PROCESS

PHILOSOPHY

Good design goes beyond theory & ego.
It goes out into the world unaccompanied by lectures & without a set of outside references.
The test is time - and as such - design must be versatile, unique & self-evident.
A home should cater to both the needs of it's inhabitants & to their whimsy.
It should nurture the strengths we draw from being alone & from being with others.

BACKGROUND

During Architecture School - I worked for residential contractors - full time every summer & each morning during the school year. My youth & lack of experience landed me the tasks no one else wanted to do on a daily basis.
I got to crawl on my belly through spiders & mud to run wiring & to lay insulation, got to hand mix concrete & haul materials into places the cranes & trucks couldn’t reach, got to demolish things that were tacked down in 1000 places & dig holes in 90º+ heat.
I spent a lot of time repairing bold architectural details that had failed over time & I noticed the systems & design ideas that remained a success decades later. That really stuck with me.

PROCESS & COLLABORATION

The challenge of helping people make homes for themselves is a wonderful, winding journey.
Each client I work with has unique intents, strengths, realities, tastes & expectations.
I feel a great sense of responsibility to my clients & to the buildings I help them create.
I often sit with clients after the first couple of schemes are drawn to hone in on the design together right there in the CAD program. This allows the client to feel their own signature in the realized design of their project.

RESPONSIBILITY

The timeless quality we strive to achieve is only as good as the hidden systems that work to protect it.
I invest a good deal of time - on & off the clock - in coordinating details with builders, engineers, & waterproofing consultants to ensure that the best practices are used on each project site.
I work with structural, soils, & shoring engineers, with geologists & surveyors, with cabinetmakers, custom metal fabricators, & with custom finishers. I create detailed drawings for fabricators.
I take pride in researching & detailing my projects.
I expedite my own Planning & Building permits through plan check & I visit my job sites regularly to make sure everything runs smoothly.
I treat every house as though it is my own throughout the duration of its creation.