David R. Smith Design Inc.

David was recommended to us by a mutual acquaintance. When I contacted him he had the patience to explain to me the difference in qualifications between architects and designers. That patience has been one of David's most valuable qualities that we have depended on all through our design and permitting process. At times he literally acted as a referee for my husband, John, and me when we couldn't come to agreement about design details. Our project is to add a 2nd storey to our bungalow and also enlarge the main floor area as much as possible without delaying acceptance of the plans by the City. David is extremely good at the design element of the work and also at understanding what is likely to pass the City's zoning provisions. David reworked our plans until he delivered what we think is the best that could be done with our existing home and lot. Everyone who sees the drawing of the "proposed elevation" is impressed. David treated us and our project as if we were the only clients he was working for, always responding quickly to our questions and comments. Although David provides design only services (not design/build) he is well versed with the construction aspect of the renovation process, which was very important for John who is a shipwright and craftsman. We have relied heavily on David's knowledge and expertise in this area. And, in fact, it is David who introduced us to a contractor who was likely to be able to deal with clients as challenging to work with as we know we are. As part of our vetting process before hiring David he referred us to his reviews on HomeStars, a resource I had never referenced until then. Now we can honestly say that the near perfect ratings and excellent reviews he continues to receive are not exaggerations but are well-deserved.

This was the second and largest project David has completed for us in as many years. (previously: Detached garage drawings & permits).

This project has been more of the same excellent design and collaboration. From our first meeting, to the presentation of his design, through to the permits being issued - David kept us updated and informed of progress. Questions were answered quickly. David is an encyclopedia of solutions.

If you're looking for the best design service in the GTA, you've found him.

Thank you David for all your extra effort coordinating mechanical + truss design, and that last push getting the permits approved. We look forward to working with you again on future projects.

Thank you David!!!

My wife and I found David on HomeStars, and based on his previous reviews on we can honestly say that the positive reviews are all true. David was amazing throughout the whole process. He was always patient, professional, and was also available for any questions we may have had. David right from our initial meeting took pride in our home renovation + design - first design proposal, changes, permit applications, CofA, structural engineer, permits, etc. David handled it all.

We will forever be thankful to David, for designing our soon to be family home.

Thanks David

We engaged David to design two new homes for us, and we couldn't be more satisfied with the service we received. Very knowledgeable, easy to work with and direct, i would definitely use him again.

We are really glad to have gone with David for our whole house redesign, and have his help throughout our very lengthy process (the lengthy part is because of us, David was super responsive and communicative, even having a newborn child in that time). Without him, we would not have made it through all the hurdles in our design, committee, applications, neighbours, and permits.

David is professional, receptive, and honest. I asked him for an ensuite, even though my wife didn't think it could work; and there it was. His advice was definitely helpful in guiding us towards our goals.

David even made referrals along the way, which we took advantage of, including our structural engineer and general contractor. We would definitely go with David again in the future for other jobs given our experience. Even though the design process is over and the build begins, David still offers to chime in and help on things. Thanks again, David!

David was incredibly helpful, insightful, and supportive from the very start of our project. From our discussions with him, it was clear that his highest priority was ensuring that the final design fit within our needs and budget. He took care of navigating the complex process of zoning and applying through the committee of adjustment with the city on our behalf with a minimum of stress. He's subsequently made himself available even after his part of the project was complete to help us navigate the construction phase with our contractor. We can't recommend him highly enough.

Excellent service!

We highly recommend David to anyone who is looking for professional, reliable, friendly and current with the latest construction/design trends.
We had a whole-house remodeling project which included main floor gut and redesign, addition of a third floor including new master bedroom and full bath as well finish our basement. David was very professional and an expert at what he does. He completed the project within the scheduled time frame.
David is so kind, so honest and pays attention to every detail, no matter how big or small the job is. He was very generous with his time and came to our house at the shortest of notice to walk through any questions he had no matter what time of day and on weekends. He gave us a very fair price for a great quality work.
It was a pleasure to work with David and his company to achieve the desired outcome.

We would highly recommend him.

Thanks David

Having used David in the past for design and permitting for my parents' deck, my wife and I contacted him when we decided to dig out and finish the basement of our row house in Riverside we knew it would be a daunting task that's why we were so glad to have had David involved in the project.

David is very approachable and engaged, and made us feel comfortable right off the bat helping flesh out the idea of what we wanted from the space and offering suggestions to make it better than we could have made it on our own.

In addition to having an excellent design sensibility, David is also efficient in getting the permitting cleared away with a minimum of hassle so we could get the work started. He is quickly becoming our go-to designer for any home projects we have.

David’s review

We had full intentions of vetting 3 architects for our major renovation, but after our first initial meeting with David we felt we didn’t need to interview anyone else. David took the time to ask many questions and really listened to our answers, and came up with a design for our new home that was exactly what we had envisioned. He was very detailed and transparent with us through the committee of adjustment and permitting process, and handled every single detail.
During construction we ran into structural issues with our existing foundation and later clerical issues with city, due to the foundation issue. In both instances, David was always readily available to provide us guidance, advice and support and was instrumental in helping us navigate the city’s bureaucracy once again so we could get our renovation back on track.

We highly recommend David to anyone looking for an architect to help with your renovation big or small, as well as the essential skills he has in dealing with the city’s building permit process.

we had an issue regarding permits and David through his history and dealings with the city had gotten them to issue a permit before the weekend started and therefore our project wasn't held up. Thanks David