François Lévy Architecture + Interiors

We worked with François Lévy Architecture + Interiors to remodel our 1950's bungalo in Travis Heights in 2019. François Lévy was wonderful to work with and we are delighted with the outcome. Most projects like ours probably begin with difficult constraints: maximum square footage, impervious ground cover, setbacks, etc. that must be approached skillfully and creatively. The architect listened to our need and designed a plan that fit our budget to solve for all the priorities on our wish list. The construction was performed by One Handy Mutha. Because of the good working relationship between architect and contractor our home was completed ahead of schedule and on-budget. We are absolutely thrilled now with our new home.

François and his staff helped us redesign our new-to-us home to fit our lifestyle and taste. We went into the process fully expecting to add on to the home in order to carve out all the spaces we had on our wishlist. We were thrilled when François worked his magic and found a way to incorporate a dedicated play room, a guest bedroom, and a 3rd bathroom within the existing footprint of the home by smartly reconfiguring existing spaces and shuffling a few walls. François’s staff were great to work with throughout the construction process and the GC they recommended we work with was amazing. It was great to have the help with trim and material selections - Sherri listened to what we wanted and her suggestions were always spot on in terms of style and budget. Overall we had a very positive experience and would highly recommend.

I cannot say enough great things about Francois and his team! We started our search for architects about 18 months ago and today I write this working from my fabulous new office space. From the first meeting, we knew Francois was the right fit for us. He listened to what we were trying to achieve with phase 2 of a remodel to our home. His team had to work within the confines of taking a 1950's house that had been added onto over the years and then remodeled 1x already by us as we attempted to bring the house back to a cohesive state. That didn't allow him complete creative freedom but he took what he had to work with and we are blown away by the end result. Our Phase 2 was a master remodel/addition, build a detached guest house and a full remodel of our outdoor space and pool. They came back to us with several concepts and allowed us to provide input about what worked/didn't work. When the selected design turned out to be more expensive to build than we were comfortable with, Francois went back to the drawing board and helped us to engineer a design that met our desire for a more modern aesthetic, creating the spaces we needed but in a way that allowed us to "get it all" without having to cut elements due to budget. We trusted Francois' recommendation for builder options and couldn't be more thrilled with how smoothly everything went! We LOVE our new space and what feels like the house we always knew it could be.

We’ve worked with Francois on three occasions, and every time, he’s surprised and delighted us with his creative approach and output. Each engagement has been for improvements to our 110 year old house, and in every case, he’s listened closely to our goals, occasionally nudged us to question our assumptions, and ultimately produced designs that met our functional and aesthetic goals while combining a modern vision and sensibility with respect for the historical character of the house. I highly recommend Francois and look forward to an opportunity to work with him again.

Upon becoming empty nesters, my wife and I realized our next phase in life would be eldercare for parents, and hopefully later to age in place ourselves. To those ends we wished to resolve the shortcomings of space and functionality of our modest 1960s suburban home without changing the character and size compatible with the single family neighborhood. This wish was fully granted after we engaged Francois Levy to develop concept drawings, then prepare construction documents, recommend contractors for interview, and finally to provide architectural oversight during construction. Francois stayed within his stated scope and fee schedule throughout the project. He also maintained a cheerful pleasant demeanor with us, with his staff and with the contractor at all times. Francois possess three qualities I hold paramount in a professional: 1) He listens intently so that he understands and responds to the clients need over his own ideals; 2) He loves his work and has an innate sense of how to arrange space for optimal utility, functionality, and visual presentation; 3) He has great depth of personal experience, but remains receptive to ideas proposed by his staff and his clients. The result of our project exceeded our expectations. I would recommend Francois to anyone who may spend a lifetime in the home they create.

Five stars for these guys. My partner and I got involved with Francois due to a case of mistaken identity. We thought we were talking to an architect a friend recommended but we weren't . Still, by the time the phone conversation with Francois ended, we were so impressed with his sincere and straightforward manner, we agreed to meet and show him the renovation we were considering. Immediately, I was struck by his vision for a tiny 60 year old house most architects would have told us to scrap. It wasn't our home but rather a place we'd bought to downsize too. Knowing we were nervous regarding the space we'd lose in moving to this redo, Kimberly and Francois spent several hours with us in the home we were leaving and listened as we told them what we loved about it and hated having to forego. When Francois came back to us with his preliminary drawings for the redo we were elated to see how well he heard us. The changes he'd suggested for the old (soon to be new) .house were thrilling and right on the mark. Through stops, starts and changes we've had with this project, including having to make sudden accommodations for an ailing parent, Francois and Kimberly have been solicitous, patient and helpful advisors. As well, Francois has proven to be a valuable and trusted guide. Most appreciatively, along with Levy Kohlhass designer, Sherri Ancipink, he makes sure our sometimes excessive taste doesn't override our strong desire to stay in budget. Frankly, Levy Kohlhaas Architecture has made us feel less like clients and more like a part of the team.

Levy Kohlhaas has been a creative force behind our complicated 1930's home remodel. It is refreshing to find an architect that is committed to designing something that works for the family and staying true to the original home. Their architect listens, is accountable, and available throughout the whole project.

Levy Kohlhaas collaborated with our family to design a 1,000 sqft addition to our 1935 Old Enfeild Tudor home. The addition included: 1. subterranean basement 2. Main Floor floating stair entry, expanded living room, children's study, 3. 2nd story laundry room, bathroom, master closet, master bedroom, and patio/deck overlooking downtown Austin. Levy Kohlhaas shared our passion about preserving the historical significance of the exterior elevation and work closely with our contractors to ensure material and style harmonization. While all restorations and remodels are faced with numerous challenges with the city, sub-contractors, weather and personnel, Francois Levy was a calming and objective adviser throughout the process. Pricing was always fair and reasonable; communication was of the highest standard. We would certainly work with Levy Kohlhaas again.

We would never have been able to design our dream home without François. He was wonderful to work with and held our nervous hands through the whole process. We had a few wrenches thrown into the project including an elderly parent added to the mix and it was handled with grace and aplomb. Although, before our complete home redo, we had never met, we now consider François, Kimberly and Sheri to be friends. You will not be sorry if you hire this dream team. They have vision, great taste and are extremely knowledgeable. They stick to schedule and are cost conscious.

Francois Levy took every idea we had for a house and made it better. The living spaces feel large and the eat in kitchen opening into the screened in porch with another dining area is wonderful. Downsizing is an adventure and Levy Kohlhaas helped us conceptualize our new home. Levy suggested the exposed duct work as a way of having higher ceilings, and this modern farmhouse is easy to live in. Love it and loved working with them!

We have been working with Francois for over a year on an addition to and remodel of our existing home. Because we want to continue living in our house through the process, the project is slightly more complex than normal as it has multiple phases - first the addition, then the demolition and reconstruction of the existing home. Francois has excelled while working within these limitations. He listened to our goals and desires and produced a design that is practical, looks incredible, fits our needs, and stays within our budget. Through the process Francois has been accommodating of our questions, revisions, second-guessing, and flip-flopping. As the addition is currently nearing completion, I can see that the end result will exceed any expectations I initially had for the project. I have no reservations in recommending Francois.

I have known Francois Levy for many years, and have worked closely with him on two major renovations to my home. The house was built in 1936, and I bought it in 1993. Francois designed a complete remodel of the master bedroom in 2002, and a complete remodel of the entire downstairs in 2011. Houzz did a photoshoot in 2013, following the downstairs remodel. http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/7009782/list/My-Houzz--An-Art-Filled-Austin-Home-Has-Something-to-Add. Francois has been an absolute delight to work with. He has been very responsive to deadlines and budgets, and has come up with ideas/solutions that have met our needs far better than anything we had envisioned. His efforts and vision have turned what was basically a big, rather uninteresting box into a space that is an absolute joy to live in, every day. The master bedroom project was considerably more limited in scope and budget. Francois worked extremely well with our builder and with me, being flexible with his design while remaining true to the overall vision. The collaboration was such a success that when the time came to do the major renovation downstairs (which involved taking walls, floor and ceiling down to the joists), my wife and I were so comfortable with Francois and the rest of the "team" that we actually left the country for two months, supremely confident that we were in the best of hands. Francois was always willing to check on the construction and to email me photos and updates. And on one occasion, when I realized that I had overlooked a detail that would prove important, Francois designed an extension to the existing roof and worked with me remotely (via email) and with the building on site to finalize a rather significant change to our plans. I tend to be very involved in these projects, and there is no way we could have accomplished this without having an architect in whom I had the utmost trust and confidence. I have recommended, and would recommend Francois to anyone looking for an architect. And I would be delighted to speak to anyone in person who is considering him.