Don Larkin, Architect, AIA, PLLC

We worked with Don for the last two years in the conceptual, design, planning, and construction of a major addition to our Redmond home. The project is now complete and we have moved back in. From the beginning, Don was a great partner. He listened to our ideas, brought back sketches, modified and adapted them to our constant mind changing, and finally got us to a design we loved. The drawings phase went quick, and he helped us sort through options for builders/contractors. Every step of the way, Don was respectful, but honest. His ideas were excellent, his plans turned out perfect, as the home remodel was designed to integrate with the remainder of the home. We felt that Don was able to preserve the character of the original house, yet incorporate our entire wish list in a sound design. It has been a pleasure to work with Don, we consider him our friend, and we have already reserved his time next year for a garage update.

We found Don via a recommendation from a trusted contractor, and were thrilled with the choices he made and how he incorporated our specific ideas into his design. This was a whole house remodel with the addition of a second story on a sloped site. The result is a home that looks and functions beautifully both inside and out. He is very detail oriented and had a great working relationship with our contractor over the life of the project. His design took advantage of the views of Puget Sound and brought in the Frank Lloyd Wright prairie style elements we were aiming for. While not the fastest, he cared a great deal about getting it right and we could not be happier with the end result. I would definitely recommend Don.

Don - is awesome! We had a initall call for a potential future project. We talk through it at great detail and came to the conclusion that this is likely better served by a local design/build company (I had no I idea this is a thing) - though he said he is more than happy to help if I won't be able to find local contractors/designer. Hence I got a free 30min consultation from Don. Thanks!

Don did an excellent job designing, what we like to call, our 1963 split level transformation project. We now have a house that’s the talk of the neighborhood and a place we can easily see ourselves enjoying now and well into our retirement years. Don worked with us every step of the way. From design details, to helping us push back on our contractors when they did not build to the architectural or engineering plans.

Don did a great job on the remodel of our home. He worked with us to establish our goals and then came up with a number of different options. And he adapted well when we revised our goals resulting in a final project that met most goals and stayed within budget. It was quite a big project as we moved exterior walls in three directions and added over 1000 sq. ft. as well as a covered patio and attached greenhouse. Don was very thorough in drawing up the plans, working with the engineer on load calculations and even bringing in an expert on moisture for the greenhouse portion. The final design blends seamlessly with the existing portion is also fresh and modern.

We worked with Don to design and execute a complex covered parking area connecting to two separate buildings, with steel supports and 3 levels of roof. He did a great job creating a harmonious structure that appears as if it has always been a part of our home. He worked closely with us throughout, incorporating our input and ensuring the contractors followed the design.

We hired Don in 2017 for our remodel project that has just finished up this December (2018). We chose Don originally because he was not only the most creative architect that we interviewed but he also listened the most intently to our goals for the project. Our project was a 500 sq-ft addition to the rear of our Seattle house that allowed for a new expanded kitchen and a rooftop deck. During the consultation Don was very thorough and captured our goals for the project very well. He produced two concepts, both of which were excellent, but one had less of an issue with a large existing tree in our garden. As we started to firm up the plans Don did a good job of interpreting the Seattle zoning requirements and this demonstrated by that being one of the first departments to sign off on our plans after submittal. He continued to assist us through the permitting process, especially where the city determined that they wanted a whole-house seismic retrofit. He also helped us retain a firm of structural engineers for the production of the plans. During construction the quality of the plans were evident because we had very few questions that we needed to go back to Don with, and the carpenter working on the project commented frequently the plans were some of the most accurate that he had worked with. The project has been slow since the plans were approved, mostly due to the nature of the Seattle construction market in 2018 but I believe that Don was extremely successful in both meeting our goals for the remodel and maintaining the character of our older (1928) home.

We worked with Don on the design of our home on Hood Canal. We've worked with Don before on the crawlspace conversion to a full basement we did for our main home several years ago, and knew we were working with an Architect that could capture all our thoughts and ideas and incorporate them into the design. And that is exactly what we got...Don was able to capture our ideas, descriptions styles, and yes...Houzz photos into exactly the home we wanted for our weekend waterfront home here on Hood Canal. I am still amazed at the finished product and how all those elements from our rough sketches and photos are in the design. In short, this home is exactly how we envisioned it. The design itself is only half the story as the project management role Don played in developing the spec for materials, finishes, etc...as well as helping select the right builder, were all key to this project turning out the way it has. In short, we are thrilled with the end result. Friends, neighbors and even other local tradespeople have all commented on how amazing the house turned out. We would have no reservation strongly recommending Don to anyone considering a project like this.

We hired Don Larkin to design a home for our Puget Sound waterfront lot. We wanted a house that would look like one found at the beach. Don not only designed the most beautiful shingle style house on the exterior but also addressed our desire for an open floor plan with traditional accents. Every day we are amazed at how much we enjoy the design. We receive very positive comments on the house daily from people who see it for the first time. Don's designs and his attention to detail are second to none. We were so lucky to have had the privilege of having him as our architect.

We are absolutely thrilled with our lakefront house designed by Don Larkin. We have had many visitors and we love to see their reaction as they walk in the door. Don really knows how to take advantage of a view. The combined great room, dining room, and kitchen is cleverly divided by cabinetry and ceilings of different heights. The exterior's unique charm can be attributed to a curving roofline and adherence to a beach cottage style vernacular. People really gush over the details. Don Larkin created an amazing design while working under time and site constraints. We are the proud owners of a truly beautiful and oh-so-livable house. We love it!

We hired Don to help with designing our small addition and major remodel of our lakefront home. This was one of the best decisions we could have made! Don has exceptional ideas, a great sense of design and aesthetics, and fabulous communication skills. He was quickly able to pinpoint our style and create a plan that matched our vision. He is open, honest, and a relentless advocate for his clients. His ability to problem solve and come up with unique solutions to problems in a short time frame is excellent. We now consider him a trusted friend, and recommend him highly to anyone seeking a skilled architect for a remodel and/or addition.

Our simple suburban home was feeling small with our rapidly growing children so we thought we should add on to our house. We met Don Larkin at the Seattle Home Show in 2010 and we were impressed with his work as well as his ability to share our passion for the vision of what our home could be. Don really listened to our goals for the additional space and ultimately suggested a far better implementation of those goals than the original idea that we had put forward. Over the course of construction, I asked the subcontractors what they thought of Don’s drawings and whether they were as helpful as they could be for them to do their jobs. Every single subcontractor said that these were the best, most detailed drawings they had worked with and they made their jobs significantly easier to do. Our project was done on time, only slightly over budget and only once was there an area of rework and it was due to a subcontractor misreading the drawing. For a multi-month, major remodel (> 25% of the house value), we had tremendous peace of mind having the foundation of the project being built on Don’s drawings. His creativity and integrity were key to our positive memories of both the project and the years of enjoyment from the finished work.