Ironwood Residential Design

Working with Dave Sutton at Ironwood Residential Designs has been the best experience I’ve ever had with an architect. From the very first meeting—a five-hour session filled with connection, creativity, and laughter—I knew I was in excellent hands. We connected immediately. He listened intently, took detailed notes, and sketched ideas on the spot, making the design process feel both collaborative and inspiring. We even walked around together to map out the plan in real time, which made the vision come alive. His personable and hands-on approach stood out every step of the way. What impressed me most was his dedication beyond the drawing board. He came to the property to watch both the sunrise and sunset, ensuring every detail of the design was grounded in the natural rhythm of the space. That level of care and thoughtfulness is rare. Dave is friendly, approachable, and deeply communicative—a true professional who makes the entire process enjoyable. It was not only productive but genuinely fun. I can honestly say it has been the most wonderful architectural experience of my life. We have definitely made a friend for life. Thank you so much.

We first contacted Dave of Ironwood Residential Designs as a result of a very complimentary recommendation from a local custom home building contractor. Our 50th wedding anniversary gift to each other (for my wife and me) was to have a designer create a new, original lake house plan that incorporated our many design ideas. Following our informative consultation with Dave, we knew that he was the person for the job. During the subsequent months, we were so excited to see our dream home design take shape. Dave is very creative and passionate about his work. His willingness to spend considerable time with his customers (on site, in the office, and on the phone) is such a valuable part of the design process. His attention to detail on the working drawings is legendary and of great benefit to building contractors. We are now enjoying all the comforts of our new, unique, and very functional lakeshore home. Dave’s design has proven to be exceptional and we most heartily recommend him for your dream home design wishes. He is a pleasure to deal with and you will not be disappointed. Cheers.

I have been very impressed with the services provided by Ironwood Residential Design. Our family brought a somewhat complicated situation to Dave to design a "family compound" where we would be building two homes on one lot. What makes this a little complicated is that the needs of two parts of the family are very different. Dave handled this situation my listening to each of us and designing each home in a way that meets everyone's needs, wants and requirements. A few different drafts of the plan have had to be done which Dave Happily completed. Dave is very detail orientated, listens well not only with the client but with the builder to ensure a first rate completed project. Although we have not started the build yet, I am sure the finished product will be everything we have dreamed about!!!!

Nothing but excellent things to say. Our project is the masterpiece of the neighborhood. This was a very dynamic and unique build. I doubt anything like this exists. Ironwood Design took our concept and floor plans ideas and made Penticton a better place. Colours and lights are so diverse. Floor plans are simple and spacious. People who drive by ask about this residence often. The Race Car shop and Man Cave are the envy of all who visit.

We had Dave design our home in Naramata. Dave took the time and listened to what we wanted and designed the home to meet our current and future needs. The process was surprisingly easy and many times when we had an idea he had already thought of that. Much like he is playing 3D chess with the design and we are playing checkers. Building on a hillside with a view he utilized this to ensure the views were maximized everywhere from lying in bed to in our shower. He spent a lot of time on the land looking at views, maximizing the lot for the best possible fit. We truly got the house we imagined. Dave worked seamlessly with our builder and they worked together throughout the build. Anyone looking for a home designer would be lucky to have Dave design their build. While we don’t plan to build again in near future he would be my first call.

Dave (Sensitive Information Hidden) was a pleasure to deal with. After our first consultation about size location etc. We shared a design book on this Houzz website to share our ideas for exterior and interior design. From there he proposed a few drafts from which we chose our favourite. Many little changes were made from there until final design. He is taking the location, views and geographical situation very serious and is very particular about all the little details so contractors have few issues with the construction. We are very happy with the design, comfort level and enjoyment of the house with several decks. Many compliments have been made by neighbours and friends about our Home and shop. We highly recommend talking to Dave about your future Dream Home. Jake and Ria.

Dave is fabulous at his job. He has so many great ideas. He has a lot of patience, what you need in an architect, when you keep changing your mind. He takes your dream home and makes it a reality.

I have had the pleasure of working with Dave (aka SuperDave) at Ironwood on number of projects in residential construction. As a licensed residential builder it is refreshing to work with a designer that understands construction so well. His knowledge of how buildings go together allows for not only his creativity to shine but save time and money throughout the design process. Dave is very well regarded as one of the premier home designers in our area by municipal building department staff, engineers, certified energy advisers and the list goes on. Taking an Ironwood plan in for building permit submission at any of the local municipalities is always effortless as Daves profesionalism makes sure that all necessary documents are included and ready to go further preventing any delays the may otherwise arise. There is a long list of beautiful homes in our area that have come from the creative mind of Dave at Ironwood, that's why when the time came for my wife and I to design and build our personal home the choice was easy! Thanks Dave! Always a pleasure working with you!! Brad and Caryn Klingspohn

Dave of Ironwood has designed two homes of mine and I can’t say enough about how amazing he is at his craft. My second home was my dream home and he intently took in every idea I had and wanted and made it so much better than I could of i ever imagined. Coupled with my rough drawings and wish list and the few short meetings we had he was able to create an amazing home with little to no changes. Several of the builders that worked on my home said it’s their favourite house they’ve ever built by it’s design, look and flow. I highly recommend Dave and you will not be disappointed. Sean

There really isn't enough praise and recommendation I can give to Dave Sutton of Ironwood Residential Design. He took our inexperienced thoughts and ideas and created our dream home right down to the smallest detail. He has an exceptional skill for listening and interpreting the desires of his clients. He made site visits to our lot before even starting the design, He considered potential views and the angle of the sun at different times of the day etc. Our builder told us he never gets plans with the amount of details that Dave provides. He is very passionate about his work and is personally invested in his projects. He is dedicated to high standards which seems so rare these days.

My wife and I reached out to Ironwood Residential Design on the strong recommendation of a custom homebuilder we'd selected to build our new lakeview home in Naramata, British Columbia. To say we were very satisfied with what transpired would be a gross understatement. From helping us navigate a fairly complex zoning variation process and permit application to the incredible balance of utility and architectural creativity in our final design and the truly above and beyond oversight in the actual construction process, Ironwood is a standout design firm. Our general contractor obviously placed a lot of value in feedback from Ironwood as the construction process played out and I'm sure that isn't always the relationship between design and construction. We'd probably still be mired in permit red tape if it were not for Ironwood. Months after completion and move in, we have once again called on Ironwood to prepare drawings for the addition of a swimming pool as an adaptation of our original site plan. The work is as usual, excellent and very thoughtful. I would unhesitatingly recommend Ironwood to anyone seeking a residential designer who is skilled at first drawing the vision you have for your home out of your head and then methodically making that vision come true.

We found Dave Sutton of Ironwood on Houzz and worked with him closely for a year on our dream home design in Penticton. Even though we live in the U.S. and he is in the Okanagan, BC, we found him to be tech-savvy enough that the distance did not make a difference in communication. He is creative, detail -oriented, well-versed in what builders and inspectors require, and he went out of his way to visit our site to take photographs and measurements throughout the design process. Dave was a joy to work with, and we would not hesitate to use his services again for a future project.