Client Voices

What Our Clients Say About Houghland Architecture

"On Wednesday I walked around First Ward and today I was out at Blakeney Green off Rea Rd. In both places I was struck by the excellence of your designs. You have, of course, done things for us that have been built elsewhere but in these two cases you had a chance to build entire

streetscapes. The exteriors are beautiful.  The interiors reflect a lot of attitudes about design that I think might be summed up as Integrity. I never feel anything that is not solid, comfortable and authentic in your designs. Never is there any pretense or forced flashiness. I am very

proud as a builder to be part of a team that can deliver your designs to our customers. These sentiments are shared by everyone in our organization. Thank you for your tremendous contribution to our success.

Aside from the beauty and functionality of your designs we are further indebted to you for your technical excellence. You have solved many difficult technical problems related to the site and to various code and regulatory issues. Your drawings are a pleasure to work with. They are unusually complete and accurate.

It is very rare to find an architect who excels in all facets of the job, a truly well-rounded professional."

"Working with Gray Houghland has been a fantastic experience. We work with architects and designers all over the greater Charlotte area on projects of all sizes. Some jobs are more technically challenging than others, and details are key. Gray's plans are highly detailed and take away a lot of questions that often have to be answered in the field, which makes for a more stress-free and timely job completion. Gray is great with customers - he is polite, humble, has a great personality and presents logical solutions for solving design problems.


I will look forward to working with Gray for years to come."

"When my husband and I tore down an older home for our personal residence, we wanted our new home to be true to the period architecture that makes Myers Park one of Charlotte’s most attractive neighborhoods. It was also important for our home design to preserve the 100-year old oaks trees in our front yard yet not compromise on design flair or functionality. Gray did a great job on all counts; everything was as we had hoped for and more! Friends and family continually remark as to how our home looks as though it’s always been there yet exceptionally maintained. This is exactly what we want to hear. Needless to say, we highly recommend Gray!"

"It is a pleasure to work on projects with Gray Houghland. He takes the time to put together a detailed set of construction drawings that are easy to understand by the homeowner and welcomed by our construction team. We look forward to collaborating with Gray for many years to come."

"In 1997 Houghland Architecture Inc. contracted with us for the siting, design and construction management of our house in Williamsburg, Virginia.
The site location, a ravine 200' off the street with wetland considerations was a challenge. The siting was creatively solved. During the building process Mr. Houghland proved to be very attentive in directing the contractor and subcontractors to stay within the boundaries of the building specifications. There were no overruns or design changing glitches. The result was a charming contemporary house in a charming setting."

"Our Myers Park home was built in 1947. We are the second owners. Given the home's age, the scope of the work needed, and our limited budget, we weren't sure a renovation even made sense. We are very cost conscious homeowners. Getting comfortable with all of the renovation expenses, including the architect's fee, was not an easy thing. However, in hindsight, Gray was by far our biggest value add. In the beginning, Gray's unbiased approach really helped us evaluate our options. His experience in dealing with builders proved invaluable during construction. In the end, Gray leveraged his education and expertise to create a much more livable and enjoyable home, all while maintaining the original cottage charm that blends so well with our neighborhood. Gray did an extraordinary job and we recommend him without hesitation."

"Two years ago we were trying to decide whether to sell our house or renovate. We were worried that, with the amount of money we were willing to spend, a renovation would not be impactful enough. Fortunately, we met with Gray Houghland and he came up with a plan that gave us the space and flow we needed while ensuring that every detail made sense and looked great. He was able to preserve the charm of our old house, while at the same time, making us feel as though we had a brand new one. He is brilliant!"

"We have worked with Gray on several projects. His attention to detail and thorough planning make his projects a pleasure to work on. I look forward to the next project we can work on together."

"Houghland Architecture has designed some of the most beautiful and inspirational projects I've ever photographed. I highly recommend this firm."

"We worked with Gray Houghland of Houghland Architecture to develop the plans for our detached garage with an overhead bonus room. Gray provided roughly a half dozen idea sketches before we settled on the basic design, which then underwent several refinements before he prepared full construction plans. We were very pleased with the overall design and are often complemented on how well the garage fits with our neighborhood and home. Gray is a pleasure to work with, responding promptly and always professionally.

We highly recommend Gray."

"Listened carefully to our needs and came back with a range of different options and ideas for a new back porch. Was able to create several sets of alternative plans detailed enough to enable us to fully picture the end product, and which effectively dealt with a number of elevation and space constraints. Worked well with the contractor. Final product exceeded our expectations and has become the most used "room" in the house."

"Gray Houghland is a consummate architect. His plans are thoughtful, precisely build-able, authentically detailed, and often creative. He's also a total old-school gentleman. He has our highest endorsement."

"Gray Houghland drew up the detailed plans for the extension of our home including the expansion of the main living area and the addition of a substantial back porch with fireplace. Working with Gray was excellent. He was prompt for appointments and understanding of our inexperience and uncertainly about what was best to do. Initially, he met with us at our home and helped us think through many different ideas as to what we could do. Then when we had chosen the way forward, he worked up all the detailed plans. In particular we appreciated his guidance and help with the choice of many of the detailed items of fixtures and fittings. The builders were very happy with the plans and we were very pleased with the service he gave us in this process. We would recommend Houghland Architecture, Inc to you."

"Gray designed our master bedroom, bath and closet for us. His ideas were very creative yet practical. He gave us a number of options for our space, which came with exquisite advice for each design. Perhaps most importantly, when we turned the design we liked over to our contractor, the contractor raved about Gray's design and plans. They mentioned they worked with many architects, but the had never seen better plans - from both a design and detail perspective. Our project turned out beautifully, and I believe the foundation of that was Gray's design. We will definitely use Gray again, and would enthusiastically recommend him without any hesitation!"