: right price point, experienced, patient, fast turnaround, and a genuine individual. If your list is similar to what ours was, then Larry at Martin House Designs is who you want to work with.

We had some rough plans on paper but needed someone who was willing to retain the uniqueness of our plans while putting it into a feasible format, and we couldn’t be happier with the final product. He guided us through the whole process, and with his experience, was able to show us what changes we could make to maximize space, efficiency, as well as cost when it comes to building, while retaining our original dream plans.

Larry has done a great job working with my clients and myself on some of my projects.  He is congenial and knows his design tools. He listens to the Client and checks in with me during construction even if he doesn’t have to. I continue to recommend him.

I had contracted with two architects before I reached out to Larry. The others were not listening to what I was envisioning. Larry took my ideas and turned them into a beautiful and functional dream home!