Outlaw Design Company

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About Us

Virginia Residential Design, Best of Houzz 2015-2016

We are interested in translating our clients’ visions into their built projects in an enjoyable and minimally stressful process. We design houses, renovations, additions, and light commercial buildings, with specialties in kitchen design, accessibility, and adaptive reuse. Our mission is to design buildings that work well with the site, provide maximum function, comfort, and delight, use resources wisely, and are built to last. Ruth Ellen Outlaw is a licensed architect who established Outlaw Design Company in 1999. The Process We begin with an initial meeting, during which we listen to our clients’ ideas and compare the probable cost of the project they have in mind to their budget. We assess any relevant problems with an existing structure and become familiar with the building site to determine its potential and limitations. The initial sketches we produce are an efficient way to look at ideas in order to get input from the client before producing construction drawings. It can benefit a project to get a builder involved fairly early on, and there are many builders in the area that we’ve worked with and can recommend if you haven’t already found one you like. It’s inevitable that issues crop up during construction. We collaborate with the builder to work through these and encourage our clients to be as involved in the design and building process as they wish. Open communication, mutual trust, and solid relationships between client, builder, and architect are essential to good design.

Services Provided

3D Rendering, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), Architectural Design, Architectural Drawings, Attic Conversion, Barn Design & Construction, Basement Design, Basement Remodeling, Bathroom Design, Building Design, Custom Home, Deck Design, Drafting, Energy-Efficient Homes, Floor Plans, Garage Design, Green Building, Guesthouse Design & Construction, Handicap-Accessible Design, Historic Building Conservation, Home Additions, Home Extensions, Home Gym Design & Construction, Home Remodeling, Home Restoration, House Plans, Kitchen Design, Kitchen Remodeling, Laundry Room Design, Log Home Construction, Mudroom Design, Multigenerational Homes, New Home Construction, Outdoor Kitchen Design, Passive Solar Heating & Cooling, Pool House Design & Construction, Project Management, Rooftop Deck Installation, Site Preparation, Space Planning, Staircase Design, Sustainable Design, Tiny House Construction, Universal Design, Custom Homes, Construction Drawings, Outdoor Spaces

Areas Served

Charlottesville, Earlysville, Free Union, Hollymead, Ivy, Keswick, Lake Monticello, North Garden, Palmyra, Batesville, Covesville, Crozet, Esmont, Keene, Scottsville, White Hall, Afton, Arrington, Faber, Gladstone, Lovingston, Montebello, Nellysford, Norwood, Piney River, Roseland, Tyro, Shipman, Bremo Bluff, Fork Union, Kents Store

14 Projects

Kitchen/dining room combo - modern limestone floor kitchen/dining room combo idea in Other with beige walls

Business Details

Business Name

Outlaw Design Company

Phone Number

(434) 971-9914

Website

outlawdesigncompany.com

Address

Charlottesville, VA 22903

Typical Job Cost

$50,000 - 1.5 million

Fee Information Upon Request

License Number

0401015251

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Credentials

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Write a Review

27 Reviews for Outlaw Design Company

Newest first

Brian & Teresa Sparg

We embarked on a total renovation of a single level 4500 sq.ft home build in 1949. The contractor we retained recommended Ruth Ellen and Outlaw design. The final result was outstanding in large part due to a close, friendly and professional working relationship with Ruth Ellen. She understood and interpreted our desires, ideas and tastes and then enhanced them with significant improvements. she always justified her suggestions with sound logic and architectural designs and knowhow, so we never felt pushed in a direction we did not want. The work done included a New large Kitchen, Master Bedroom and master bathroom, Family room, Dining room, conservatory, guest bedroom and bathroom, front entrance hall, large living room and two patios. All design features incorporated the feel of the original home and capitalized on the beauty of our 2 1/2 acre plot at the foot hills of the Blue Ridge mountains. Also a very important point was that She suggested and joined us on visits to suppliers of Kitchen cabinets, Bathroom fittings, etc. which was extremely helpful. It was also very apparent that she had a very professional relationship with all contractors enabling them to completely interpret the designs and plans during construction.

August 14, 2019

Sun Structures

Outlaw Design is great to work with! We have worked with Ruth Ellen on a few Addition/Renovation projects over the years and have been very pleased with the mindful and creative approach to each project. She listens well to make sure all of the goals and wish lists from the customer are incorporated in the design.

July 11, 2019

Comment from Outlaw Design Company:

Thank you! It's a pleasure to work with you, and I hope we can collaborate on many more jobs in the future.

Aaron & Co. Custom Carpentry

I became acquainted with Ruth Ellen Outlaw in 2016 on a nearly half-million dollar residential project she designed, for which I was the on-site project manager. The project involved the full restoration of a mid-century modern home, which had fallen into some disrepair and which was in desperate need of an update. Ruth Ellen's ability to visualize the big picture allowed us to provide the client a thoughtfully-designed living experience that preserved the home's history and character, while incorporating features that tie together the interior and exterior spaces; the effect is nothing short of a complete immersion in the atmosphere created by Ruth Ellen and her team. I am currently involved in another large project with Outlaw Design Company, and can imagine there will be many more opportunities to work together in the years to come.

September 5, 2017

Ben Clore

Ruth Ellen was exactly what we were looking for in an architect for the remodel of our slightly bizarre old house. She had great vision for reimagining spaces and thinking outside the box. The result was a home we both love and 2 years later still find exciting. She was able to create excellent flow in what had been a very segmented house. removing walls and even part of the first floor to create a great porch were things we would never have considered on our own. I can't recommend her enough.

September 3, 2017

Michael Hanshew

Ruth Ellen is very dedicated to her work and the clients in the production of an ideal home solution. We had a challenging site (read: "small") with a city in-fill lot, but we were able to maximize the utility of the lot and home with just a couple iterations.

August 17, 2017

Thomas Harkins

Ruth listened to our needs and translated them into a plan that meets our needs and expectations. Can't wait to get started with our project

August 9, 2017

Christie Walker

Our family has worked with Outlaw Design on two projects, and we have nothing but wonderful things to say about the quality of service that we received. It was a pleasure working with Ruth Ellen. She is an excellent listener and did an outstanding job guiding us through the design process. Our first project was our kitchen which we absolutely love and our second project was a terrace level apartment for my mother which turned out even better than we could have hoped. She thought of everything that we could have needed on both projects.

August 9, 2017

K Will

We hired Ruth Ellen of outlaw design company to draw up kitchen cabinet plans and a bathroom vanity plan. We didn't need very elaborate plans, just something to give to the cabinetmaker. Ruth Ellen gave some good suggestions for our island seating design to make it more conversational and delivered nicely done plans quickly for us with a reasonable cost. She was very easy to work with.

August 7, 2017

Carol Tanner

Ruth Ellen began working with my husband and me when we first entertained the idea of making our 3-story attached town home (built in the mid-1980's) into an lighter, airier, and simpler place in which to live. And she did not disappoint! She listened carefully to our concerns, made suggestions, shared her ideas, and otherwise opened us up to the possibility that we COULD actually accomplish this. During the construction phase, she dealt with all the realities of transforming what had been awkward spaces into more livable ones, handled those few "surprises" with grace and ease, and kept us informed of what was happening every step of the way. We now have a home that has more "flow," more light, better and more storage space, and is easier to take care of, just exactly what we wanted as a home in which to live a more simple lifestyle.

August 3, 2017

Dinny Jensen

I feel so lucky to have found Ruth Ellen for my project (and I found her on HOUZZ). I love the design work she did for the addition of a light filled, master bedroom and bath and the complete renovation of the existing space. She was able to give me what I was asking for and at the same time was thoughtful about my budget. Ruth Ellen worked well with the general contractor and I am looking forward to moving into my newly renovated home on schedule.

August 3, 2017

Carl Beuchert

We really enjoyed working with Ruth, who we believe is a great professional. She helped us thru the design, construction, and post move-in stages as we did a major renovation to an older house.

August 3, 2017

Weston Construction Company, LLC

Ruth Ellen is an extremely creative design expert, with an approachable attitude. She listens and considers all that a client would like to accomplish, then researches and provides her ideas in a comprehensive manner. As a local builder, It has always been a pleasure working with such a professional and talented person over the past 5 years or more. Outlaw Design is a company that I can truly depend on no matter how complex or simple it may be, meeting our deadlines on each of our projects.

August 3, 2017

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Outlaw Design Company rated?

Outlaw Design Company is currently rated 4.9 overall out of 5

What services does Outlaw Design Company provide?

Outlaw Design Company provides the following services: 3D Rendering, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), Architectural Design, Architectural Drawings, Attic Conversion, Barn Design & Construction, Basement Design, Basement Remodeling, Bathroom Design, Building Design, Custom Home, Deck Design, Drafting, Energy-Efficient Homes, Floor Plans, Garage Design, Green Building, Guesthouse Design & Construction, Handicap-Accessible Design, Historic Building Conservation, Home Additions, Home Extensions, Home Gym Design & Construction, Home Remodeling, Home Restoration, House Plans, Kitchen Design, Kitchen Remodeling, Laundry Room Design, Log Home Construction, Mudroom Design, Multigenerational Homes, New Home Construction, Outdoor Kitchen Design, Passive Solar Heating & Cooling, Pool House Design & Construction, Project Management, Rooftop Deck Installation, Site Preparation, Space Planning, Staircase Design, Sustainable Design, Tiny House Construction, Universal Design, Custom Homes, Construction Drawings, Outdoor Spaces

Where does Outlaw Design Company provide services?

Outlaw Design Company provides services in the following areas: Charlottesville, Earlysville, Free Union, Hollymead, Ivy, Keswick, Lake Monticello, North Garden, Palmyra, Batesville, Covesville, Crozet, Esmont, Keene, Scottsville, White Hall, Afton, Arrington, Faber, Gladstone, Lovingston, Montebello, Nellysford, Norwood, Piney River, Roseland, Tyro, Shipman, Bremo Bluff, Fork Union, Kents Store

Outlaw Design Company