Donna F. Boxx, Architect, P.C.

My husband and I interview many different people for our complex rehab/addition project to our 100 year old home. Donna seemed to just get it right away, she is very talented and has a great team working with her. Absolutely the best.

My husband and I have worked with Donna on our past two homes. Fifteen years ago we built a new home which Donna designed. More recently, we purchased a 110 year old 3 story home in need of major renovation. Our goal was to bring it up to today's standards but maintain the original character and identity of a turn of the century grand residence. To complicate matters, the home was in a historic district of the city with strict building standards. Donna Boxx and Alan Ruby did a detailed analysis of the space and developed a design and layout that provided us with all of our must-haves while conforming to the historical requirements. Donna and her associates were a pleasure to work with. They were both professional and personable. We will certainly include them on any future design and highly recommend them for your project.

Donna is simply one of the best in her industry. Beyond being an experienced and great architect, Donna has a very pleasant personality and is fun to work with. She listens to her customer's needs and envisions a design that fits the environment, the client, and the latest thinking in design.

Donna Boxx did an exceptional job for us on our project. We presented her with a challenging puzzle in regards to what we wanted out of our home expansion. She came up with several creative solutions and designs and upon implementation we are grateful that we turned to her. Would definitely use her again.

Our project consisted of a large remodel of a home built in 1937 with some additional square footage to add space and rooms for: a master bath, master closet, rear staircase, additional storage, second floor laundry, new garage and a rebuild of the existing family room/library. The project began by our interviewing the builder of choice first, and he, in turn, recommended Donna Boxx's firm. We had met Donna several years before and were satisfied that she could help us. A leading element here is the close working relationship Donna has with the builder and the obvious professional relationship they had. The project, probably like all projects, grew once initial construction began. Donna's team was readily available to accommodate the changes either we made or the builder recommended and we didn't lose a day waiting for new drawings. The measurements were very precise - and for those contemplating a new construction project - this is very important. We literally discussed inches in placement of walls for closets, bathrooms and associated fixtures. And this is just referring to the inside . The exterior is all brick, 3-story. Roof lines and expanded attic areas as well as load bearing walls determined what the inside could ultimately look like and be functional. Donna and her team and the builder met the challenges and met and exceeded our expectations. It took a long time because of unforeseen problems - 14 months, but now, looking back, it was worth it. We have a great new home enclosing our old home. Beautiful job!

Donna Boxx is truly a professional architect. I have worked with her and her associates on several of my projects and have always been more that pleased with their work. I would highly recommend Donna if you are looking for a professional architect.

Donna Boxx and her group are consummate professionals. The project was a mere conception which Donna turned into the full completion of our dream. Three other firms declared our project not dupable. We were expanding both out and up. This included removing two thirds of the roof while remaining in the house. Extremely well conceived with virtually no problems for the contractor, on time, and at a very reasonable cost. I have never had a construction project go so well.

As a small, high end custom builder, Bruning Homes has worked with Donna Boxx, Architect, P.C. numerous times over the last ten years to design custom homes that perfectly fit the lifestyle and budget of our clients. Donna and her talented team bring creativity and practicality to the design process. She is very perceptive and responsive to our clients personal tastes and preferences. Donna is efficient and establishes realistic timelines for the design process. Donna is a delight to work with and continues to exceed the expectations of our clients! Fred and Mary Bruning

Donna Boxx and her associate, Alan Ruby, have performed two significant renovation projects for us. We had a colonial-style ranch home in West St. Louis County that had been in my family for three generations, since my grandparents built it in the 50s. I originally turned to Donna in 2004 upon referral from a local builder when I asked for an architect who did good work on pre-existing conditions. We wanted to add a significant amount of space to the home and open the floor plan to match more contemporary plans. We picked a French-Country style, and my request of Donna was to design so that the integration looked seamless, and that a passer-by wouldn't know if it was an old home that was well-maintained, or a new home designed to look old. Donna nailed it in the conceptual plans. She swung the pendulum far to start, offering three options: extend sideways, extend back, or add a level and extend up (or any combination of the three). My initial inclination was to do an addition to the back, but Donna helped us understand that adding a level would provide the most livable space and stay true to style. It also carried the most risk since we would have to remove the roof. We still settled on this option, and couldn't be more pleased the way everything came together. We have regularly had people stop and ask about the house unsolicited, and I have had offers to buy even thought it has never been on the market. Throughout the process, Alan provided the most hand-on service. At least in our case, they had a nice system where Donna worked on big-picture concepts and Alan carried out the fine detail work. We did know at the time that one shortcoming of the house was the original 2-car garage, but Donna accounted for that in the original renovation. We went back to her in 2012 to replace our rear wood deck with an integrated brick 2-car garage with a deck above. Just like the original renovation, the finished product is a seamless integration and we now have the 4 car stalls we originally wanted plus a beautiful outdoor living space that has become the centerpiece of our outdoor entertaining. I couldn't recommend Donna more highly. Mike Mahn of Mahn Custom Homes built the garage, and I recently heard from one of his new clients that in their conversation, Mike asked the client if he wanted to interview architects. The client said just cut to the chase, to which Mike replied, don't ask questions, just hire Donna.

Donna's experience, insight and vision provided the tools for the beautiful and functional remake of my bathroom. I wanted a bathroom that would be transgenerational yet contemporary. It had to have a walk in tub for my later years, an easy in and out of the shower, provide easy to get to storage and elegance. Donna visited, measured and asked probing questions as to what I wanted and why. From this she developed drawings, offered website and magazine resources and gave suggestions about floor plans, cabinetry, bathroom products and its hardware. Donna answered every call and text promptly and when all was done I had a very personal and spectacular design for my new bathroom.

We hired Donna after interviewing several architects, her experience and we can do it personality were what ultimately swayed our decision. On meeting her she immediately began to give us ideas of how our home could be transformed. Donna "got" what our vision was for this total gut and remodel project, she listened carefully to our ideas and concerns. She was sensitive to our budget as well as the non negotiable amenities we wanted this home to include. Our meetings were always both fun and productive, and her entire staff was helpful and a pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend Donna and her firm for any project, large or small. I wish we had something left to remodel so we could hire Donna again!

Donna, Allan, and their architectural support team are amazingly and refreshingly personal, creative, professional, and responsive. They were able to take an old 70s ranch with all its oddities and convert it into a new craftsman style home. They listened carefully over many conferences to come up with a creative design, worked within our budget to get us what we needed, revised and revised patiently to get it perfect, and then followed up with on the job supervision and sometimes substantive changes on the fly, including invaluable help with the governmental review process. They all worked so well with our construction crew, who had their cell numbers for on the spot questions about plans or problems, of which, one can imagine, there were many. Thanks to Donna's architectural design (the neighbors are truly in awe of the front elevation and interior transformation), Allan's meticulously drafted plans (the city review board and fire teams said they had never seen such meticulous detail), and the respectful collaboration with all involved (we are all still talking to each other after what ended up being a tedious, four year project), we now have the transformed home we wanted when we started: solid as a rock and nearly soundproof, aesthetically consistent with the older parts of the house, and the openness, light, and functionality of a new home, even if it all drove Donna and Allan crazy sometimes trying to get it for us! They did it all with a smile, and with exceptional professionalism. They certainly went the distance for us, and are just an awesome team. They have my highest recommendation as an architectural firm.