--- title: "DLB Custom Home Design — Architects & Building Designers | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/dlb-custom-home-design-pfvwus-pf~1384170242 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~1384170242.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "DLB Custom Home Design" category: ["Architects"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/98e3c4b90fb979f4_5139-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "Call to set an appointment, Charleston, South Carolina 29401, United States" latitude: 32.7795 longitude: -79.9371 phone: "(843) 303-2979" website: http://www.dlbcustomhomedesign.com rating: 5 review_count: 49 best_of_houzz_awards: 20 followers: 393 last_updated: 2026-09-11 --- # DLB Custom Home Design Original Houzz profile: [DLB Custom Home Design](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/dlb-custom-home-design-pfvwus-pf~1384170242) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Architects - **Location:** Charleston, SC - **Serves:** Charleston, North Charleston, Daniel Island, Mount Pleasant, Johns Island, Hanahan, Beaufort, Isle of Palms, Shell Point, Sullivans Island, Kiawah Island, Folly Beach, Asheville NC, Barrier Islands, Charleston Afb, N Charleston - **Houzz rating:** 5.0 out of 5 (49 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 20 awards (2013–2026), for Design, Service. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Star Houzzer - 5 Star Houzzer - Houzz Influencer - Recommended on Houzz - 25,000 Ideabook Saves - Best of Houzz winner Damien Busillo, AIA, NCARB, is a registered Architect designing homes throughout the Lowcountry and Barrier Islands of South Carolina. Here you will find unique residences that have been specifically designed for each client's needs, desires, and budget. You will see Contemporary designs that are also sensitive to Traditional styles. I have over a decade of experience designing high-end custom residential homes on Kiawah Island, Daniel Island, Mt. Pleasant, Charleston, Beaufort, and a variety of other Coastal locations across the Low Country of South Carolina. Designing homes is a passion of mine and I believe that as our lives evolve, so should our domestic spaces. I am constantly reminded that home design is a testing ground, in which there is always room for changing , tinkering, and experimentation. Please take your time to look around and email with any questions. As a member of the AIA and the Building Enclosure Council I will utilize the latest methods and techniques in building science when designing your new dream home. ### Services Provided - Architectural Design - Home Remodeling - Architectural Drawings - House Plans - New Home Construction - Sustainable Design - 3D Rendering - Structural Engineering - 3D Home Design - Custom Homes ### Areas Served - Charleston - North Charleston - Daniel Island - Mount Pleasant - Johns Island - Hanahan - Beaufort - Isle of Palms - Shell Point - Sullivans Island - Kiawah Island - Folly Beach - Asheville NC - Barrier Islands - Charleston Afb - N Charleston ### Typical Job Cost $1 million - 8 million ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | DLB Custom Home Design | | Address | Call to set an appointment, Charleston, South Carolina 29401, United States | | Phone | (843) 303-2979 | | Website | http://www.dlbcustomhomedesign.com | | License Number | SC \#9183 | | Followers on Houzz | 393 | ## Offers $100 donation to Pencils of Promise _Say "Pencils" for every full-home design_ ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [DLB Custom Home Design](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/dlb-custom-home-design-pfvwus-pf~1384170242) - **Website:** http://www.dlbcustomhomedesign.com - **Phone:** (843) 303-2979 ## Credentials **Certifications & Awards** - Member of the American Institute of Architects - Member of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards - **Best of Houzz:** 20 awards (2013–2026), for Design, Service. **Affiliations** - [The American Institute of Architects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/schools-and-organizations/the-american-institute-of-architects-pfvwus-pf~1350720471) - [NCARB](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/schools-and-organizations/ncarb-pfvwus-pf~1477640315) - [AIA South Carolina](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/schools-and-organizations/aia-south-carolina-pfvwus-pf~471099057) ## Reviews **Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5 — 49 reviews** *Aspect averages:* - Work Quality: 50.0 - Communication: 50.0 - Value: 50.0 ### Reviews **★★★★★ — Paige and Scott Melville, Sept. 2023** > For first-time home builders like us, we were looking for an architect who would be patient and who would educate and lead us through the many decisions involved in designing a custom home. Thankfully, we found that in DLB Custom Home Design. Though a series of Zoom calls (it was a pandemic and we lived out of town), Damien helped us understand our options -- and our preferences -- and led us to a final design that perfectly captures our desire for a transitional home that incorporates both traditional and contemporary touches. Though you'll see Damien's name all over Daniel Island construction projects, he was always responsive and extremely hands-on with us. There was no delegating work to a large support team. You get Damien. And he is always patient, highly competent, meets deadlines, and has a flair for innovative design that sets his houses apart from others in the area. Long after the design process was completed, Damien remained involved with our project, working with our builder, our landscape architect, and the architectural review board to ensure the final product met our expectations. And it certainly exceeded them. We had a wonderful experience working with DLB Custom Home Design. **★★★★★ — andrea\_dussault34, July 2021** > Working with Damien has been a fantastic experience! His knowledge, expertise, talent, and creativity are TOP NOTCH! Not only does he design a beautiful home. but he is extremely knowledgeable about the materials to use and in tune with the latest trends. We can't imagine having anyone else design our home! Highly recommend! Thanks so much Damien!! **★★★★★ — Pam Wall, Oct. 2020** > Damien Busillo and his team at DLB Custom Home Design did an incredible job with our home renovation. Damien listened to our ideas and brought them to life with a beautiful, highly-functional design. He transformed our house into our dream home. Damien was wonderful to work with: professional, responsive, creative--everything you could ask for in an architect. **★★★★★ — Steve Morgan, Feb. 2019** > We have recently moved to Charleston to retire and enjoy the "Salt Life" of water front living on Johns Island, Charleston. Damien was recommended to us as a brilliant architect and after looking at his work we were excited to hire him to handle our custom design and engineering work. We couldn't be more pleased with the result. Damien is an experienced professional architect that knows his craft. He listened to our ideas and helped us navigate the many options we worked through to get to the final design. He has great patience. He is also very quick in delivering scaled large drawings for each iteration of revisions that allowed us to envision our final house plans. He also worked very well with our builder and is available to them throughout the build. We highly recommend Damien based on our experience with his company. **★★★★★ — Mike Geier, Feb. 2019** > When we decided to build our dream house we really had no idea how to go about the process. We interviewed several well known architects before finally choosing Damien. What made the decision for us was his passion, knowledge, attention to detail and use of modern technology. It was the best decision we could have made. Right from the start Damien really impressed us with his ability to take our fragmented and eclectic ideas and create a real vision of what we wanted. His knowledge of the industry and the latest in building science and construction techniques really helped us to ensure we were getting a home that would last us our lifetime and meet all our needs. His use of technology, from drone photography so we could see what our views would be like, to sketching changes on his iPad during meetings, to 3D renderings and interactive models, really allowed us to see the vision before committing to it. Damien was always open to changes and improvements and because of this our design evolved over time until all our needs, and those of a very difficult architectural review board, were met. Whether you’ve built a dozen custom homes, or this is your first one, we would highly recommend Damien to help you realize your vision. **★★★★★ — Jennifer Murphy, June 2018** > We could not be more happy with Damien. My wife and I are particularly detail oriented and Damien exceeded expectations throughout the entire project. He is an excellent listener with amazing ability to thoughtfully convert our discussions to two and three dimensional renditions. Excellent control of spatial organization and livability. Damien’s follow through has been exceptional working well with our builder and designers alike. What speaks most highly to our relationship is the friendship we have developed through the entire design process. No matter your style I recommend Damien most highly! **★★★★★ — Laurie Plumb, Feb. 2018** > Damien designed the house of our dreams, we couldn't be happier. Damien has been incredibly patient and easy to work with throughout the design process. He has given us the ability to visualize our future home with his 3D images as well the use of high quality photography from his drone. Damien was, and continues to be, very responsive to changes and deadlines throughout the design phase and, even now as we have started the building phase. Damien is extremely professional and very creative, we love his work! We give him the highest recommendation. **★★★★★ — Angie Avinger, Aug. 2017** > Damien is great to work with. He is always professional but maintaines a calm, easy going manner which helped my inability to make a firm decision. He has kept his sense of humor and been very patient. He listens well, kept all his deadlines and is now overseeing the build. He made the permitting process easy by understanding (and following) all the local ordinances. A great choice! **★★★★★ — Mandy Mixson, Aug. 2017** > We hired Damien based off of recommendation, and are so pleased with our decision! Damien is very professional, knowledgeable, and always able to meet deadlines for the Architectural Review Board. > When hiring an architect, one of our prerequisites was to hire an Architect that offered 3D Design. After interviewing Damien, we knew he was the one to design our dream home based off of his personality, knowledge and work quality. Damien provided us with 3D designs, which really made it nice for us to see a visual of how the house would look , and also allowed us to make instant changes to the plans when meeting with him. He has met all deadlines and always responds in a timely manner. We have broken ground on our home, and look forward to our continued relationship throughout this process! **★★★★★ — Vera Ivanova, June 2017** > Damien has been a pleasure to work with. When we started interviewing architects, I was very concerned about finding and choosing THE ONE architect who would think outside of the box, listen to what we want, be professional and have a great personality. Damien has done an incredible job with designing our dream house and be THE ONE architect we were looking for. We couldn't be happier with our choice of an architect. **★★★★★ — David Conway, May 2017** > Damien did an amazing job of listening to what we wanted out of our design early in the process, so when he gave us our first draft it was extremely close to what we wanted. After a few minor revisions we have plans that we couldn't be happier with. Highly recommended. **★★★★★ — ML Design, Feb. 2017** > As an Interior Designer, I have worked with Damien from DLB Custom Home Design on a project at the Country Club in James Island SC. He is very efficient, has great attention to details and has great communication skills. > I am working with Damien again on a very big project in the Charleston area. I will keep on recommending him to my clients. ## Selected projects - [Transitional Gem](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/transitional-gem-pj-vj~7370491) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 53 - [Daniel Island Hybrid](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/daniel-island-hybrid-pj-vj~7370504) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 100 - [A Hybrid of Sorts](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/a-hybrid-of-sorts-pj-vj~7370517) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 100 - [Daniel Island Contemporary](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/daniel-island-contemporary-pj-vj~6718797) - Location: Charleston, SC - Photos: 36 - [Nobels Point 2](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/nobels-point-2-pj-vj~5919566) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 19 - [Daniel Island Creekside](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/daniel-island-creekside-pj-vj~5247113) - Location: Charleston, SC - Photos: 32 - [Cooper River Contemporary](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/cooper-river-contemporary-pj-vj~1601666) - Location: Mt. Pleasant, SC - Photos: 29 - [Captain's Island 1](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/captain-s-island-1-pj-vj~6451681) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 63 - [Beresford Hall Creekside](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/beresford-hall-creekside-pj-vj~6760819) - Location: Charleston, SC - Photos: 33 - [Daniel Island Waterfront](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/daniel-island-waterfront-pj-vj~656308) - Location: Charleston, SC - Photos: 7 - [Charleston SC Contemporary](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/charleston-sc-contemporary-pj-vj~656281) - Location: Charleston, SC - Photos: 7 - Description: It is not everyday I get to design a beautiful contemporary home in Charleston South Carolina. Many of my clients enjoy the traditional low country vernacular you see and fall in love with in this part of the country. It was a welcomed change to show off my contemporary design ability. The construction technology incorporated into the home was seen almost immediately. The high R value in the insulation materials along with the triple pane low-e glazing has kept energy bills to a minimum. Liquid… - [Classic Charleston Home](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/classic-charleston-home-pj-vj~2836622) - Location: Mount Pleasant, SC - Photos: 6 - [Wando View Street 1](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/wando-view-street-1-pj-vj~2257288) - Location: Charleston, SC - Photos: 55 - Description: Coastal Modern Home located on the Wando River featuring: marble countertops, white oak flooring, reclaimed wood details, vaulted ceilings with beams, custom-made white oak staircase and cable railing, outdoor bathroom, outdoor kitchen with bar, isokern outdoor fireplace, hot tub, pool and dock. - [Wando River Private Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/wando-river-private-residence-pj-vj~170072) - Location: Mt. Pleasant, SC - Photos: 33 - [Charleston Harbor Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/charleston-harbor-residence-pj-vj~117363) - Location: Charleston, SC - Photos: 5 - [Mt. Pleasant SC Private Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/mt-pleasant-sc-private-residence-pj-vj~571100) - Location: Mount Pleasant, SC - Photos: 6 - [Custom 3-Dimensional Home Design](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/custom-3-dimensional-home-design-pj-vj~265960) - Location: Charleston, SC - Photos: 19 - Description: Every home is designed in a high level of accuracy since I use the latest in architectural software. This will allow you to fully understand the design before it is built. This client experience is part of my process. - [Darrell Creek Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/darrell-creek-residence-pj-vj~142816) - Location: Mt. Pleasant, SC - Photos: 6 - [Fish Tale 1](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/fish-tale-1-pj-vj~5519681) - Location: Charleston, SC - Photos: 47 - Description: Built by Award Winning, Certified Luxury Custom Home Builder SHELTER Custom-Built Living. Interior Details and Design- SHELTER Custom-Built Living Build-Design team. . Architect- DLB Custom Home Design INC.. Interior Decorator- Hollis Erickson Design. Photographer- Keen Eye Marketing. - [Belle Hall Plantation](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/belle-hall-plantation-pj-vj~170607) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 1 [See all 25 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/dlb-custom-home-design-pfvwus-pf~1384170242) ## Ideabooks - [\#FOAInnovation](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/46964780/list/foainnovation) — 18 ideas - [Wish List](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/112306120/list/wish-list) — 2 ideas - [Interesting Facades and Interiors](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/2499267/list/interesting-facades-and-interiors) — 124 ideas [See all 3 ideabooks](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/dlbcustomhomedesign) ## Community Q&A **Q: What is color & brand of decking? It's beautiful!!** *(in Photo Questions)* Needing to change a huge deck & trying to decide if I want to be very light to match painted house or a wood tone. A: Thanks for your kind words! It’s 5/4 Ipe boards. Natural finish that ages to a gray when left alone. **Q: Classic Charleston Home - Stunning! Flooring mfg and model please?** *(in Photo Questions)* Classic Charleston Home - Stunning! "Wood" Flooring mfg and model please? A: Thank you! It was a prefinished wide plank white oak. you can see it here: https://www.prosourcewholesale.com/products/exquisite--white-oak\_flaxen-oak\_38433931 **Q: Where are the pendent lights from?** *(in Photo Questions)* Where are the pendent lights from? A: You can find them at Restoration Hardware. Thanks for asking! https://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod7420578&categoryId=cat7140109 **Q: exterior segments** *(in Photo Questions)* hi - what is the exterior of this house? stucco? concrete? other? it looks segmented so just wondering? also what color? gorgeous! A: Thank you for your kind words! It is one of my favorite designs as of late....The exterior is Stucco. More specifically, STO Powerwall system...which is one of the best systems available for this type of material. you can read about it HERE They have a range of color options..I believe this was a close match to SW Aunt Betty's China. **Q: Railing** *(in Photo Questions)* Thank you so much for your response! Do you put a sealer on the Garapa to keep that color. If so, what is a good sealer? A: Clients have had success with Penofin: https://www.diyhomecenter.com/penofin-exotic-hardwood-formula-exterior-penetrating-oil-finish-1-gallon?gclid=CjwKCAjwhLHaBRAGEiwAHCgG3rC5MibCBhr-2EU7YfjJrSVbJxx7t0mczW9O\_csbY50hqaEOlpgi0RoCgHgQAvD\_BwE Though you are fighting an uphill battle every year or so....Personally, I like that it grays out similar to Ipe.....for a little less initial cost. **Q: Railing** *(in Photo Questions)* Are the railing tops Ipe wood? A: They are Garapa....similar to Ipe, but a bit more cost effective for this build.....I have used Ipe caps and posts on other designs...it holds up fairly well in coastal environments. Thanks for asking! --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-09-11.*