Don Harris, Architect

Don is a talented architect with a sophisticated , clean design aesthetic and an in depth understanding of the building process in Austin. I've had the pleasure to develope 3 different properties with Don and will definitely hire him again.

I had a vision for an accessory dwelling behind my South Austin house. I wanted an architecturally interesting space that I would use either as a short-term rental or for guests and family. I chose Don as my architect and soon learned that my strict budget and lot size were going to be more limiting for this project than I had hoped. Don is incredibly knowledgeable and experienced in building accessory dwellings and is also very much in touch with the cost of projects. He was able to take all of my often specific ideas about the project and created a design that came as close to my original vision as it possibly could have. He was very good about designing something that was within my budget and he definitely knew how to navigate his way around the limitations of my lot size and Austin’s strict building regulations. I love the end result and have gotten a lot of positive feedback from all of my guests who have stayed there.

We chose Don after interviewing and collaborating with several other architects in the multi year (7 years on and off) planning phase of our home project. Don was open to our stylistic vision. And we were open to his vision for design. He added inspiration and order to our big rough idea. His design brought to life our hopes for a beautifully functional home for our family of five. Don collaborated well with and helped us choose our builder Matt Davenport. He also worked well with our designer Ann Edgerton.

After interviewing a number of architects, I hired Don Harris in September of 2013 to design an expansive addition to my Federal style cottage: new kitchen, den, bedrooms, baths, with garage access via an alley (completed in January 2015). Don came back with a wonderful solution that exceeded my requirements, and only got better during our refinement process; an insightful flip of my upstairs in the middle of our work together ended up yielding greater, more usable and pleasant space -- and it all was so unexpected! I hired Don because of his calm, intelligent, and well-founded respect for the past, along with his 'forward thinking' concerning use of space in a modern structure/addition. I discovered expansive knowledge in site, design, materials, building code, hardscape/landscape (!!!) and lots of insightful assistance during the build. Don is also the quintessential modernist! Don is deeply concerned with use of space: how we use and occupy space now, and how it might also conform to future change. I truly enjoyed all aspects of working with Don -- from start to finish! I would love to hire him again in the future. Sincerely, Jim B. A few iPhone snapshots below...

We hired Don Harris to redesign our 1930s Hyde Park cottage and couldn't be happier with his work. Don was very attentive to what our family needed and the architectural character of our home. The renovation and addition added more than 1000 square feet to our home and the difference between the "new" and the original parts of our home is negligible. He did an incredible job of blending the clear 1930s style of our home with modern elements we love. Don is creative and flexible and easy to work with. We absolutely love his work. I strongly recommend him for your next renovation or home build.

Don provided highly professional architecture and design services for multiple renovation projects on our home over several years. He did an amazing job of blending the existing architecture with more modern space design and cleaner lines on both the interior and exterior. Don's level of commitment even extended to his willingness to crawl underneath the house with me to redesign the HVAC duct work when the contractor said it couldn't be done. We very much enjoyed the design process that Don brought to the project. Providing us will highly visual work products and very detailed construction documents to ensure the most efficient execution of his design.