--- title: "Sett Studio — Home Builders | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/home-builders/sett-studio-pfvwus-pf~436309962 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~436309962.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "Sett Studio" category: ["Home Builders"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/b9b3c5a10f30ea57_8681-w400-h400-b1-p10--.jpg address: "501 N Interstate 35, Austin, Texas 78702, United States" latitude: 30.2638 longitude: -97.7166 phone: "(512) 200-2755" website: http:// rating: 4.6 review_count: 9 best_of_houzz_awards: 13 followers: 554 last_updated: 2026-08-13 --- # Sett Studio Original Houzz profile: [Sett Studio](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/home-builders/sett-studio-pfvwus-pf~436309962) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Home Builders - **Location:** Austin, TX - **Serves:** Austin, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Barton Creek, Rollingwood, Sunset Valley - **Houzz rating:** 4.6 out of 5 (9 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 13 awards (2013–2026), for Design, Service. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Star Houzzer - Houzz Influencer - Recommended on Houzz - 50,000 Ideabook Saves - Best of Houzz winner - Award winning - Published nationally We employ the latest in energy efficient building materials and luxury design elements, to build high end custom homes. With over 2 decades of sustainable design and construction experience, our team has built many different modern structures and studio spaces. We have now evolved, to bring our forward thinking sustainable design, to the following services while keeping with our energy efficient strategies and elegant design functionality. ### Services Provided - New Home Construction - Custom Homes - Home Remodeling - Home Additions - Home Extensions - Energy-Efficient Homes - House Plans - Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) - Green Building - House Framing - Floor Plans - Sustainable Design - Foundation Construction - Site Planning - Demolition - Structural Engineering - Site Preparation - Insulation Installation - Waterproofing - Land Surveying - Roof Waterproofing ### Areas Served - Austin - Bee Cave - West Lake Hills - Barton Creek - Rollingwood - Sunset Valley ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | Sett Studio | | Address | 501 N Interstate 35, Austin, Texas 78702, United States | | Phone | (512) 200-2755 | | Website | http:// | | Followers on Houzz | 554 | **Social profiles:** - Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/settstudio - X (Twitter) — http://www.twitter.com/settstudio - LinkedIn — http://www.linkedin.com/company/sett-studio - Blog — http://www.settstudio.com ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [Sett Studio](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/home-builders/sett-studio-pfvwus-pf~436309962) - **Website:** http:// - **Phone:** (512) 200-2755 ## Credentials **Certifications & Awards** - Best of Houzz 2020 : Customer Satisfaction and Design - Best of Houzz 2013 : Customer Satisfaction and Design - Best of Houzz 2014: Customer Satisfaction and Design - Best of Houzz 2015: Customer Satisfaction and Design - Best of Austin 2015: for Green Building Design - **Best of Houzz:** 13 awards (2013–2026), for Design, Service. ## Reviews **Overall rating: 4.6 out of 5 — 9 reviews** *Aspect averages:* - Work Quality: 20.0 - Communication: 20.0 - Value: 20.0 ### All 9 reviews **★ — Patty Ishimoto, July 2017** > I have held off on writing this review for quite some time but as I sit in my "small office space" listening to the drip of the water hitting the ground from the air conditioner which I had to turn off because it just spewed water all down the side of the wall and into the electric outlet I have decided it is time. > > The prefab concept is great. The design looks nice. The execution has been abominable. We should have seen the signs earlier on from the time that we ordered it. It was delayed by months and our sales associate must have quite during that time. The installation process was supposed to take a day and it took 3 full days. They had ordered the wrong kind of forklift to hoist it into place. The person in charge of the installation was a nice guy but very casual and I'm not convinced that he knew much about what needed to be done (as I watched him paint over the cracks in the wall that must have materialized during transportation. They of course reappeared in another few weeks). Then there was the "settling" of the unit which caused the sliding glass doors to buckle (seriously lucky we caught it before they shattered), the hammer that we found precariously wedge under the unit and was left in place because it was "the right height" (I don't even want to think about what would have happened should we have experienced an earthquake!), THEN there's the roof! Massive leakage once the rain finally came. Water literally cascading down the inside of the sliding glass door. We had to tarp the whole thing and wait for the rain to stop so we could figure out how it was getting in. Turns out the roofing "paper" (I'll call it) was mounted over the flashing (supposed to be under) and the "paper" was 15\# not 30\# so essentially the water was running off the roof and going right under the paper and pooling under the roofing. There was mold and "mushrooms". We had to wait for everything to dry and then pay our contractor to redo the entire thing properly. There was also water leaking along the back wall around the electrical outlet. We finally figured out that it was coming from the hole that the guys cut into the back of the unit to run the AC wires. The water was able to just run right in. Apparently it should have been covered up or sealed. > > I have email Mike over the years and he has consistently denied any responsibility. I didn't even get a response on my last note. We have shoveled THOUSANDS of dollars into this unit for repairs on top of what we paid for it. I delayed my review because I was truly hoping that the company would "do the right thing" and at least offer to pay for some portion of the damage. > > While the idea of a prefab unit is a good one, I can honestly say you'd be better off finding a good builder to construct a custom unit than to have it built off premises, driven cross country and tossed in your backyard where SETT Studio will wash their hands of it and it will be 150% your problem. **Comment from Sett Studio:** > Hello Patty - > > We just read your review and we understand your frustration. However we would like to address a few things you have mentioned that we feel are not being explained properly in your text. We try to put every effort into making sure that the units that we ship are sent with EXPLICIT instructions on the following: > > GROUND PREPARATION > MAINTENANCE > INSTRUCTION > > You were sent all of these instructions in the weeks prior to your studio arrival and informed of the HIGH importance of SOLID and LEVEL ground preparation for the studio placement. (THIS IS IMPORTANT AND THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE HOME OWNER - as all Sett Studio documentation states) > > You assured us that everything would be ready for the delivery of the studio. > > We drove the studio out to your residence and reviewed the area that you wanted us to place the studio on. > > It was NOT suitable SOLID ground. We noted that the ground was prepared with gravel and sand. Which, in any earthquake (even unfelt tremors) along with water causes a process called liquefaction. It turns into quicksand. > > You were informed that the ground was NOT suitable. > > You were still adamant that we built the studio in that spot for you. > > So against our informed instruction and us letting you know that the studio would settle in an unnatural fashion, you still wanted it built there. > > We built it there at your insistence. > > The problems with your studio, began here at this point. Not with the construction of the studio. We have build many others in the Los Angeles area and have had only one complaint…yours. > > Building a studio on gravel and sand is NOT recommended. > > We went out to address your concerns and informed you AGAIN, that the ground that you wanted your studio on was unstable. > > You proceeded to have concrete levels poured and attached them to the studio, thus inhibiting any future leveling to occur once the concrete levels began to sink. > > These levels were poured against our recommendations NOT to do so. > > This ALTERED your studio. > > As the sinking began once more, which happens in quicksand, a studio, or any building structure will torque and warp and other issues will occur…ask any builder. > > Now I’d like to take a few moments to address your other concerns about your studio that you mention in your review. > > Cracks: From the moment we placed your studio on the ground we told you was not properly prepared. > > You insisted we place it there. Seams split and cracks appeared. In an effort to provide the best customer service possible, we made every effort to accommodate your wishes on the placement of your studio. > > The settling and buckling of windows. > > When we build our studios on properly prepared soil, the most a unit will ever settle is 1-2 inches over the course of a few months. > > By insisting that we place your unit on unstable ground, it sank close to 6 inches into the ground in just a few weeks. This is unheard of by building standards, and should be an indication that the ground is indeed unstable. > > That is NOT normal unit settling, and we informed you that this would occur. > > When buildings shift, things break. > > When we left, your unit was level, the roof was not leaking, nor was the AC unit. When we place the AC unit in, we ensure that the water from the condenser flows OUT of the building, which is why it is important to keep the studio level, or it will come back in. > > When a building begins to warp, water seeps in after heavy rains and roof leaks occur. If left untreated mold grows. You must keep your studio level. > > This is an impossible feat on the ground you insisted that we build on. > > We tried our very best to accommodate all of your wishes and even came out to help you with repairs, but in the end your studio will continue to sink, because the ground is not prepared properly. > > As we stated, we totally understand your frustration and we TRIED to assist you multiple times by informing you that the ground was unstable and needed to be fixed. Instead you opted to claim that the studio was poorly built because of the trickle down effect of issues that have consistently, and predictably occurred. > > We are very sorry that you are unhappy with your studio, but this all could have been easily prevented by proper preparation of the ground it was placed on. Our apologies. > > We did not want your review to go without a reply, as we really do care about the people that we deliver these units to. In this instance, there is only so much one company can do, when instructions are not followed. We know the units we sell like the back of our hands, how they settle, and how they are built and we are probably the BEST place for information on how to properly prepare the ground for them. We are very sorry that you are having difficulties. > > We did try multiple times to inform you that the ground you wanted the unit on would settle in unnatural ways. > > We do apologize for any inconvenience, but at this point there really are no options. **★★★★★ — Matt Fajkus Architecture, March 2016** > Sett Studio is a fantastic company. I have worked with Sett Studio on multiple projects and I have found their entire team to be highly professional, competent, and great to work with. They balance economic efficiency with high quality and they aim for the the most appropriate solution for any lot and client. I wholeheartledly recommend considering Sett Studio to build your project. **★★★★★ — OSCAR E. FLORES DESIGN STUDIO, LLC, May 2015** > Sett Studio is a great partner of ours. They have very innovative ideas for high functional homes. We highly recommend Sett Studio to anyone looking for a sleek, modern, innovative, functional and out of the box type of home. They can build anything you need within your budget. **★★★★★ — chathaway39, May 2015** > Sett Studio did a remodel of an old house. They restored the original wood floors to their original condition, remodeled the kitchen and other updates. I would highly recommend them to anyone who is looking for quality work and a great price. **★★★★★ — Russ Hooper, Aug. 2013** > Mike and the entire team at Sett Studio were absolutely great. From conceptual design to execution, they delivered. My 1930s Austin style bungalow was transformed into a contemporary yet classical home with all the finishing touches. Props to everyone. **★★★★★ — Carlos Reina, March 2013** > Mike and Kimber of Sett studio are quite a team and did a wonderful job building our backyard studio/guest house. We got exactly what we wanted and then some. First they met with us at our home to make sure the site would work and to find out what we needed. Then they spent a lot of time with us to custom design the right structure. Once construction began things went very quickly. Sett Studio responded very quickly to questions we had along the way, and even changed some things as needed. When we ran into some problems with parts from a manufacturer the Sett Studio team bent over backwards to make sure we got replacements and guaranteed the work. We've had our studio now for just over a week and we love it. It turned out beautifully, even though it's very different than most of the studios Sett has built before. Today Mike came by again to make sure everything was working well for us, and it is. I'm a very satisfied customer and I'd hire them again. **★★★★★ — garrywise, Aug. 2012** > We have now hired Sett Studio on 2 separate occasions to build 3 different studios here at GoodLife Team. We are very pleased about the workmanship, the finish-out, the modern design, and ease with which it was installed. Thank you Sett Studio! We highly recommend you to anyone interested in a studio. **★★★★★ — hububashu, Aug. 2012** > I'm a perfectionist and a capable handyman/builder. When I don't have the time to complete a big job, or one that requires a great amount of detail, I always call Mike Speciale. > > Because it gets done right. Period. **★★★★★ — Joey Williams, July 2012** > These guys are amazing. I was lucky enough to meet Mike and the Sett guys a few years ago when they started building these home studios. I work from home, and never really had considered my space - much less an environmentally friendly, well-deigned space. > > I love my Sett. It is perfect for me, as we have a new baby at home, and I'm close enough to help my wife when she needs me, but also able to get away from "house things" and concentrate on my work. > > If you are serious about a home studio, these guys are professionals that care about energy efficiency, and take pride in producing something that looks great. You'll be happy to see it every time you walk outside. I am! ## Selected projects - [Placid Place](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/placid-place-pj-vj~5600959) - Location: Austin, TX - Photos: 24 - [402 Westbrook](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/402-westbrook-pj-vj~5566683) - Location: Austin, TX - Photos: 45 - [Avenue G Remodel](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/avenue-g-remodel-pj-vj~4506251) - Location: Austin, TX - Photos: 25 - Description: Remodel in Hyde Park Austin, TX - [1823 W. 36th Street](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/1823-w-36th-street-pj-vj~2985075) - Location: Austin, TX - Photos: 33 - [Milam Grove - 11 home Community](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/milam-grove-11-home-community-pj-vj~2770401) - Location: Austin, TX - Photos: 3 - [4908 Strass Austin, TX 78731](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/4908-strass-austin-tx-78731-pj-vj~1479373) - Location: Austin, TX - Photos: 32 - [606 W Johanna Austin, Tx](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/606-w-johanna-austin-tx-pj-vj~1662789) - Location: Austin, TX - Photos: 10 - Description: Central Austin single family condos built, in the heavily desired area 78704, home to SXSW and ACL. - [Trinity Backyard Work Studio](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/trinity-backyard-work-studio-pj-vj~2090266) - Location: Austin, TX - Photos: 5 - Description: Mobile backyard work studios by Sett Studio and MF Architecture. Designed to be mobile, the Trinity work studio comes with built in climate control, and SMART studio features. - [92 Square Foot Backyard Office](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/92-square-foot-backyard-office-pj-vj~57274) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 9 - [809 W. Live Oak St. Austin, TX](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/809-w-live-oak-st-austin-tx-pj-vj~1200052) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 14 - [900 Live Oak](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/900-live-oak-pj-vj~578545) - Location: Austin, TX - Photos: 11 - Description: Modern home built in downtown Austin, Texas. Nested in the much desired neighborhood of Bouldin Creek, this home features Carrara marble counter tops through out the home, custom cabinetry and finishes, with honed white oak flooring and stained concrete. This home also offers signature charred siding by Sett Studio. - [Downtown Austin Remodel](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/downtown-austin-remodel-pj-vj~300710) - Location: Austin, TX - Photos: 10 - Description: Remodel of home in downtown Austin. Great mix of sleek, modern, efficient design with a traditional feel. - [2-240 SF +/- office studios](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/2-240-sf-office-studios-pj-vj~66904) - Location: Austin, TX - Photos: 6 - Description: Two offices built for local Austin real estate company the GoodLife Team. - [Dwell 2013](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/dwell-2013-pj-vj~305089) - Location: Austin, TX - Photos: 7 - Description: Dwell on Design show in LA 2013. - [Home Remodel Designed and Built by Sett Studio](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/home-remodel-designed-and-built-by-sett-studio-pj-vj~94335) - Location: Austin, TX - Photos: 8 - Description: Kitchen Remodel designed and built by Sett Studio. - [International Builders Show 2014](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/international-builders-show-2014-pj-vj~452881) - Location: Las Vegas, NV - Photos: 3 - Description: Plygem designed backyard office built by Sett Studio. - [PlyGem](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/plygem-pj-vj~305080) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 3 - [Custom Charred Shou Sugi Ban siding by Sett Studio.](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/custom-charred-shou-sugi-ban-siding-by-sett-studio-pj-vj~584474) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 7 - Description: Our Shou Sugi Ban Charred Wood siding is available in several finishes and colors, for interior and exterior uses. Prices start at 13.99 a SF. We are the premier, custom, handmade, charred siding dealer in the US. Our prices and quality are better than others you may find. Contact us for more information! - [Novi DIY Tiny Office](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/novi-diy-tiny-office-pj-vj~2670728) - Location: Austin, TX - Photos: 5 - Description: Order your Novi DIY flatpack today! It is shipped to your house and the customer can build it in their own backyard. Order off of our website www.settstudio.com - [902 Live Oak](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/902-live-oak-pj-vj~1290907) - Location: Austin, TX - Photos: 8 - Description: Modern Home in downtown Austin, Texas [See all 22 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/home-builders/sett-studio-pfvwus-pf~436309962) ## Ideabooks - [Johanna St Inspo](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/183936526/list/johanna-st-inspo) — 12 ideas - [Frazier Ideas](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/121315254/list/frazier-ideas) — 7 ideas - [Westmary](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/117112707/list/westmary) — 2 ideas - [kitchens](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/8314606/list/kitchens) — 5 ideas - [Our House](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/54124877/list/our-house) — 39 ideas - [fence](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/2990679/list/fence) — 3 ideas - [wall cladings](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/7461034/list/wall-cladings) — 3 ideas - [bathroom](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/8041933/list/bathroom) — 1 idea - [outdoor](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/8041777/list/outdoor) — 1 idea - [furn](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/7460945/list/furn) — 1 idea - [cabinet features](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/3149075/list/cabinet-features) — 1 idea [See all 11 ideabooks](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/settstudio) ## Community Q&A **Q: paint color please?** *(in Photo Questions)* What is this beautiful paint color? A: Thank you! This was a color that was mixed on site with a few others.......unfortunately there is no color code. **Q: Do you have plans to build this shed?** *(in Photo Questions)* I would like to build something similar and want to see if you are able to provide plans! A: Unfortunately we do not provide plans for our builds. Most of these are pretty simple though and rather easy to duplicate. Good luck with your studio! **Q: Love these wood floors! Where are they from?!?** *(in Photo Questions)* Love these wood floors! Where are they from?!? A: I do not have the manufacture information however, they are french white oak 7" engineered planks. **Q: on your hardie boards, what color grey is that?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: It is actually black stained cedar siding. This leaves the wood with a great finish. **Q: Love the floor color! What stain/finish did you use?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: This was an oak that was purchased from Prosource flooring in Austin a few years ago. I am unsure as to if it is still available though.....we loved it a lot as well! **Q: Longevity of Color** *(in Photo Questions)* How long would the color last before you have to stain it again? A: It depends on the exposure to the sun and the area that you may be in. In most cases, reapplication would need to be with-in the first year and again as needed for a few years to come. --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-08-13.*