History (the long version)
Without a doubt, my Father was an artist with brick/block/concrete, and Jack-of-all-trades with houses. In fact, craftsmanship is a family tradition, with my Grandfather being a well-respected stone mason in his time.
I joined my Dad on my first construction site at the age of 10. Our work was primarily repair/renovation of residential properties. I quickly found that I was keenly interested no only in how to work on the homes, but also in why the homes failed in longevity or in function in the first place. Over the following years, I had the opportunity to work on and in so many homes…. From historic mansions to rental units. This exposure to many architectural styles, periods and sizes imparted an intense curiosity in what made some homes feel and look amazing, while others seem to fall flat. Now, so many years later, I possess a vocabulary and understanding of architecture and human factors to better articulate those reasons, but the curiosity and desire to learn more still persists.
At 19, I passed the exams to become a licensed contractor in Massachusetts and formed my own company. My focus remained residential renovation, but I found my niche in finish work. Where my Dad preferred rough framing a house, I preferred the trim, cabinetry, electrical, plumbing and details. I spent years restoring amazing historic homes that existed in our local area. I built some homes in these years too, including a quaint place on the coast of Nova Scotia, which was the first of my sketchbook of designs to come to life.
Along the way, I was blessed with a number of mentors who taught me about taking pride in my craft and striving everyday to incorporate the lessons I’ve learned in the quest to be better. Besides my Dad, who may just be the hardest working human I’ve ever known, my dearly departed friend Joel taught me that any skill can (and should) be an art if you are passionate about being great at it. My father-in-law Bob reinforced my skillset with his deep knowledge of woodworking skills and tools. Three uncles imbued me with a curiosity about the world around me, and how science, nature and people fit together in a larger puzzle. And finally, my Mother and both Sisters' innate creativity never ceased to amaze me.
At 26, with the support of my amazing Wife, I returned to college and obtained a degree in Engineering the spring before I turned 30. The following 2 decades found me working in defense, aerospace, and intelligence, but never straying too far from my roots. In fact, when my employers learned about my “other set of skills” I found myself designing and building structures all around the country & the globe. All the while, I continued working on homes in Florida in my spare time (it was my therapy to cope with my real job). The frequent hurricanes provided a constant source of renovation and repair work to keep my skills sharp and learn about the latest materials, tools and techniques. It is worthy of mention that we spent most of our 21 years in Florida doing a ground up renovation of our home. In the end, it became a full rebuild with many added features such as a great summer kitchen, stunning master suite, hand-built cabinets, and a classic carriage house that we designed to fit the aesthetic. It was a great project to perfect core concepts and techniques.
Fast forward to 2015 when, after working my way to the upper tiers of corporate leadership, I became dis-illusioned with boardroom meetings, corporate cannibalism, and too much time away from family. I walked away from the nice salary and title, and started flipping homes. I use the word “flip”, but unlike those TV shows where they put some quick “lipstick on a pig”, I spent (on average), a year or so, lovingly coaxing the house that should have existed out of the house I bought. At the same time, as word of my endeavors circulated, I started functioning as something of a handyman to the privileged people in our local community (many of whom I counted as friends). I honestly never thought that there would be a market for a higher-end jack of all trades given the advent of Craigslist, but boy was I surprised. What I found was an eager customer base who was willing to pay a professional rate for quality and dependability, and someone who respected their home and time. They were good to me, and I was good to them. In fact, I still get the occasional request to pop down to Florida for a project...
After 21 years in Florida, I grew tired of hurricanes and the lack of seasons. We researched much of the South-East to find a place with the right attributes and landed on Chapin, South Carolina. In 2018, we moved to Chapin. Failing to find a home that we loved, we purchased a temporary home and set out to find a building lot. We renovated the unfinished 3rd floor of our Chapin home while designing our dream home, and broke ground in January of 2019. As the owner-builder of our dream home, we subcontracted some of the larger phases (foundation, framing, roofing, drywall), but I personally handled the wiring, plumbing, trim, doors, built-ins, cabinetry install, flooring, decking, lighting, networking/audio-visuals/camera, as well as some of the tiling and extensive customization. It was a labor of love that took 14 months of 12 hour days (and the help of some great folks) to get to move-in, but worth every minute. The house called 'Edgemere' was born, and sits stately on the shore of Lake Murray, looking across to Dreher Island.
In early 2020, just as we were moving in, I became aware that one of the finest local high-end design/ builders was looking for a Project Manager to run the build of custom homes around Lake Murray. Using my new home as a resume, I was offered the job and spent most of 2020 in that role. It was a strange year with COVID-19, but I was fortunate to work on the renovation of a crawlspace home, the construction of 3 slab homes, and the construction of a huge basement home, as well as a couple of crawlspace homes of my own. I loved working with the Clients and helping tweak their designs to make their home exactly what they wanted, but I found that working for another business did not afford me the flexibility and control I desire, and I (amicably) wrapped up my tenure with them at the end of 2020.
Our life then took another turn when an amazing and unique lake property came available. We sold our new home to a wonderful family, and in December of 2022, embarked on yet another custom build, named 'Timeless Cottage'. This build was another marathon and we raised the bar with several wood and beam ceilings, interior windows, more tile and more detailed woodworking. One thing that did not change was the use of contiguous banks of windows for a stunning view, and our favorite 'open core concept' that has become something of a trademark (in fact, we have begun selling versions of this plan to people building lake homes in other locations). We received the certificate of occupancy for Timeless Cottage in February of 2023.
Along the way, our designs, attention to quality and detail, and passion for distinctive homes has garnered us some attention. This exposure is leading us to the types of niche clients we are looking for, and allowing us to leave our imprint on some of the homes in the Lake Murrray area. It is important that I be candid... We are not the builder for everyone. Our desire is to build/create high quality and highly detailed homes. We typically only build 1 or 2 homes or major renovations at a time, and we do not compete with people building in the $100-$200 per square foot market. Our model is simple in that we strive to take the stress out of building. We are your advocate, not your adversary, and we take it as a personal failing if you spot an issue before we do! That service and level of commitment comes at a price, and that price starts in the $300+ per (heated) square foot range, and of course it increases based on your requirements, level of desired detail, and vision. It is a simple truism that you get what you pay for, and while there are many fine homes built for less money, our clients specifically want our blend of service, quality and design philosophy.
In conclusion: Whether it is using the wisdom and skills of past generations to design and build a home to last for future generations, or creating a dream kitchen for your family… I hope to have the privilege to learn about your dreams and vision and (if the chemistry is there) become part of that vision.
I joined my Dad on my first construction site at the age of 10. Our work was primarily repair/renovation of residential properties. I quickly found that I was keenly interested no only in how to work on the homes, but also in why the homes failed in longevity or in function in the first place. Over the following years, I had the opportunity to work on and in so many homes…. From historic mansions to rental units. This exposure to many architectural styles, periods and sizes imparted an intense curiosity in what made some homes feel and look amazing, while others seem to fall flat. Now, so many years later, I possess a vocabulary and understanding of architecture and human factors to better articulate those reasons, but the curiosity and desire to learn more still persists.
At 19, I passed the exams to become a licensed contractor in Massachusetts and formed my own company. My focus remained residential renovation, but I found my niche in finish work. Where my Dad preferred rough framing a house, I preferred the trim, cabinetry, electrical, plumbing and details. I spent years restoring amazing historic homes that existed in our local area. I built some homes in these years too, including a quaint place on the coast of Nova Scotia, which was the first of my sketchbook of designs to come to life.
Along the way, I was blessed with a number of mentors who taught me about taking pride in my craft and striving everyday to incorporate the lessons I’ve learned in the quest to be better. Besides my Dad, who may just be the hardest working human I’ve ever known, my dearly departed friend Joel taught me that any skill can (and should) be an art if you are passionate about being great at it. My father-in-law Bob reinforced my skillset with his deep knowledge of woodworking skills and tools. Three uncles imbued me with a curiosity about the world around me, and how science, nature and people fit together in a larger puzzle. And finally, my Mother and both Sisters' innate creativity never ceased to amaze me.
At 26, with the support of my amazing Wife, I returned to college and obtained a degree in Engineering the spring before I turned 30. The following 2 decades found me working in defense, aerospace, and intelligence, but never straying too far from my roots. In fact, when my employers learned about my “other set of skills” I found myself designing and building structures all around the country & the globe. All the while, I continued working on homes in Florida in my spare time (it was my therapy to cope with my real job). The frequent hurricanes provided a constant source of renovation and repair work to keep my skills sharp and learn about the latest materials, tools and techniques. It is worthy of mention that we spent most of our 21 years in Florida doing a ground up renovation of our home. In the end, it became a full rebuild with many added features such as a great summer kitchen, stunning master suite, hand-built cabinets, and a classic carriage house that we designed to fit the aesthetic. It was a great project to perfect core concepts and techniques.
Fast forward to 2015 when, after working my way to the upper tiers of corporate leadership, I became dis-illusioned with boardroom meetings, corporate cannibalism, and too much time away from family. I walked away from the nice salary and title, and started flipping homes. I use the word “flip”, but unlike those TV shows where they put some quick “lipstick on a pig”, I spent (on average), a year or so, lovingly coaxing the house that should have existed out of the house I bought. At the same time, as word of my endeavors circulated, I started functioning as something of a handyman to the privileged people in our local community (many of whom I counted as friends). I honestly never thought that there would be a market for a higher-end jack of all trades given the advent of Craigslist, but boy was I surprised. What I found was an eager customer base who was willing to pay a professional rate for quality and dependability, and someone who respected their home and time. They were good to me, and I was good to them. In fact, I still get the occasional request to pop down to Florida for a project...
After 21 years in Florida, I grew tired of hurricanes and the lack of seasons. We researched much of the South-East to find a place with the right attributes and landed on Chapin, South Carolina. In 2018, we moved to Chapin. Failing to find a home that we loved, we purchased a temporary home and set out to find a building lot. We renovated the unfinished 3rd floor of our Chapin home while designing our dream home, and broke ground in January of 2019. As the owner-builder of our dream home, we subcontracted some of the larger phases (foundation, framing, roofing, drywall), but I personally handled the wiring, plumbing, trim, doors, built-ins, cabinetry install, flooring, decking, lighting, networking/audio-visuals/camera, as well as some of the tiling and extensive customization. It was a labor of love that took 14 months of 12 hour days (and the help of some great folks) to get to move-in, but worth every minute. The house called 'Edgemere' was born, and sits stately on the shore of Lake Murray, looking across to Dreher Island.
In early 2020, just as we were moving in, I became aware that one of the finest local high-end design/ builders was looking for a Project Manager to run the build of custom homes around Lake Murray. Using my new home as a resume, I was offered the job and spent most of 2020 in that role. It was a strange year with COVID-19, but I was fortunate to work on the renovation of a crawlspace home, the construction of 3 slab homes, and the construction of a huge basement home, as well as a couple of crawlspace homes of my own. I loved working with the Clients and helping tweak their designs to make their home exactly what they wanted, but I found that working for another business did not afford me the flexibility and control I desire, and I (amicably) wrapped up my tenure with them at the end of 2020.
Our life then took another turn when an amazing and unique lake property came available. We sold our new home to a wonderful family, and in December of 2022, embarked on yet another custom build, named 'Timeless Cottage'. This build was another marathon and we raised the bar with several wood and beam ceilings, interior windows, more tile and more detailed woodworking. One thing that did not change was the use of contiguous banks of windows for a stunning view, and our favorite 'open core concept' that has become something of a trademark (in fact, we have begun selling versions of this plan to people building lake homes in other locations). We received the certificate of occupancy for Timeless Cottage in February of 2023.
Along the way, our designs, attention to quality and detail, and passion for distinctive homes has garnered us some attention. This exposure is leading us to the types of niche clients we are looking for, and allowing us to leave our imprint on some of the homes in the Lake Murrray area. It is important that I be candid... We are not the builder for everyone. Our desire is to build/create high quality and highly detailed homes. We typically only build 1 or 2 homes or major renovations at a time, and we do not compete with people building in the $100-$200 per square foot market. Our model is simple in that we strive to take the stress out of building. We are your advocate, not your adversary, and we take it as a personal failing if you spot an issue before we do! That service and level of commitment comes at a price, and that price starts in the $300+ per (heated) square foot range, and of course it increases based on your requirements, level of desired detail, and vision. It is a simple truism that you get what you pay for, and while there are many fine homes built for less money, our clients specifically want our blend of service, quality and design philosophy.
In conclusion: Whether it is using the wisdom and skills of past generations to design and build a home to last for future generations, or creating a dream kitchen for your family… I hope to have the privilege to learn about your dreams and vision and (if the chemistry is there) become part of that vision.