--- title: "David M. Sanders, Architect — Architects & Building Designers | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/david-m-sanders-architect-pfvwus-pf~377815232 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~377815232.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "David M. Sanders, Architect" category: ["Architects"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/48535d4400f61742_0513-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "34455 Camino El Molino, Capistrano Beach, California 92624, United States" latitude: 33.46 longitude: -117.6632 phone: "(949) 248-2767" website: http://dmsdesign.us rating: 5 review_count: 10 best_of_houzz_awards: 2 followers: 135 last_updated: 2026-11-07 --- # David M. Sanders, Architect Original Houzz profile: [David M. Sanders, Architect](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/david-m-sanders-architect-pfvwus-pf~377815232) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Architects - **Location:** Capistrano Beach, CA - **Serves:** Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, San Clemente, Aliso Viejo, San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point, Laguna Hills, Ladera Ranch, Laguna Beach, Coto De Caza, Capistrano Beach, Hawaii, Newport Coast - **Houzz rating:** 5.0 out of 5 (10 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 2 awards (2017–2019), for Service. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Star Houzzer - Recommended on Houzz - 1,000 Ideabook Saves Specializing in coastal luxury and resort homes in Southern California and Hawaii. We offer detailed, personalized and budget conscious architectural services to help you create your optimum home environment. ### Services Provided - Building Design - Home Remodeling - Custom Homes - House Plans - Home Additions - Home Extensions - Sustainable Design - Kitchen Design - Kitchen Remodeling - Floor Plans - Energy-Efficient Homes - Bathroom Design - Green Building - Space Planning - Universal Design - Drafting - Historic Building Conservation - Basement Remodeling - Site Preparation - Earthquake Retrofitting - Construction Drawings ### Areas Served - Mission Viejo - Laguna Niguel - San Clemente - Aliso Viejo - San Juan Capistrano - Dana Point - Laguna Hills - Ladera Ranch - Laguna Beach - Coto De Caza - Capistrano Beach - Hawaii - Newport Coast ### Typical Job Cost $250,000 - 10 million We specialize in new luxury homes and major residential remodels & additions. ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | David M. Sanders, Architect | | Address | 34455 Camino El Molino, Capistrano Beach, California 92624, United States | | Phone | (949) 248-2767 | | Website | http://dmsdesign.us | | License Number | CA C34129 & HI AR-16062 | | Followers on Houzz | 135 | **Social profiles:** - Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Milton-Sanders-Architect/211572852384998 - LinkedIn — http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmsandersarchitect - Blog — http://dmsdesign.us/proj.htm ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [David M. Sanders, Architect](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/david-m-sanders-architect-pfvwus-pf~377815232) - **Website:** http://dmsdesign.us - **Phone:** (949) 248-2767 ## Credentials **Certifications & Awards** - State of California Licensed Architect C34129.State of Hawaii Licensed Architect AR-16062. International Code Council; Member. Best of Houzz 2017. ArcBazar multiple award winner. - **Best of Houzz:** 2 awards (2017–2019), for Service. ## Reviews **Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5 — 10 reviews** ### All 10 reviews **★★★★★ — AQ Lighting Texas, Inc., May 2018** > We hired David to take on the toughest lot in San Clemente. We could not be any more pleased with the way Dave has taken a hold of this project. Not only is he professional, but he's also practical. His no nonsense approach to the project and unique ability to design the house has taken us further than any other potential home owner has gotten in the past. His preliminary design was exactly what we wanted from the beginning. We have a long way to go, but with Dave we will get there. So if you are looking for an architect, I would suggest you look no further. **★★★★★ — Lauri Doshier, Feb. 2017** > I don't even know where ro start! Having never having done a large scale remodel before we had no idea the role that Dave would play in our project. Dave has taken in to account every last detail from large to the smallest items. He has guided us through a project that I can't even imagine having done without him. > Dave has worked with the city and our HOA without a hitch. He comes by the house to check on the progress and keeps us informed. We live a hour away from our project so his attention really means a lot to us. > We know that our forever home will be the best it can be due to Dave! Not only did we meet an amazing craftsman but made a great friend as well. We would highly recommend Dave to all. Our contractor had not worked with Dave before and now plans on doing more projects with him. You'll be in good hands with Dave Sanders without a doubt! **★★★★★ — k8wilhelm, Sept. 2016** > Hiring Dave Sanders was among the best decisions for this project. He took immense care in matching the style and original architecture of this 1956 beach home while modernizing it. He had the challenge of adding a second story without touching the recently remodeled first floor. The lines and flow ensure it doesn't "look" like an addition. The unique elements like the siding building upward, ceiling height doors/windows, decks and floating master bed all support the modern beach, indoor/outdoor living. He is easy to work with, listens, attune to budget and flexes the design. I highly recommend, without hesitation, Dave for any project. **★★★★★ — annhoye, May 2016** > Dave listened closely to our concerns and wants and was wonderful to work with. He created a unique design for the remodel of our entryway which felt authentic to the existing house. We appreciate that Dave stayed mindful of our budget. We highly recommend Dave and will take future projects to him. **★★★★★ — Roy Roy, April 2016** > So far I am very pleased with David. We hired him for a complete re-haul on our one story residential home (which is still on going). From the beginning, David has been easy to work with. He has an EXTREME attention to detail and is very timely. All the subcontractors have commented to the in depth detail he provides on his plans. And, when he tells you he is going to do something, he does it, and he does it on a timely manner! He is very easy to get along with and thus far has been very accommodating and patient. Not to mention that he has great taste when it comes to design and layout. I'd highly recommend him to anyone. **★★★★★ — Ashley Taylor, March 2016** > David was the winner of an online competition to design a house that we ran on ArcBazar. His was our favourite out of the 25 designs that was submitted, We found his design met our brief the best and achieved a striking design comprised of clean, modern lines and shapes. > > After the competition we hired him to refine the design slightly. > His fast and professional demeanour has been a joy to work with. > I really value his opinion and look forward to his continued involvement in this project. **★★★★★ — martin johnson, May 2015** > Dave combined all the qualities one needs and enjoys in an architect: > Innate talent, integrity, and an authentic enthusiasm for architecture. He clearly loves designing. He was always willing to make himself available to the people building his vision, coming to my home to insure that the work was done correctly. His consistent enthusiasm for the project not only made my project more enjoyable for me, but also inspired the workers to do their best work. He consistently addressed work that was not performed correctly, but his approach was to inform so clearly that mistakes were avoided. His style of collaboration with workers was very professional and respectful. > > In my own collaboration with Dave, his patience was an especially important > part of why I am grateful for having selected him. He spent much extra time modifying his original plans in order to accommodate my budget yet provide > me with a beautiful home. > > I would certainly want to work with Dave should I ever need an architect again. I always highly recommend him to friends and family. > > Marty Johnson **★★★★★ — laurengentlezents, April 2014** > Can't thank Dave enough for taking my small ideas and making them a grand reality. He knew exactly the design to fit our style. We also appreciated that he helped us all the way through the construction to the completion of our 1st project. We are now on our second. We know we made the right choice with Dave! **★★★★★ — patsmart1, March 2013** > Dave Sanders has all the qualities we looked for as a > designer and collaborative partner in the creation of our home. He is > creative, thoughtful, cost conscious, has integrity, enthusiasm and the quality we most admired, he listens. Dave worked well with all of our contractors in a > timely, cooperative manner. All of the foregoing resulted in a home that > is beautiful and liveable. > > We highly recommend David M. Sanders. **★★★★★ — Claudia Interior Design, Feb. 2013** > David is the ultimate professional! Whenever I needed consulting on my various projects, David always understood the time sensitive aspects of them and helped me immediately to solve the issues. He is completely dependable and reliable in his work ethic, which helps alleviate the anxiety level attached to most projects. David has an easy going personality which is fun to be around, a professional confidence that is relieving where one definitely feels that the issue will be resolved. > Claudia Interior Design ## Selected projects - [Alessandro Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/alessandro-residence-pj-vj~2218992) - Location: San Clemente, CA - Photos: 2 - [Kohala Coast Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/kohala-coast-residence-pj-vj~144872) - Location: Kohala, HI - Photos: 6 - Description: Luxury Residence on the Kohala Coast, Hawaii, 2012. Designed in collaboration with Paul Bleck, AIA. Built by Keith Chapman, General Contractor - [Juniper Drive Residence - Project](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/juniper-drive-residence-project-pj-vj~145790) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 4 - Description: Project for Luxury Home in San Bernardino Mountains, 2010. - [Kauna'Oa Hale](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/kauna-oa-hale-pj-vj~513509) - Location: Kailua-Kona, HI - Photos: 14 - Description: 2,500 SF Vacation home on the golf course at Kauna'Oa Estates, Hawaii - [Turtle Rock Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/turtle-rock-residence-pj-vj~144862) - Location: Irvine, CA - Photos: 11 - Description: Major Remodeling and Addition in Irvine, California, 2009 Built by Tom Fitzpatrick, General Contractor. - [Johnson Residence Remodeling](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/johnson-residence-remodeling-pj-vj~1501511) - Location: San Clemente, CA - Photos: 4 [See all 6 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/david-m-sanders-architect-pfvwus-pf~377815232) ## Ideabooks - [Ceiling Forms](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/54933168/list/ceiling-forms) — 6 ideas - [Interior Mouldings at Stairs and Stair Treatments](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/54015280/list/interior-mouldings-at-stairs-and-stair-treatments) — 7 ideas - [Interior Casing & Base Treatments](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/54014345/list/interior-casing-base-treatments) — 27 ideas - [Wright](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/26102218/list/wright) — 53 ideas - [Rietveld](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/26102559/list/rietveld) — 1 idea - [Schindler](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/26101693/list/schindler) — 18 ideas - [Neutra](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/26101622/list/neutra) — 14 ideas [See all 7 ideabooks](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/davesanders) ## Community Q&A **Q: Sliding doors** *(in Photo Questions)* Can you provide the manufacturer and height of the sliding doors? A: B Wilson, These doors are 9 feet tall. They could go taller, but 10 feet is probably pushing the engineering limits. They're not 'manufactured' units. The door leaves are purchased (or fabricated) by the contractor and have the Dave Whitehill ( http://dwfloortrack.com/ ) hardware system installed into them. The Whitehill hardware consists of the floor tracks, door roller assemblies and header tracks, along with the closure trims and seals. Over in Hawaii, this is the standard system for doing big sliding doors, but we don't see them as often over here on the mainland. There's a ton of great resources for detailing over at their website. They work great - very easy to slide. They're by far the easiest to integrate into the millwork of the building... particularly if you're interfacing with exotic woods and specialty molding treatments to match other details in the house; lots of flexibility. They're floor-bearing, which makes structural design of the header much easier. Hope that helps! **Q: square tile** *(in Photo Questions)* Hi. Rally nice job! Would you let me know the details on the small square accent wall tile? A: jleit, Don't worry - tile setters do that sort of thing all the time. 2 inch tiles are a reasonable size to set individually. Get some references for your tile people, and the better ones should have no problem. It will cost a bit extra, though. Best wishes on your project! **Q: what size are these doors? Approx cost? thx.** *(in Photo Questions)* A: Size is 21' x 9', with 5 panels each of glass and screens (10 leaves total), all sliding to one end. The door in this image was about $25K materials and labor. That price is a bit higher than normal due to their unusual height - we normally make them 8 feet tall, which would make it probably 15% less expensive. It's hard to say exactly what the true cost is, because the large opening forces some extraordinary structural solutions, i.e. increased cost of shear resisting elements and vertical load carrying beams. The nearest lanai column you see has one leg of a steel moment frame inside it, with a steel beam coming toward you and into another steel column in the foreground (not visible in this image). In this case, the roof trusses actually span from that frame, over this door opening, then across to the front wall of the living room (corner visible at the extreme right of the image). There's no beam over the door itself. That's a somewhat unusual solution, but is made possible because the doors actually roll on the floor; They're not hung from the header. One nice way to save money using these doors is to put posts in the line of the outer pocket wall, which breaks the opening into shorter spans. If you're doing a more rustic style, where long spans like this aren't an aesthetic necessity, you can have the full opening without the normally large beams. If you go to my website and look at "Hale Nohea" on the Projects page, you can see an illustration of that technique ("Main Hale Interior", third image down on the page). You can make these doors open on corners, too. This house has a corner unit on the Master Suite.. You can see that in the full set of images posted for this house at my Houzz profile page. For the more usual 8 foot height, we figure these doors at about $900 to $1000 per lineal foot of width for purposes of budgeting. The door system is a hardware component package offered by Dave Whitehill - www.dwfloortrack.com. You'll buy the hardware system from them, then install it into off-the-shelf or custom made leaves. Give them a call and they can connect you with installers. They also have excellent reference materials available for your architect or designer to plan with. Let them know that Paul Bleck and Dave Sanders sent you, please. Thanks for your interest! Dave Sanders --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-11-07.*