Residential Portfolio

A custom home architect designs a home specifically to meet a client's unique needs. This includes site, lifestyle, and budget, rather than adapting a pre-existing floor plan to fit their needs. This process includes schematic design, construction documentation, coordination with engineers and contractors, and construction administration to verify the client is getting the home they designed with us and the contractor is following the blueprints and specifications through the completion of the project.

Architectural fees typically run a percentage of total construction cost. David Stumpf Architecture quotes fees between 6 and 10 percent of construction cost. The architectural fee depends on the scope, complexity, and level of detail required for each unique project. Full-service projects that include custom interior millwork, kitchen design, bathroom design, building science, and envelope design tailored to the client's vision fall on the higher end of that range, reflecting the additional level of care and detail involved. Each of these elements is unique to the site, climate, and character of the project. Projects begin at a minimum construction cost of $750,000.

Yes. David Stumpf is licensed in New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas, and holds NCARB certification, which allows for efficient reciprocal licensure in additional states. David Stumpf Architecture accepts custom residential projects nationally in addition to its core markets of Buffalo and Pittsburgh. We fully incorporate digital meeting technology and 3D modeling to seamlessly run design meetings from across the country if needed.

David Stumpf's design approach is shaped by training in both post-Bauhaus European modernism and Texas regional vernacular architecture. Beyond his formal education, David has taken it upon himself to study classical architecture and traditional American architectural forms rooted in rigid scale, order, and proportion. Many architecture schools no longer teach this knowledge, but it remains essential to designing an authentic traditional home. This combination allows David to design custom homes across a wide range of styles, from clean modern forms to richly detailed traditional designs, depending on the client's vision and the site's climate and context.

David personally leads every residential project from initial concept through construction administration. While staff may assist with drafting or documentation, David maintains tight oversight of every phase of the project to ensure quality control and verify that all details and documents meet the strict standards he has set for the office. There are no handoffs where a project is passed off without his direct involvement.