DRF Design
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor
Architecture from the first draft to fruition

Architect David Fleming stands in front of a house he designed on Fairmeadow Court in the Town of Clarence. Having formed his business DRF Design, just over a year ago, he is now starting to see his work completed.

David Fleming's business, DRF Design, has taken shape - just like the buildings he designs.

Fleming, who specializes in residential home design, said his workload has steadily increased since opening just over a year ago in Snyder.

"I tailor my services - it's not my vision; instead I try to find out what the client wants," Fleming said, adding that he offers architectural suggestions on effective building design when working with a client.

What the client needs in a home or building design is the first step. Fleming also continues to work on the project into the development phase, visiting the site a few times to monitor the progress and prevent mistakes. He said he also stays involved with the subcontractors to follow the work.

"I am involved with the client from beginning to end," he said.

A graduate of Catholic University of America in Washington D.C., Fleming said he knew going into college that he wanted to be an architect and knew that the school could offer him good training. He did his graduate work at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Fleming's interest in design and architecture began when he was in the sixth grade, studying the ancient Egyptians and Romans.

Post-graduation, he accepted a job with a firm in Washington, D.C., drafting small commercial projects. Working there helped Fleming continue to train and fine-tune his skills.

Returning to Western New York he worked for Marrano/Marc Equity. With the longtime goal of wanting to run his own business, he opened DRF Design from his home in Snyder in the spring of 2005.

Drafting a building design can start as simply as visiting www.DRFdesign.com to view the services and design offerings.

"I can design a new, preliminary plan from scratch," he said, adding that many future homeowners are concerned that the service costs too much, but that isn't the case. "The average person can have a custom design very reasonably priced."

Currently a registered architect in New York and Virginia, Fleming has designed the Department of Commerce Building in Federal Triangle in Washington, D.C., houses in Clarence, Amherst and Orchard Park and a Southeast Works building in Cheektowaga. He is also working on a business project in Montana.

In his business' first year he has designed about 40 projects.

"There has been a lot of growth," he said. "I had about six job leads from The Bee ad."

With the growth comes the need for more office space, and Fleming's future goals include moving the business while keeping the small, "boutique style" he has designed for his architectural firm.

In addition to the Web site, Fleming can be reached by e-mailing info@DRFdesign.com or by calling 445-6434.