Happy Clients

“My husband and I purchased property in Goochland County the summer of 2016. We knew nothing about the building process but did have a very clear vision of what we wanted to build. We “shopped” around and priced out different architects locally. We were both sticker shocked by their rates and felt “trapped” into creating something that expressed their signature style.
We hired Michael to design our farmhouse in Goochland County after a contractor who had done some work at our current home suggested I call him.
I gave Michael very specific details about how we hoped the floorplan could be laid out. I also provided him with many Pinterest vision boards.

After hiring him, we all met up about 6 weeks later at dinner to review his drawings. I was honestly a bit skeptical to see if he had captured the “look and feel” we wanted within the perimeters provided (sq footage, floor plan, etc). When he showed us the first round of sketches we were blown away. He had been able to fit the floor plan we wanted into the “look” of a traditional farmhouse with the addition of a few well thought out “oh wow!” spaces. He exceeded our expectations!

Michael was very pleasant to work with. Emails and phone call were always returned in a timely manor and changes or suggestions to the design were discussed and implemented easily. We are looking forward to completing this project with Michael and can’t wait to see the end result in “real” life!!”

— Sarah Turner

“Michael met all of my expectations for a design to my new house. Very professional and patient as we went through the process. Was a very good value. You could go and spend thousands and thousands of dollars more and get the same results and probably won’t have as good experience as you would with Michael. Sound engineering practices were abundant throughout my design which is what I was looking for. Well done.”

— Tom Bowman

“Michael helped us design our home to be exactly what we wanted and what worked the best on our lot. We combed through thousands of floor plans on many, many websites (so many hours spent) but couldn’t find a home that was the floor plan we were picturing, and we knew that modifying these existing plans would be very expensive and still not quite what we wanted. We decided to look into custom design. I found Michael’s page here on Houzz and really liked the look of his designs. After meeting with him, we knew we wanted to work with him, so we went for it! Also, his past clients have nothing but great things to say about him and his work.
One thing we truly valued through this process was Michael’s attention to things like cost during the project. There were several times he saved us a lot of money by alerting us that something would add quite a bit of cost to the actual building of the house. It’s nice to know your designer is looking out for you in this regard. In our case, this extra cost would mean we may not even be able to afford the build, so needless to say, this was crucial for us.
The process of home design can be frustrating, even with a professional designer, because you’re trying to communicate exactly what you are picturing and have someone make it work in the design. In our case, I had VERY specific ideas that I wanted drafted, and this can cause some frustration on both ends. But, trust me, push through the frustration of the process. It is absolutely worth it. Michael is very patient and was willing to work with us until we got EXACTLY what we wanted. I can’t wait to build our home!!”

— Sara Lawyer

“Michael was very professional and knowledgeable about my addition. He met with my wife and I twice and walked through our home to understand what we were looking to do and how we would use the space. Would definitely recommend him for your project!”

— Hank Krohn

“Michael has a strong intuitive grasp for efficient design. The plans that he put together were virtually perfect and his professional and patient approach made me feel as though we were very well taken care of. I will definitely use his services the next time we need a house design.”

— Glen Wiley

“Michael Bowling designed our house and did a great job! Patient, thoughtful, and very knowledgeable about important design considerations, like energy efficiency.”

— Mike Brown

“Michael is incredibly skilled and understands how a home should be designed and built. Extremely flexible and doesn’t mind working until it’s exactly what you envisioned.”

— John Shurm

Michael is an experienced and talented designer. His ability to listen to clients and develop plans to fit their needs is exceptional. We enjoy working with him and his designs deliver high quality finished projects for James River Construction.

— Ken Felts