Austin has a lot of talented designers but Element 5 is a favorite of ours for lots of reasons…read more Nick and his team are true professionals. Our collaborations on specs and customs always produce amazing results. Architecture is form and function and Element 5 nails both. They are multi-faceted, excelling at infill and suburban/rural design-build, modern and craftsman. Element 5 does a great job of keeping up with rapidly changing trends, building code, and green building/building science. Their expertise, passion, and thoughtful design always makes for great projects that serve our homeowners well. Element 5 always does a good job listening to and incorporating their client's feedback. They aim to understand how the client really lives in their home and their lifestyle.

My wife and I worked with Nick Mehl at Element 5 on the design of our new 4BR / 3BA house. Nick was…read moregreat to work with, very thoughtful and full of great ideas, like using the space under our stairs to make the pantry space in our kitchen as large as possible. He also paid very close attention to detail, like how the window trim should be framed and communicated his vision clearly with our builder. This house construction project was the largest personal expense I've ever incurred and so many things could have gone wrong at multiple points along the way. None of them did, and I give Nick & Element 5 much of the credit for our success.

Daniel designed our custom home in a gated community outside of Austin in the Hill Country. We was…read moreimpressed with his architectural vision from the beginning and after 10 in-person meetings ( 3 in person and 6 via zoom ) we had a fully developed architectural 3D model that we give you from all sides. Daniel was very generous with his time and since we have quite a few impressive views we wanted to capture all of the views perfeand all of the Hill Country ambiance

5 star Architect for a reason!…read more Daniel has an architectural approach that I believe people will find very rare and refreshing these days. He is very giving of his time, knowledge, and is the most collaborative of the 3 Architects we have used on the 2 other custom homes we have built. As an example, even before we signed a contract he made multiple site visits to give us his friendly professional insight about several lots we were considering before we selected the property we ultimately purchased. He was extremely accommodating and friendly throughout the entire process. Collaboration is his priority from the beginning and he made it very convenient through the use of screen share as we designed the home together. We were really impressed with the architectural 3D model that Daniel created. It was amazing that we were able to have a computer-generated 3D model to visualize the complete exterior as well as the outdoor entertaining, outdoor kitchen, and the pool and spa area. We were able to have the majority of our meetings in the evenings after we got off work and we even did a screen share to collaborate on our laptop while we were out of town visiting family. Not only is he extremely knowledgeable about both the architectural and contractual aspects of building, but he seems to have a great instinct for what the client is looking achieve. He also had the desire to study alternatives and create several layouts that might make the most sense for the lifestyle we described. Our custom home is amazing and we would definitely recommend him to our friends. We enjoyed the process of the architectural design of our custom home and even more surprisingly we enjoyed the building process that is often stressful. Instrumental in our smooth building process was Daniel's custom home building budget that he accurately laid out from the beginning giving us many options and associated costs. Daniel's project management and selection of the builder really took confusion out of the process and stress off of our lap. Other critical details that made build successful was his guidance and assistance with the interior design, kitchen, and bath design, and selection of all of our interior finishes and fixtures. Our kitchen and bathrooms really stand out with exceptional design and we are very grateful for that. All in all the 3% that he charged to be a complete steward of our project was an easy decision. We will definitely be using him in the future and so will our friends that are very impressed with our the result as well as our highly detailed and accurate design and building process.

We had the best experience with NSH! I called because we had purchased an entry table from the…read moreOutlets that was missing the stone top. They helped us find the perfect colored piece of quartz for what we were looking for, cut the piece AND, even though they didn't need to, personally delivered it to our house... Can't beat that level of service! Would recommend them to anyone. Both Ryan and Josh were awesome - looking forward to working together in the future.

Contacted Ryan about a stone too for an outdoor kitchen. He had a crew member out to the house,…read moremeasurements, cut/finish and installed in less than 72hrs! Very impressed with the crew's professionalism on site. The stone looks great! Ryan is really easy to work with and very responsive. Have already referred him to 3 friends because of our experience. Will be our first call on any of our future projects!

I really like the photos of his work, but after stringing me along for a week he pulled a no-call…read moreno-show. It wouldn't be so bad if he hadn't already re-scheduled with me once, since he forgot about a dentist appointment the day we had first arranged for him to come by. If he was too busy, or just not interested in the scope or location of the project, that would have been a polite and convenient time to tell me. Instead, I dragged the kids away from an activity they were really enjoying so we could make it home in time for this contractor who never showed, never answered his phone, and never responded to voicemail. No matter how good a craftsman he may or may not be, his failure to observe the very basic rules of business etiquette suggests that Chris Duncanson is just be one of those contractors for whom you have to factor in all the added costs of stress and frustration before deciding if his bill is worth it.

We had Chris and his crew come out to our house to install skylights and close in a open area . We…read morewere very pleased with his work. There was a leak, so we called Chris that evening and he was out the next morning to troubleshoot the problem. Immediately he had it fixed. They were even nice enough to loan us their scaffolding so we could get some painting done over the weekend. We actually contacted 3 different contractors and Chris was one of the 2 who called back and showed up.

Hubby and I wanted to add on to our house as it is less than a mile from the new apple building and…read morewe thought it was a great investment. We were referred to a different architect initially and when I described my vision she asked "Do you expect this to be a free service?" Yikes. no ma'am, but I did expect it to be a fun and exciting process. So I started looking. And looking. Annnnd looking. When I came across Chris and Gina's web site, I knew I had found 'my' people. Fun, whimsical, one-of-a-kind, not mass production. When we spoke, we were disheartened that they advised us the cost to add on far exceeded the value added at resale. Wow! What a stark and wonderful contrast to the other folks. If we ever do need an architect, there is no one else I would consider.

Some Assembly Required is awesome! Nearly 8 years ago they designed an amazing addition and…read morereconfiguration of my 1950 cottage style home, I absolutely love everything about the transformation. Bonus: working with Chris and Gina is the best! If you're considering making changes to your house, or looking at purchasing a house that might be great with a little (or a lot) of a tweak, Chris and Gina will be an invaluable asset and worth every penny. They made the process fun, and the house is a perfect fit for my needs, even as those needs have changed over time.

Nick is an exceptional videographer and a true professional. He consistently shows up on time, is…read morewell prepared, and plans ahead so everything runs smoothly. Whether it's a large-scale luxury shoot or a smaller listing, he brings the same level of care, creativity, and precision every time. What I really appreciate is that Nick doesn't just capture footage, he understands the story we're trying to tell and how to bring it to life visually. He's easy to work with, communicates clearly, and delivers great value in every project. I trust him with properties of all kinds, and I'm always confident that the final product will reflect the level of quality my clients deserve. Highly recommend. Nick is an exceptional videographer and a true professional. He consistently shows up on time, is well prepared, and plans ahead so everything runs smoothly. Whether it's a large-scale luxury shoot or a smaller listing, he brings the same level of care, creativity, and precision every time. What I really appreciate is that Nick doesn't just capture footage, he understands the story we're trying to tell and how to bring it to life visually. He's easy to work with, communicates clearly, and delivers great value in every project. I trust him with properties of all kinds, and I'm always confident that the final product will reflect the level of quality my clients deserve. Highly recommend.

Highest quality video I've ever had on a listing. And I've used a lot of videographers. Will be…read morecoming back and recommending Twilight to everyone I know in Austin!

Contacted Jim for a smallish backyard job. He showed up and measured, had a quote in my inbox that…read moreevening. His crew showed up on time and finished early and it turned out looking even better than I'd imagined. These guys are trustworthy, prompt, and efficient. No surprises or disappointments. Will for sure call him the next time I need some stone work done.

We have worked with Jim a couple of times on big projects. He is very reliable and honest. His work…read moreis excellent.

Engaging Barley|Pfeiffer to design our retirement home was one of the smartest things we've ever…read moredone. The build of our house is far superior to typical construction in our area. More important, though, this house fits us like a glove. Their comprehensive design process incorporated not just our taste, but how we live, from the room flow to the allocation of HVAC components, etc. Living and building four hours from their Austin office was a bit of a challenge, but we coordinated well and they were on site at all critical junctures. The level of detail in the plans and specifications far exceeded what one typically gets, even in a full custom build. This was critical to ensuring the energy efficiency of our home. We've been in the home for two years and continue to be impressed with how little we spend to heat and cool it. We highly recommend the team at Barley|Pfeiffer Architecture.

You only live once. Strive to make part of that time in a Barley and Pfeiffer design. Practical,…read morebeautiful, ergonomic...and I have one of the smaller B&P designs! Go big, go smaller, go Barley and Pfeiffer!