The Design Guy - Colonial Heights, Virginia

Stephanie B.

Using Ken was the best money we spent on our remodel. He is approachable, kind, patient, diligent and gets to know your style to help him make appropriate project suggestions. He hung with us for every inch of the project, communicating with contractors, making minor tweaks, answering tons of questions. The scope of this project was huge, involving the design and construction of a roof truss of which he verified the design with an engineer. It also involved all new windows from new construction, a deck, and 1000 square feet of addition which was subdivided into rooms, custom bathrooms and closets.

Some things went awry with our plan, no fault of Ken. Our original plan was rejected by the county due to flood plain issues and we had to make some major modifications. Not only did Ken roll gracefully with the punches, but worked additional hours and expedited our plans to keep us on schedule.

We felt like Ken always had time for us and never made us feel rushed or like we were asking a stupid question. He was always there if an inspector had a question or if we simply wanted advice on an upcoming part of the project. He is a genuine and talented designer that knows his trade and will get you a high quality product at a very fair price.

W C.

Ken spent considerable time researching the viability of our project and discussed his findings with us. Unfortunately we determined that the project could not move forward, but Ken's knowledge, insight and advice saved us time, money, and heartache pursuing a "non-starter" addition. His honesty and integrity was much appreciated.

Jon W.

I have acquired Ken’s (The Design Guy) a couple of times now. Ken is not the first designer I’ve used however, he is the best I’ve used! Ken is not only extremely knowledgeable and up to date, he’s extremely personable, thorough, and exudes professionalism across the board. Ken really does go the extra mile for his clients and in my case as a General contractor, meets with my client who’s garage, addition or whatever project I’m using his services for, and provides great clarity, visualization of the future project as well as easy and detailed plans to work from. Another great bonus that comes with his services is that he sticks with you throughout the job and should any discrepancy arise in plan features/ details within building codes he’s available in an instant to help remedy the situation. That alone is worth the more than most realize when it comes to working with differentiating codes among different municipalities. Something I have not found elsewhere! All and all Ken is and will be my got to for design and architectural services and should be yours as well!

Sincerely,
Jon Williams
JMW Building and Contracting

Christine K.

Ken was fantastic throughout the entire process. He is super responsive (with well-thought-out communications) and a fantastic listener (he nailed everything we discussed with his first draft). He progressed quickly and as promised in our initial discussions. His work really speaks for itself - detailed, accurate, and obviously impressive to our builder/permit office alike. On top of all this, he is affable and a pleasure to work with. Worth the money, for sure!

Michael S.

My wife and I bought a fixer upper and had been working on various portions of the house and property. We decided that a single story section of the house just needed to be torn down and rebuilt. We wanted to keep the original footprint, but rebuild it two story resulting in a 1400sqft addition. This created some architectural and engineering challenges that required some professional assistance. I did some research and found Ken The Design Guy. We elected to use Ken because of his knowledge of the building codes and his success rates obtaining permits the first try. I have been involved in various aspects of construction for many years, but the design and permitting phases are uncharted territory for me. Ken was the right person for the job. He came out to the house and spent the better part of a day understanding our project, our needs, and our wants. The 3D modeling helped bring to life what we had been thinking in our heads and most importantly we knew it would work especially with the architectural challenges of tying into an existing house. This was all done basically in front of us during that first day. Over the next few weeks Ken worked out the details consulting with us when needed and confirming with the county to ensure everything would be up to code. The online meetings were very convenient. Ken was able to talk us through his 3D model and make changes and updates in real time right in front of us. This was a great system for me especially because I would also be building it. Ken had some great design input that he offered to us but did not push on us. Overall the design process was smooth and efficient but most importantly ended with a great product.

Of course one of the biggest concerns with a project like this, is the cost. Ken was upfront with the projected cost for his services and it was very accurate. I will admit there are probably other design services out there that are cheaper, but I have found with construction projects as with most things in life, you get what you pay for. We payed for a good product and quality service that resulted in first time permit approval. Ken was also available for questions and to work through some minor details during the construction phase. This was very helpful and speaks to Ken's commitment to quality service.

We enjoyed the process and working with Ken so much that we decided to use him again for a much smaller deck project a few months later. Everything went about the same end resulted in another quality product as expected. I would not hesitate to work with the Design Guy again in the future.

Brad L.

As someone who enjoys being close to the process of designing and remodeling, I found my first conversation with Ken (note that he answered the phone the first time I called him) a refreshing one. Ken and team followed up with a lengthy and thorough site visit that allowed following meetings to take place virtually. I wasn't sure how this would work; however, my wife and I both found this method to be efficient and effective with Ken making fairly significant plan changes on the fly. When faced with some zoning/setback challenges, Ken took the initiative to contact the town, the surveyor and previous owner to sort things out. And, always important - rates are very reasonable so there's more left to build with.

woodlandbeauty

I first met Ken when I needed plans drawn for permit approval on a remodel. His expertise and professional nature was invaluable. He guaranteed that the plans would be approved and he even helped me resolve an issue when the contractor did not perform the work according to the plans. If you need plans drawn before remodel, Ken is the guy to contact. He's great on follow-through and you can count on him and his word.

David M.

We had a very wonderful experience working with Ken. Our home is 2 years old and wonderful. In fortunately Dave only was able to enjoy it for 3 months, but Ken worked very closely with Dave to incorporate all of his ideas into the final design. I would recommend using Ken for your dream home.