Donald William Fairbanks Architect, P.C.

My wife and I met Don through our Builder, Frank Giacobbe in 2019. Working with Don was an absolute pleasure. Since we ended up building a home during a pandemic, we look back on our time with him as one of the bright spots in the design and build process. We were out of the country for a good part of the build, so walking through the home for the first time, we were surprised by how spacious the home was and how Don took our vision of light and airiness to heart. Even on the cloudiest of days, the house fills with light. He's been on-site multiple times during the build and it's a pleasure to run into him when we are there checking on the progress. Don has also been available to us with the multiple questions we've had during the build. My daughter was interested in architecture as a possible field of study and Don spent the day with her to show her what it would be like working in the field. Don is wonderful! We would work with him again in a heartbeat!

It is oftentimes the case that the movie version of a beloved book fails to live up to the expectations of the original written work. If we use that metaphor to apply to our recently completed custom home, we can confidently state that the opposite holds true, and by selecting Don Fairbanks to be our architect, the end result far outshines what we envisioned it would be. Having interviewed five architects, Don was the top choice in all of the categories most important to us; aesthetics of design, interpersonal compatibility and fairness of price. We could not have made a better choice. Don was key in helping us to explore the feasibility and cost of a full renovation to the existing house versus a tear down and new home build. His insights were instrumental in us making an informed decision to go with the latter to create the custom home of our dreams. My wife and I are not highly skilled at clearly articulating the vision in our minds, or understanding the size of spaces. During the design phase, we did our best to explain to Don both the functional aspects and aesthetics we desired. Any worry we had about our vision coming to life on paper quickly disappeared as Don seamlessly captured exactly what we had imagined. His ability to listen carefully to us and discern our vision was truly remarkable. Additionally, Don brought us to a few homes that he had designed so that we could physically walk through the rooms and feel/experience the size of the spaces in the design and make adjustments accordingly. This removed all guesswork from ensuring the size of the home fit our needs and really made the design plans come to life on paper. The building plans we received were thorough and detailed. Additionally, Don was key in navigating our project through town approvals and permitting. Don’s design quickly came to life and he worked proactively with the builder to identify reasonable means to save on construction costs without compromising quality. On many occasions, the building crew noted to me that the level of detail in the plans allowed them to work efficiently, as they did not have to stop to ask questions that they usually have to ask in order to resolve uncertainties in the plans. This all resulted in an efficient and smooth construction process. The positivity of our experience and the overwhelming satisfaction that we have with Don is represented in the office of our new home, where the original front elevation hand drawn by Don is framed and displayed. If you’re considering any projects that need architectural insight, Don Fairbanks should be on the top of your list.

It’s difficult to describe how critical the right architect is to the success of a project. I speak from years of experience, and I can say, unequivocally, that Don Fairbanks was the key to the successful outcome of my carriage house. Not only did he not hesitate to accept a much smaller than his average job, but he committed the same enthusiasm, time, dedication and creative eye that he lends to his much grander designs. I’ve already used him for a second project, and refer his services without hesitation!

I am honored to write this review for Don - he absolutely earned both the highest rating and the highest recommendation from us!!! He is a true genius at architectural design and he is an amazing human being. The way he combines these 2 attributes is what made our dream house the house of our dreams. He took the time to listen and to understand what each family member wanted from this project and he masterfully converted it into an award winning design that truly feels like home. The Sound House that Don designed for us has been a source of energy and strength and love for our entire family and it all came together because of Don's amazing architectural skills and his truly unique human touch!

We've loved working with Don. He was able to capture both the aesthetic and function we described in his plans and it has been very exciting to see the home we envisioned actually take shape. Would highly recommend him to anyone seeking a highly skilled architectural professional who is also a pleasure to work with.

Don did an excellent job designing a house that truly meets our needs and wants. I would happily recommend him for any similar residential project. He listened to what we wanted and helped push our thinking, delivering a nice blend of function and aesthetic.

It was a pleasure to work with Don. He designed an incredible home for us that really fit all of our needs. We sat with Don and explained our vision and he was able to execute that vision . Don is really easy to work with and we would highly recommend him for any project . We were beyond thrilled with our home.

Don was very professional, very easy to work with, plans were immaculate and took our desired plans to the ultimate, and made an excellent and successful presentation to Town Board. Was very responsive to all our questions and was most creative in dealing with key issues. Importantly he is a very nice individual and we would recommend him to anyone.

Our project was a Family Room, back Porch/Dining area and Laundry Room addition with a full Kitchen update. We ended up deciding to do it in two phases, with the 2nd phase to begin soon. Don has been calm & professional as we've gone through our options and responded promptly to any changes we asked for. He gave clear definitions from the beginning as to how this process would work. We're very happy with the way the first phase turned out and look forward to completing the rest. Don has done a good job of holding our hand through this process and giving us great, detailed plans.

We hired Don on the recommendation of a neighbor for a major renovation of our 1919 Craftsman style bungalow into a much larger house and could not have been happier. We appreciated Don's calm, pleasant demeanor, exceptional professionalism and attention to detail. Our builder told us Don's plans were among the most detailed and flawless he's ever received; an element that made the construction process seamless. Although he's certainly worked on bigger budget builds, Don was respectful of our desire to create a "dream home" --not a McMansion--that fit into the overall landscape of our neighborhood and didn't overwhelm our property or budget. Still, he managed to create plans for an addition that incorporated many of our wants and desires yet was respectful of its vintage pedigree. We love our "new" home and would hire Don again in a heartbeat.