"what we are really looking for is to build a home, not a big expensive storage unit for all of our stuff.
 We are trying to bring family together and teach our children and grandchildren that a big house filled with expensive stuff does not make a home and we’re hoping that these next two generations and many to follow will realize the beauty of a simpler life, of family, friends and community. We have been sucked into the consumerism lifestyle ourselves but we have been realizing  a change in our lives over the last several years and want to start breaking free of a cycle we put ourselves in. Our goal is to hopefully teach our children and their children that there is a better way."

Designing someone's home is working with relationships: How does the person/ couple/family/group use space? What happens in a daily and seasonal pattern and how can that be appropriately accommodated? What is the relationship to the neighborhood, natural environment? How do people and place connect to the natural cycles and become part of that? How can a structure make the space better than before?

The quality of a house cannot be adequately measured by square-footage or price tag. It must be considered how well it fits and supports the occupants, how well it integrates itself into nature and what kind of footprint it leaves through the choices that are being made in constructing and operating it. My goal is to create homes that answer these questions with good conscience to have done the best for the particular situation.

Natural homes can be built on small budgets with high personal commitment of time and labor. Building your own home will be a big undertaking, requiring perseverance, organizational skill, and adequate funding. It can be a long process and many lessons will be learned along the way and the result will be " uniquely yours" : you will know it intimately and have a powerful relationship with your creation. May this be a joyful process and may you have a "house that loves you back" for many years.

Please refer to the portfolio page for images of recent projects- some under construction, some finished.

A list of past projects is available here .