Process.
Phase by phase.

Do you desire to build with the land? Have you asked yourself how to build a dream project that won't cost a fortune to heat or cool, or avoids getting burned down, flooded, or blown over? How do you understand your environment to build something smart and in line with your ecosystem?

I trained at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and consider myself part of Wright's natural house lineage. I consider Wright a grandfather to sustainable architecture and am grateful to have begun training formally in his pedagogy at the age of 12.

For each project, we discover what is the special or sacred part of the building site — then we design to preserve and enhance exactly that. Wright always pointed out that you should build on the most destroyed or undesirable part of your site. Through intelligent design we can build anything; and thus, it is imperative that we preserve the most sacred parts of the land and celebrate it.

We conduct proper environmental analysis so you can best understand what is most important to build and where, in order to be in right relations with nature — so your house doesn't get washed away in a flood, become molded over, or unheatable.

“The more you listen to the land and feel the magic of the place, the more poetry can be expressed.”

We always conduct an extensive sustainability analysis, evaluating aspects such as sun angles, wind flow, appropriate materials, water management, water retention and direction, snow flow, and much more. But just as important is to take the time to stay on the land — to camp, to meditate, to sit around a campfire and feel the place.

Have you asked why a masterplan is so important? Or what goes into one? How do you begin to organize so many components at once? In short: an intelligent masterplan is essential for the success of any project. It is your working plan for the entire development.

Every project will have unexpected challenges — rerouting water piping due to unknown rock formations, firing a contractor mid-construction, fluctuating lending rates, loss of a project partner, and on and on. As Napoleon famously said, "no plan survives the battlefield" — yet he was famed for his cunning plans. You must have an intelligent plan in order for your project to succeed, and at times you must flow like water.

“A refined masterplan enables phased planning, creates an intelligent project action plan, and allows leverage of future opportunity and cost savings.”

I have worked on a wide variety of masterplan types: entire island developments, futuristic city designs, affordable housing for churches, refugee farms, wineries, modular housing developments, resorts, and much more.

In this process one designs and optimizes their infrastructure, housing, permaculture, and natural resources. A quality masterplan guides the project stages of development and creates long-term value of the land from an ecological, economic, and cultural perspective.

Have you found that your municipality or jurisdiction has stricter regulations than you anticipated? Many clients have come to me after inadvertently underestimating the challenges of zoning restrictions. I have garnered wide expertise in how to creatively work through overly onerous zoning restrictions — from leveraging laws for farmworkers' housing to putting buildings on wheels in order to legally provide additional sleeping or living spaces.

Here are a few examples of putting homes and offices on wheels, repurposing shipping containers, or building relocatable units from scratch.

“From beds that slide out of the bedroom on rails, to open views beyond building setbacks — we can nearly always accomplish our dreams with a bit of creativity.”

It is, however, very important that one plans for their site's zoning restrictions from the outset. I have seen this end countless projects prematurely. Do not buy land until you understand your zoning, permitting, HOA, and other restrictions fully.

Now you are wondering: who do I hire to build this? Do I do it myself or hire a General Contractor? How do I make sure things don't get messed up? How do I manage a team of builders on my land?

I have worked as an Owner's Representative and Project Manager for a wide range of projects across the globe. I love guiding my clients through the building process. Taking a drawing and managing the build until it becomes physical is an exceptionally rewarding process.

I advise you to ensure that the project is built smoothly and with quality and financial diligence — staying present through the critical moments of construction where decisions made on-site can elevate or ruin what was designed.

Although half the work is just getting to the start of construction, this is the phase where many things can — and often do — go astray. Common questions at this stage: How do I know I have the right architect, builder, or structural engineer? Do I need a structural engineer? How do I know what is a good price? Why are various consultants and contractors saying opposing things? How do I deal with the endless stream of time-sensitive decisions?

“It is essential that a healthy dynamic and relationship of trust is built between all parties involved in any construction process.”

Whether as an owner's representative or serving as architect, I have broad experience guiding clients through the construction process. Whatever my role, I always make sure the architect, contractor, owners, and critical subcontractors establish a plan for how to work together — to ensure the project is completed on time and on budget.

As an owner's representative I serve as the owner's informed eyes: making sure the architect, engineer, and contractor stay on track, alerting owners to areas of additional risk, and helping resolve issues as they arise. Mistakes will absolutely be made during construction. The trick is to establish clear responsibility for each party, set the right incentives, and pre-establish the relationships needed to solve problems together.

I have personally built enough buildings to not only have deep respect for builders and the process, but also to know where and how things tend to go wrong. That construction experience is essential — both to design homes and construction systems, and to administer construction with authority.