RD Architecture, LLC

RDA are a pleasure to work with. Very receptive to the clients desires and very artful. We had two bathrooms, a media room and an office renovated by them. Very efficient, timely and reasonably priced from the design process. Done in 3 months!

Working with Kathleen Reardon has been an outstanding experience in every way possible. Let me share a single story that exemplifies and/or demonstrates her skills and her knowledge not only as a woman, but as an architect, also. We were sitting in lawn chairs around the fire bowl area in my backyard. This was in the the early design phase of our work together. Our conversation wandered around on a multitude of topics. Literature, history, art, anthropology, and of course architecture. By the end of our extended conversation, I looked at her and said, "Kathleen. . . . I bet you graduated top of your class in The School of Architecture." She grinned and nodded her head ever so slightly. For me, I knew that she was the architect for me. Incredibly knowledgeable and understated with an extensive vocabulary which matched the situation precisely! From beginning to end, this project took about 12 to 18 months during the height of the pandemic. And yet, with all of the unpredictability . . . . think supply chain difficulties. . . Kathleen knew how to navigate the entire project with grace and ease.

An amazing group of women that never disappoint. I have hired this group for more than 5 projects. Repeat customers are the best endorsement!

It was a pleasure working with Kathleen & Susannah on my mother's gut renovation of a late 1960s ranch style house! The house had gone through various renovations throughout the prior years (before we bought it) that left the layout / flow of the house quite disjointed. We enlisted RD Architecture to help us optimize the layout of the house and restore the integrity of this beautiful ranch style house. Both Kathleen & Susannah are extremely patient and have great attention to detail - two traits that I think anyone can appreciate who is embarking on an extensive project. We just moved my mom into her new home a couple of months ago and she couldn't be happier. Thanks again for all your support on this project!

Kathleen is my neighbor and in a pinch she really went the extra mile to help us out! We were in the middle of a house renovation project when multiple paint colors had to be unexpectedly decided very quickly. We felt undecided and overwhelmed. She immediately ran over with her suitcase of colors, expertise, and calm composure to help us make what felt like overwhelming choices easy and reassuring. We were very happy with the results!!!

We had the good fortune of working with the team at RD Architecture on a home in the Memorial. The project was a full renovation. The design was beautiful and the plans were well done. Remodeling a home is complex and requires excellent teamwork. They are flexible, responsive and managed to always stay ahead of production. In addition they are pleasant individuals. It was a pleasure working with the team at RD Architecture.

We worked with Kathleen and Susannah to reimagine and modernize our traditional ranch house. They were simply stellar. From the start, both of them really got to know us, our frustrations with our house, and what we wanted to achieve. All the designs they created fit those objectives. Kathleen and Susannah found practical ways to better utilize spaces within the footprint of our house. And they did so while also achieving our top priorities to brighten the entire home and creating larger spaces for gathering. Susannah and Kathleen also provided helpful guidance about how to get the biggest “bang” for our dollars. That helped us choose alternatives that would accomplish our objectives without busting our budget. And during the build, they kept on eye on details that we would never have noticed until it was too late, from the alignment of overhead light fixtures to proposals to add fixtures that highlighted certain walls. Thank goodness we had their input through the construction process! Finally, Susannah’s special role as our design “coach” empowered us to express our style while making sure that items we chose, like tile, fixtures, hardware, paint colors, and furnishings, would fit together cohesively. The end result is a home that not only fits the way we live, but reflects who we are. Bar none, the best decision we made for our project was to work with RD Architecture. Plus, Kathleen and Susannah are delightful people that we have enjoyed getting to know. We are truly grateful for their help! - The Rices

You’ve heard of Bauhaus? We got WOW-haus. Because “Wow!” is what we hear time and again when people walk through our front door for the first time. Credit RD Architecture with creativity, flexibility, and above all, patience. Our first lot — and the design that went with it — was in the Heights Historical District. After five tries to satisfy hysterical Historical design demands, we sold that lot and found another. The new lot is trapezoidal — at the end of a cul-de-sac with a spreading live oak in the back yard. Kathleen Reardon was able to reconfigure our plans to fit the odd-shaped lot, including inventive fenestration to display the live oak from every facing room in the house. Inside and out, Susannah (Sensitive Information Hidden) and Kathleen (Sensitive Information Hidden) create elegant, efficient, and innovative environments. Arched doorways, rounded corners, vaulted ceilings, a backlit onyx panel, red oak hardwoods, and detail after detail created our unique custom design. Our construction manager calls the house “curated,” because it’s packed with layers of embellishments that are a delight to live in and a wonder to our guests. Thank you, RD! We got a gem to call home.

Kathleen did a super job on our addition to our 2/1 small bungalow in The Heights. We added a full bath and closet to our 1000 sq ft cottage for a total square footage of 1115 sq. ft. We were out of town for most of the time construction was ongoing, and Kathleen was our eyes while we were gone. She ran little errands for us finding hardware, etc and was truly indispensable since we were gone,. I had total trust that everything would be great when we returned....and it was! Picking finishes and fixtures was an easy process – with preselected ideas for us to choose from. My daughter's reaction to the addition was "mom - you'd never know it was an add-on!" - which is just what we wanted! An added bonus was that Kathleen connected us with a builder who was a great fit for our project. It can be hard to find the right team for a small project and our team was Goldilocks perfect!

We highly recommend Kathleen and Susannah! Kathleen is a true artist. The backyard addition she designed is a jewel. The scale is perfect and it looks like it was designed when the house was built. Susannah has a great eye and worked with us to find just the right finishes. In addition, they were thought partners and problem solvers with us throughout construction. They are caring, contentious, and trustworthy. We would work with them again without reservation!

Kathleen, is brilliant. I thought I needed to add a second story to my house to get the space I wanted for storage. She took my needs and wants and made them reality. I now have a large walk-in closet in my Master bedroom that is over 15 feet in length. She saw space that I didn't realize I had. I now have a large sewing room I never thought was possible without adding a second story to my home. She is very easy to work with. In the middle of the project I wanted to have a large picture window in my entry. She made it happen. We added new windows which made a huge difference. So happy with the results. I highly recommend Kathleen.

RD designed our addition. Turned out even better than we expected. Very happy. Great folks to work with.

RD Architecture is an incredible design firm. They use creativity and functionality to create unique spaces for their clients. For us, they designed a large extension to our existing 1960s home. Through out the design process, Sue and Kathleen were a joy to work with. Their combined experiences gave us multiple options to choose from and they are both excellent problem solvers! Construction on our home has been completed for six months and now that we are living in the space, we are even more grateful to RD Architecture. The functionality of the space far exceeds expectation. They truly gave us everything we wanted while maintaining our budget. I highly recommend this company for all architecture and design needs.

We loved working with Kathleen and Susannah for our major remodeling project. After we looked at their previous work, we knew they are an extraordinary team. They really surpassed all our expectations. From the very beginning, they listened to our goals and needs, then came back with brilliant ideas and designs and worked closely with us throughout the entire process to refine the final plan. They then connected us with a builder who they trusted and who understood their vision. We had Susannah's and Kathleen's support and advice throughout. They were always fully engaged and available, and helped us choose everything (paint colors, doors, floors, fixtures, lights, tiles, new furniture, etc.). They made the entire process so fun, exciting and rewarding. The end result, a masterful combination of beautiful design, comfort and functionality, is so much more than we could have ever dreamed off when we started. We absolutely love living in our new/remodeled house. We highly, highly recommend RD architecture!

RD Architecture are a fantastic team! This is the third full-house remodel my wife and I have gone through, and this one has by far been the easiest with the BEST result. I believe this is because Kathleen and Susannah take the unique approach of utilizing a true Discovery process. They did an extraordinary job of learning about our family, our needs, our wants and tastes before they began their design process. They also understand the unique challenges associated with remodeling an older home (ours was built 90 years ago), and were able to customize the design to adapt to the constraints and opportunities that our existing home presented them. They also were fantastic at shepherding us through the entire process, from concepts through construction, and have a firm understanding of the balance between design, constructability, costs and schedule and aren't afraid to share their perspective as you weigh those factors. It was truly a delight working with both Kathleen and Susannah and we couldn't be happier with our finished result!

"Kathleen is a genius!" I must have said and thought this a million times over the course of designing, building, and furnishing our custom modern home. Our project presented multiple unique challenges for which Kathleen (sometimes with Susannah's help) invariably found beautiful and highly functional solutions. Kathleen is very strongly logical and super creative. For our house, for example, she invented the idea of putting our gorgeous unique kitchen island countertop also below the cabinets in place of the typical cabinet molding. It really pops! She also created an original work of art to disguise the air intake in the stairway. Made of strips of thin wood, this gorgeous work of art varies through the day with the light and shadows. Because she renders everything in 3-D, she made us mindful of perspectives and views from every vantage point in the house. Because of this extra effort, not only is every view within the house purposeful, every window frames a piece of nature. You'd never know we were in a huge city with neighbors! She also saved us a lot of money through creative design and solutions. Unlike the other architects we spoke with and that our friends have told us about who want to do their own thing and don't listen to their clients (even when building a custom home), Kathleen listens carefully and comes up with the exact solution to fit you—invariably better than what you envisioned! Everything she did was perfect for us; we love our beautiful home. Like I say, Kathleen is a GENIUS!

We love working with RD Architecture, and for that reason we chose them to design our new home last year, after working with them on a remodel project back in 2010. Kathleen and Susannah are talented, responsive, kind, patient, and level-headed. They helped us design a great, functional remodel, and an amazing, happy new home, and we would recommend them to anyone.

We had long anticipated working with Kathleen and Susannah and the wait was so worth it. Their specialization in ranch homes was a match for our desire to modernize our 1955 ranch yet honor the era and original design of the home. We couldn’t be more pleased. They truly listen to your wishes helping you understand the possibilities, and surprising you with things you haven’t even imagined! Thank you Susannah and Kathleen for designing our forever home!

We originally reached out to RD to work on a remodel of our 1950’s ranch style house. After meeting with Kathleen and Susannah and going over the economics of remodeling vs starting new, we decided to start new. We had a lot of fun during every phase of the project - from discussing roof style to picking out light fixtures. Kathleen and Susannah are great listeners and were able to pick up on some of the subtleties of our style. They are very detailed which was extremely helpful for our builder during the construction phase. Every potential question was considered in advance. We love our new home and can’t thank them enough for making our vision come to life.

We couldn’t have chosen a better team. Kathleen and Susannah were amazing to work with. We used their architectural and design services for the construction of our new 7000 SF home in Houston and they truly helped create a space that was made for our family. Kathleen really listened to our ideas, took in our wish list and managed to materialize it in a way that seemed so simple and perfect. Susannah helped every step of the way as we worked to refurnish our entire home – whether it was creating a unique space for each of our kids to finding the right custom furniture to fulfill our entertaining needs. We couldn’t love our house more. They really catered to our every need and we’re so glad to have had the opportunity to work with these two incredible ladies. Thank you so much for everything!

I have worked with Susannah and Kathleen over a couple of years as I started with an idea to renovate a portion of my ranch home interior. We completed a renovation in my kitchen, which I’m very pleased with and we are in the process of renovating two bathrooms (should be completed in Sept 2020). They’ve also helped me with a few other design choices (e.g., exterior paint & stain color selection, garage door design, etc.). In every situation Susannah and Kathleen have been very helpful, responsive and patient -- with my questions, inquiries and ideas. I've learned quite a lot and more importantly feel I gained two new friends I can really trust when it comes to home renovation and design needs.

We originally hired RD Architecture for a down to the studs kitchen remodel. They did a terrific job of showing multiple, dramatically different layout options. After the August 2015 flood we expanded the scope to include master bath remodel and re configuring other rooms as well. We were at the rough stage when the 2016 tax day flood hit. We then decided to "elevate" the house and the scope increased yet again to include breezeway, deck, masonry stairs and other design elements. The three key attributes for a design team are: talent, soft skills, and workflow. The team at RD excelled at all three. We consistently got designs that met our goals and dreams. They are great listeners and very easy to work with on a personal level. Work product was delivered on time. Communication was clear and consistent. They were great advocates and sounding boards as we dealt with contractors and other third parties. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

RD Architecture have recently completed our addition of a studio above the garage, expanded kitchen and new sunroom. We are so delighted with the results! Not having fully formulated our ideas, Susannah listened to our thoughts and offered us many choices on how this project could be realized, modifying them as we went along and as she guided us through the process. The meticulous attention she paid to the original house design now ensures the addition blends seamlessly. The same attention to detail followed throughout the building and execution phase where Susannah was available for advice, questions, queries and any matters that arose. The company truly stays with you every step of the way, listens carefully to your needs and comes up with the most beautiful, creative design solutions. I would recommend them without hesitation to anyone embarking on such a large project.

Five years ago, we were embarking on our first, and maybe last, house renovation. First, because it was time. And last, because we love it so much, we may never want to change again. We called upon Kathleen Reardon and Susannah Devine of RD Architecture to design our dreams for us and to guide us through this new experience. Being as three of my least-loved things are: Change, Shopping, and Making Decisions, I figured I was in for a rough year or two. But Kathleen and Susannah addressed all of my issues with aplomb. They enabled me and my husband to look forward to Changes as they came up with some extraordinary designs and tweaks while leaving most walls and structure in place, as we had asked. They outlined in detail a plan for Shopping, when and what was needed, where to find it, many options, while keeping our budget in firm mind. And the Decision-Making was facilitated by their accompanying us to various venues to guide us down our narrowed paths. Presto! Change-O! Through the year or more from initial meetings, through contractor liaisons (we happily chose Superior Exterior to carry out their plans), shopping and pricing, design and tweaks, choice of colors, products, materials, inspection of progress, to finished product, Kathleen and Susannah remained patient, kind, good-humored, and attuned to our wants and needs. And they are both magnificently talented, with the eyes of artists. They taught us so much and handled us with kid gloves. They designed a beautiful and functional space for us. We consider them our friends and the architects of a new phase in our lives. We recommend RD Architecture without reservation. And we remain almost teary-eyed with gratitude as we live in the perfect-for-us home they designed for us.

Kathleen and Susannah helped us realize our dream home by helping us re-design our 1927 house. They were incredibly helpful and supportive during the design process as well as during construction. They would visit the site and had a great relationship with our contractor so as to make sure the designs that my husband and I agreed upon were implemented. I would highly recommend their firm.

I would highly recommend the RD Architecture team to do your renovation project! Kathleen and Susannah transformed my outdated kitchen and dining room into a modern open space for entertaining with a unique design concept. They took my design style and made it a reality. I'm in love with my bungalow style home! #love it! Hope Goodson

I have worked with the RD Architecture team now for the past 3 year on and off, through a major renovation (including kitchen, living room and dining room) as well as a front yard landscaping design and a backyard patio/deck/landscaping design. I was first exposed to their designs by a friend who used them on their home renovation. The results of their project convinced me to reach out to Kathleen and her team. I have consistently had a positive experience when working with this team and consistently realized excellent results in my projects. Below are a few observations on my collaborations with Kathleen: •She is very client focused and truly listened to me during the design phase. She took the time to understand my tastes and vision for my home when developing the vision for our project. She took care in understanding my financial constraints and made recommendations accordingly. She is very receptive to alternate views and bouncing ideas back and forth to realize the optimal design. She was particularly instrumental in helping me narrow-down my material choices to a manageable set consistent with our overall vision. In these types of projects, the number of choices can be overwhelming. She is very knowledgeable in all areas of my projects, including plumbing fixture, light fixtures, tiles/flooring, landscape plantings, material recommendations, and color palettes. •She was supportive during the bid process, in helping identify contractor candidates and in the bid reviews •She is very effective during the construction phase, especially in interfacing with my general contractor. This ensured that we shared a common vision and were able to make adjustments when unexpected things were found. She always provide a quick turn-around when her feedback was needed •She covers the whole project lifecycle with her expertise. In addition to the architectural design stage, bid process and construction phase, the expertise of Kathleen and her team continues into the area of interior design to realize a truly finished product at the end of the project I would enthusiastically recommend RD Architecture for anyone considering a home renovation project.

Kathleen and Susannah have given us the priceless gift of our dream home, perfectly realized. They listened carefully to us as we explained our vision for the house we wanted to build, and patiently noted the checklist of things that were important to us: lots of daylight, wide open spaces, lots of volume, clean modern lines and architecture that would be respectful of our neighborhood and neighbors. The home they designed for us exquisitely incorporates all of these, and more. We realize that it is also an incarnation of the values we want to live by, not merely an expression of how we want things to look. Now that our home is complete and we’re moved in, we’ve given lots of tours to interested neighbors and friends who watched the house being built. The words we hear them speak most frequently are “calm” and “peaceful.” We never spoke these words to Kathleen or Susannah but the reality is that they were attuned to us throughout the design process and designed a home that reflects who we are at this stage in our lives (retirement). We are profoundly thankful for the perfect gift of our home that these warm and talented women gave us, realizing now that they gave us something we didn’t even know we were seeking. The evening we celebrated completion of our home, Kathleen and Susannah gave us a remarkable book called, “The Architecture of Happiness.” Reading it, we now understand what drives them as architects. For them, creating our home from their imagination was intuitively following one of the underlying precepts of the book. “In essence, what works of design and architecture talk to us about is the kind of life that would most appropriately unfold within and around them. They tell us of certain moods that they seek to encourage and sustain in their inhabitants. While keeping us warm and helping us in mechanical ways, they simultaneously hold out an invitation for us to be specific sorts of people. They speak of visions of happiness.” We echo the many comments from Kathleen and Susannah’s clients who praise them for how easy they are to work with, what good listeners they are and how responsive they always are. Quite simply, we recommend RD Architecture without reservation if you’re considering a remodel or building a new home: as they did for us, they will deliver to you your own “visions of happiness.”

To Kathleen Reardon, Susannah Devine, and the entire RD Architecture team Thank you. Thank you for enabling our new family to live our dream…no more, no less. Your structural acumen and your creative vision transformed our virgin 1970 custom-built ranch into our forever home with a spectacular kitchen, a stunning master suite, and fully updated infrastructure. Thank you for your brilliance at interpreting our requirements and bringing them to life. Proof? A close friend engaged RD Architecture for their own large remodel having seen your work on our project. Thank you for my daily entertainment…even after 18 months… of: “I LOVE our bathroom!”, “Wow! This place is a resort!”, and “I still can’t believe we get to live here!” Under your wise leadership, Kathleen, the RD Architects team’s reputation as a first class architectural firm remains well-deserved and secure. After all is said and done, our investment in your services delivered the highest value of any other spend on this massive project. Thank you for being our trusted advisor and our friend. Congratulations and all best wishes for your continued success.

My husband and I hired RD after talking with several architectural firms. They impressed us from the beginning with their approach to the project, budgets and ideas. These three women are absolutely wonderful to work with. Kathleen is the architect, Susannah is the designer, and Caroline is the one who lays out all the plans. They are so down to earth and really question you in a way so that they know what your likes and dislikes are. I relied on them heavily, especially the designer, and they were always available and always willing to help no matter how small the issue. Overall very good communicators. Our project was divided into 3 phases since we live in the flood plain in Houston. First was the kitchen and living area, then the bed/bath rooms. We moved in when these were done (we've been in the house 4 months now). The last phase is a garage apartment and outdoor kitchen by our pool which is just gearing up. We have a mid-century modern style one story house which they just loved working with. We literally took the house down to the studs and ended up with a stunning open concept contemporary design. We love living here and are so thankful that we chose them to work with. I feel like they will be friends for life! I can highly recommend them.

Complete master bathroom and library/ music room renovation. Kathleen proposed a beautiful design and we are happy with the outcome. We used Houzz for design inspiration and copied a design for our master bedroom fireplace. My one disappointment is my very expensive claw foot tub is too small. I wish that Kathleen or Westheimer Plumbing would have had me sit in a tub my size to see if good fit.

RD Architecture is the epitome of professionalism. Kathleen took the time to get to know my family, listened to our thoughts as well as concerns, and provided follow-up personal service so that our new kitchen design would be perfect for us. Working with her was like working with a very knowledgeable, trusted friend. I highly recommend RD Architecture.

RD Architecture brought new life to our 1920's era bungalow. The project involved a complete update of the home's interior, including redesign of the kitchen and guest bathroom; the build-out of new living space and a new master bath; and the total rework of electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. They came up with an innovative design that was true to the essence of the original home and met our needs for simplicity and harmony. We love how the house turned out and have received numerous compliments on its design. Kathleen and her team did a great job of guiding us through the project from start to finish and making a complex process very straight-forward and stress-free. Jean & Randolph

It was super easy working with RD Architecture during our clients remodel. Efficient, professional, and a delight to work with. I look forward to working with them again.

Working with RD Architecture and Design has been and will continue to be my most favorite team to work with. The plans that they provide are fully detailed with all the important things to help execute a great project. Also, they are always available for the client and the builder when questions about details need to be worked out throughout the duration of each project. To identify RD as a specific type of designer (i.e.- Contemporary, Traditional, etc.) would be unfair. They have a unique way of identifying each clients desires and the builders needs to achieve something great. Their designs are best described as "current and well thought out." The execution of the work is best described as "Synergy", with everyone's input involved in the process from beginning to end.

RD Architecture designed a custom 10' media cabinet, a media room addition, and a beautiful deck for us. They gave thoughtful consideration to our needs and design style. Specifically, Susannah Devine, who designed the media cabinet, willingly helped solve many decorating dilemmas by offering suggestions and picking products she thought would work with our design style. Both Kathleen Reardon, the architect, and Susannah worked with our builder to ensure the project ran smoothly and according to specifications. RD came in on time and on budget, and they thought of many things we hadn't considered ourselves. As a result, the project went smoothly, and we are truly house proud.

We recommend RD Architecture without reservation. At a friend's recommendation we contracted Kathleen Reardon for a total house remodel. The objectives for our 1976 free standing town home were to 1) create as open a floor plan as possible, 2) preserve light and connection to the outside, 3) maximize house integrity and minimize future maintenance, 4) improve energy efficiency. The house basic framing was sound but there were dysfunctions of floor plan and design. Construction quality was average at best. Kathleen was able to create a design that fully met our needs and minimized, virtually eliminated, the design weaknesses. Her detailed drawings were essential in enabling the builder to bid and execute construction. (Don't go to construction without detailed construction drawings to define the product you want! And drawings helped our project be on budget except for improvements we chose recommended by our top builder.) Kathleen supported us throughout the construction, addressing questions or dilemmas, periodically visiting to audit construction, and helping us make selections. Susannah Devine, LEED AP-H, was our partner for decorating and furnishing. She helped us through the many choices, improved the 'style' (helped us find the right 'style'!). We couldn't be more pleased with the result, better than hoped for. Getting our special house is due to the efforts of RD Architecture and Dovetail Builders (a very high quality remodeler and new home builder). We were so impressed we had a reception for RD and Dovetail. Everyone who has visited the house - Houston and out of town - has been very impressed with the finished product, admired the innovative designs and attention to the details that make a house 'livable'.

RD Architecture’s vision and meticulous design resulted in a distinctive guesthouse and outdoor living area that parallels our core values and pays tribute to the original design of our home. We were so thrilled that we expanded the scope of the project, and enlarged and remodeled several areas of the main house and re-landscaped the grounds. Kathleen and Susannah successfully integrated the old with the new, and greatly improved the overall aesthetic. Now our personalized home is a haven that reflects our family-friendly lifestyle and love of modern design. RD Architecture was an outstanding partner in transforming our home, and exceeded all our expectations. We have happily recommended them to many friends. Matt and Debbie

We have done several projects in collaboration with RD Architecture. They are always professional and creative in their approach to the project. I look forward to working with them again in the future.

The RD team are outstanding. Despite the trepidation of re-building, RD made it a true pleasure, fun and extremely rewarding. They were partners in the process, and stood by us at every turn, at every decision and they brought with them gobs of creativity, insight, ideas and professionalism. We highly recommend them. Kelley & Ken