--- title: "Lake Flato Architects — Architects & Building Designers | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/lake-flato-architects-pfvwus-pf~377617448 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~377617448.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "Lake Flato Architects" category: ["Architects"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/ee1331ca01d35466_4201-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "311 Third St, San Antonio, Texas 78205, United States" latitude: 29.4237 longitude: -98.4925 phone: "(210) 227-3335" website: http://www.lakeflato.com/ rating: 3 review_count: 2 best_of_houzz_awards: 5 followers: 1272 last_updated: 2026-09-02 --- # Lake Flato Architects Original Houzz profile: [Lake Flato Architects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/lake-flato-architects-pfvwus-pf~377617448) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Architects - **Location:** San Antonio, TX - **Serves:** West University Place, River Oaks, Sealy, Bellville, Wallis, San Felipe, New Ulm, Industry, Avalon Place, Bleiblerville, Cat Spring, Glen Cove, Kenney, Monticello, Oak Estates, Royden Oaks, Southampton Place, Tanglewood - **Houzz rating:** 3.0 out of 5 (2 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 5 awards (2015–2020), for Design. ## About ### Houzz Badges - 100,000 Ideabook Saves Since its founding in 1984, Lake\|Flato has designed buildings that respond to the culture and climate of each unique place. We believe in creating environments that enrich communities and nurture life through our work. When we decided to create our own architecture firm in 1984, we had a number of strong ideas about what kind of buildings we wanted to design. We believed first and foremost that architecture should be rooted in its particular place, responding in a meaningful way to the natural or built environment. Using local materials and partnering with the best local craftsmen, we sought to create buildings that were tactile and modern, environmentally responsible and authentic, artful and crafted. Now more than 32 years later, these beliefs still inform the architecture we create. While our firm has grown along with the range and complexity of our projects, we have found the desire to build in partnership with the land to be an approach that remains valid and increasingly resonant. Our first projects were houses and these projects excite us still. We have found that by exploring the intimate relationship between family, place and building we can create unique living environments that possess a compelling authenticity and beauty. ### Services Provided - Architectural Design - Architectural Drawings - Custom Residential Design ### Areas Served - West University Place - River Oaks - Sealy - Bellville - Wallis - San Felipe - New Ulm - Industry - Avalon Place - Bleiblerville - Cat Spring - Glen Cove - Kenney - Monticello - Oak Estates - Royden Oaks - Southampton Place - Tanglewood ### Typical Job Cost $2,000,000+ - ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | Lake Flato Architects | | Address | 311 Third St, San Antonio, Texas 78205, United States | | Phone | (210) 227-3335 | | Website | http://www.lakeflato.com/ | | Followers on Houzz | 1272 | **Social profiles:** - Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/lakeflato - X (Twitter) — https://twitter.com/LakeFlato - LinkedIn — http://www.linkedin.com/company/lakeflato-architects - Blog — http://www.lakeflatodogrun.com/ ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [Lake Flato Architects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/lake-flato-architects-pfvwus-pf~377617448) - **Website:** http://www.lakeflato.com/ - **Phone:** (210) 227-3335 ## Credentials **Certifications & Awards** - AIA Architecture Firm Award; AIA Institute Honor Award for Interior Design; AIA Housing Award; AIA COTE Top Ten Project Award; Interior Design Magazine Hall of Fame; Residential Architect Design Award; Builder’s Choice Custom Home Hall of Fame; Texas Society of Architects / AIA Design Award - **Best of Houzz:** 5 awards (2015–2020), for Design. **Affiliations** - [The American Institute of Architects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/schools-and-organizations/the-american-institute-of-architects-pfvwus-pf~1350720471) ## Reviews **Overall rating: 3.0 out of 5 — 2 reviews** *Aspect averages:* - Work Quality: 20.0 - Communication: 10.0 - Value: 10.0 ### All 2 reviews **★ — dorypratt, April 2022** > Horrible experience with Lake Flato. Under their Openhome project, We asked them to design a house I have a certain size under a certain budget, for a fixed fee, and they readily agreed that this was possible. They then produced a design over a year’s time that was 50% over budget and then demanded full payment for their work, insisting they had completed their work and the cost was not their fault. Be very cautious of what they promise. **★★★★★ — res10, Dec. 2015** > One of the great architectural firms in the United States that just happens to be located in San Antonio, Texas. From locating the building on the site to gain maximum benefit to attention to detail, makes Lake Flato a true leader on par with Frank Lloyd Wright. It is a enjoyable experience to go thru the design process with them. ## Selected projects - [Hillside House](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/hillside-house-pj-vj~1599940) - Location: Austin, TX - Photos: 16 - Description: Situated on a steep hill with stunning views of downtown Austin, Hillside House reflects the owner’s desire to have a “right sized” sustainable home that embraces outdoor living. All areas of the house were designed to flow directly into the landscape, with ample porches, gardens and outdoor living spaces. Terraced directly into the hill, the upper level includes the master bedroom and main living areas. A green roof on the lower children’s wing created a generous main-level courtyard, preservin… - [Hog Pen Creek Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/hog-pen-creek-residence-pj-vj~812753) - Location: Austin, TX - Photos: 23 - Description: Situated at the confluence of Hog Pen Creek and Lake Austin, Hog Pen Creek Residence was envisioned by its owners as a place that evokes the playfulness of summer on the lake and emphasizes exterior living space. Towering heritage oak trees, a steeply sloping site and aggressive setbacks from the water created challenging site constraints thoughtfully answered by the home's L-shaped footprint and orientation. A long exterior boardwalk connects a series of structures that stair step down the hill… - [Lake Austin Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/lake-austin-residence-pj-vj~341883) - Location: Austin, TX - Photos: 5 - Description: Designed as a “village by a canal,” the magic of this house lies in the way it integrates building and bayou. Limestone walls shield the lake house and its narrow site from neighbors. Guests pass through the wall, flanked by a studio and guesthouse, to reach a boardwalk pier that runs for more than 200-feet alongside the canal. Near the end of this long pier sits the main house, entered through a screened two-story boathouse. Thoughtfully selected materials and abundant views of the water seamle… - [Mill Springs Ranch](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/mill-springs-ranch-pj-vj~1599814) - Location: Vanderpool, TX - Photos: 17 - [Yee Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/yee-residence-pj-vj~882019) - Location: Carmel Valley, CA - Photos: 7 - Description: Conceived as a modern farm compound in the temperate climate of Carmel Valley, California, the Touche Pass house is designed to blur the transition between indoor and outdoor living spaces, while maximizing views of the rolling, oak covered, grassy hills that surround it. The house occupies a small knoll, which is alluded to in the semi-circular, native dry-stacked stone wall at the protected outdoor court. Simple vernacular shapes clad in wood and rusted metal weave between open and covered cou… - [Desert House](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/desert-house-pj-vj~881976) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 15 - Description: Set in a hillside outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Desert House feels like a modern hacienda composed of a series of courts and pavilions nestled into the desert terrain. Designed around the owner's extensive art collection, the house sought to provide a carefully tailored and controlled display space for art, while also capturing the surrounding powerful mountain views. The raw simplicity of rusted metal, concrete and stucco forms feels timeless in the desert environment. - [2001 Odyssey](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/2001-odyssey-pj-vj~881991) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 13 - [Brown Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/brown-residence-pj-vj~341920) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 8 - Description: Situated in the Sonoran Desert, the minimalistic forms of the Brown Residence were carefully configured to both edit out views of nearby houses and to focus on the expansive desert vistas. A series of public and private courts with indigenous planting respect the fragile desert eco-system. Oversized pivot doors can be opened to take advantage of the seasonally temperate climate, while broad overhangs shade the glass-enclosed living spaces from the harsh desert sun. A palette of raw weathered ste… - [Hacienda Ja Ja](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/hacienda-ja-ja-pj-vj~329169) - Location: San Antonio, TX - Photos: 15 - Description: This home appears to merge naturally with the live oaks that surround it. Clad in regional eastern red cedar wood, with expansive screened porches, the house is carefully sited to preserve and protect the surrounding trees, to promote cross-ventilation and to maximize natural daylighting. Its highly motivated owners wanted a compact house that maximized sustainable concepts. It is designed to avoid solar thermal gain during the summer and to capture passive solar heating during the winter. Durin… - [Blue Lake Retreat](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/blue-lake-retreat-pj-vj~2452997) - Location: Marble Falls, TX - Photos: 18 [See all 10 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/lake-flato-architects-pfvwus-pf~377617448) ## Community Q&A **Q: who makes the windows?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: Pella http://www.pella.com/home/default.aspx **Q: Could you describe the hardwood floor** *(in Photo Questions)* such as the type and finish. A: it's engineered white oak flooring **Q: Who is the maker of the table. Very nice!** *(in Photo Questions)* A: the table was made custom for the project **Q: What kind of flooring is this?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: the floor material is engineered white oak **Q: What is the application on the fireplace? Is this wood, laminate?** *(in Photo Questions)* We are thinking of doing walnut on our fireplace, but really like the look in this photo. We haven't checked into whether wood of any kind is code? A: it's plaster --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-09-02.*