DFP Planning & Design
DFP Planning & Design is a privately held, Blaine, Minnesota-based residential architecture firm with 50+ years of history providing custom home design, drafting, and consultation services to individual homeowners and custom home builders in the Twin Cities metro area.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersBlaine, Minnesota, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What DFP Planning & Design does
DFP Planning & Design is a privately held residential architecture firm headquartered in Blaine, Minnesota, that has operated for over 50 years in the Twin Cities metro area. The firm provides custom home design services for individual homeowners building new residences or undertaking major remodels, and also partners with custom home builders who subcontract design work. Its portfolio includes several thousand completed home designs spanning communities across the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area and, per company statements, beyond.
The firm's core offering is full-service custom home design: clients engage through phone or website contact form, the team conducts a design consultation, produces drawings and blueprints (drafting services), and delivers a final design package tailored to the client's lifestyle and aesthetic preferences. Products are organized around four named capabilities — Custom Home Design Services, Drafting Services, Design Consultation, and Luxury Home Design — all delivered by an in-house team of experienced designers supplemented by a long-standing collaboration with Nelson Residential Design (architect Ben Nelson). There is no disclosed software platform, no app, no API, and no AI/ML component; the technology is professional design labor plus drafting tools.
The business model is professional services revenue generated per project on a quote-based pricing model (no published price points), with customer acquisition driven primarily by referrals, builder partnerships, social media (Facebook, Instagram, Google Business Profile), and an online portfolio gallery. The GTM is sales-led and direct, with the firm explicitly positioning on price ("a fraction of the price" of competitors) and turnaround (most designs completed in weeks). The firm operates with 1–10 employees from a single Blaine, MN office and discloses no revenue, no funding history, and no parent or subsidiary entities.
DFP Planning & Design firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DFP Planning & Design
- Legal name
- DFP Planning & Design
- Website
- https://dfpdesign.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- DFP Planning & Design is a privately held, Blaine, Minnesota-based residential architecture firm with 50+ years of history providing custom home design, drafting, and consultation services to individual homeowners and custom home builders in the Twin Cities metro area.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where DFP Planning & Design is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Blaine, Minnesota
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
DFP Planning & Design business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Custom Home Design Services: Professional services revenue generated from providing custom home design services to individual homeowners and custom home builders. The firm designs homes at a fraction of the price that other home design firms may charge, with most designs taking only a matter of weeks.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Quote-based pricing for custom home design services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
DFP Planning & Design product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DFP Planning & Design provides full-service custom residential home design, working with clients from concept through completion to produce one-of-a-kind home designs tailored to personal taste, lifestyle, and functional needs. The firm also provides professional drafting services, design consultations, and luxury home design for clients in the Twin Cities metro area and beyond.
Product overview
DFP Planning & Design offers a unified suite of custom residential home design services rather than a modular software product. The core offering consists of Custom Home Design Services as the primary product, supplemented by Drafting Services, Design Consultation, and Luxury Home Design capabilities. The firm serves as a full-service custom home designer working with clients from concept through completion, designing several thousand homes across the nation over their 50+ year history. All services are delivered through their team of experienced designers and are focused exclusively on residential architecture and home design.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Custom Home Design Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 50 years in business
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use DFP Planning & Design
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
DFP Planning & Design technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
DFP Planning & Design partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Nelson Residential Design, Inc.coreBen Nelson of Nelson Residential Design has been in the architectural and design industry for over 35 years, graduating with a degree in architecture from The University of Minnesota. DFP proudly collaborates with Nelson Residential Design on custom home design projects, with Ben focusing on custom homes due to the unique challenges they present.
- Zehdner HomesminorBuilder partner for residential construction projects in Minnesota
- Lucid BuildersminorBuilder partner for residential construction projects in Minnesota including Excelsior and Wayzata locations
- Zawadski HomesminorBuilder partner featured in Parade of Homes Dream Home projects including Lake Elmo and Shoreview locations
- Dingman Custom HomesminorBuilder partner for custom home projects in St. Michael, Greenfield, and Delano, MN
- Parent Custom HomesminorBuilder partner for projects in Hugo and Ham Lake, MN including Parade of Homes Dream Home entries
- Renaissance BuildersminorBuilder partner for Parade of Homes Dream Home project in Wayzata, MN
- SpacecraftingminorProfessional photography services for showcasing completed home designs in portfolio and marketing materials
- Troy Thies PhotographyminorProfessional photography services for completed home designs
- 8710 PhotographyminorProfessional photography services for Dingman Custom Homes projects
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights3 records
DFP Planning & Design competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Design Basics: Residential home plan design firm serving builders and individual buyers across the U.S. with stock and custom designs. Closely matches DFP's custom residential design service and builder-channel go-to-market.
- Visbeen Architects: Residential architecture firm specializing in high-end custom home design for builders and homeowners. Comparable customer profile (premium custom-home buyers) and product (full custom home design services).
- Frank Betz Associates: Long-established residential home plan design firm offering stock and custom house plans to builders and individual homeowners nationally. Directly comparable product (custom residential home designs) and customer segments.
- Bassenian Lagoni Architects: Large residential architecture firm producing production and custom home designs for national homebuilders. Operates at higher scale but in the same core business — residential design for builders and homeowners — as DFP.
- Donald A. Gardner Architects: National residential architecture firm specializing in house plan design for builders and individual homeowners. Comparable custom residential design offering, customer base (builders + homeowners), and channel model.
- BSB Design: Residential architecture and design firm focused on homebuilder clients with a portfolio of production and custom home plans. Comparable builder-centric channel model and residential design product.
- Nelson Residential Design, Inc. Minnesota-based residential design firm led by Ben Nelson. DFP explicitly collaborates with Nelson on custom home design projects, making it the most directly comparable peer in market, customer base, and craft.
Regional players
- LHB: Duluth/Minneapolis-headquartered architecture and engineering firm with a broader practice but residential and master-planning projects in the same Twin Cities regional market as DFP.
- Cuningham Group Architecture: Minneapolis-based architecture firm with a broad practice (hospitality, residential, mixed-use) competing for residential and mixed-use commissions in the same Twin Cities market.
Broad incumbents
- Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with a Minneapolis studio and a broad practice that overlaps with DFP's residential and master-planning work; competes for higher-end custom residential commissions in the Twin Cities.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
DFP Planning & Design social profiles
Digital presenceDFP Planning & Design financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DFP Planning & Design leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
DFP Planning & Design funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DFP Planning & Design M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DFP Planning & Design
What does DFP Planning & Design do?
DFP Planning & Design provides full-service custom residential home design, working with clients from concept through completion to produce one-of-a-kind home designs tailored to personal taste, lifestyle, and functional needs. The firm also provides professional drafting services, design consultations, and luxury home design for clients in the Twin Cities metro area and beyond.
Is DFP Planning & Design a public or private company?
DFP Planning & Design is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was DFP Planning & Design founded?
DFP Planning & Design was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is DFP Planning & Design based?
DFP Planning & Design is headquartered in Blaine, Minnesota, United States, in the North America region.
How does DFP Planning & Design make money?
One revenue line is on record: custom Home Design Services.
Who are DFP Planning & Design's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Design Basics, Visbeen Architects, Frank Betz Associates, Bassenian Lagoni Architects, Donald A. Gardner Architects, BSB Design and Nelson Residential Design, Inc.. Regional players are LHB and Cuningham Group Architecture. Perkins&Will is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does DFP Planning & Design have an API?
No public API is recorded for DFP Planning & Design.