The Parade of Homes
The 2026 Salt Lake Parade of Homes has just ended. If you’ve never had the chance to walk through, it’s a good opportunity to walk a slew of brand new homes that have all been beautifully staged and have generous open hours for viewing. You get to see what our local builders are producing, what […]
What Makes Architectural Design an Investment Rather Than an Expense
Imagine walking into two homes built for the same budget. One feels bright, spacious, and perfectly suited to the way you live. The other feels cramped, awkward, and already in need of updates. The difference isn’t how much was spent—it’s the quality of the design behind it. That’s why an architectural design investment is about […]
Utah is Burning
It’s wildflower season in Utah. My wife and I finally got a chance to get up into the mountains for a hike to escape the heat and enjoy the colors on the hillside. It was 109 degrees down in the valley, and thankfully only 90 up the canyon. Unfortunately, it’s also wildfire season. A record […]
Are Open Floor Plans the Future?
I have long felt that one of the elements of great design is restraint. Adding in everything – and a second of each – lacks elegance. A well-designed home may start by asking what all of the desires of an owner are then blending them together with other design objectives like view capture, sunlight harvesting, […]
Around the Drafting Table Episode 11: Owners Representation
What is Owners Representation? Join the latest episode of Around the Drafting Table to learn more about Owners Representation. In this episode, I am joined by Cabot Wooley of Fullsten. Together, he and I delve into why Owners Representation might be right for you or your clients. The whole episode is linked below, and […]
Legislative Session and the Housing Affordability Taskforce
I’m passionate about high quality housing. I always have been. During my master’s studies I proposed a housing-based project to my tutors for my thesis, and they told me that they wouldn’t allow it. I was told it was too easy and that I would be done halfway through the year. At the time, I […]
Building Practices in Contemporary Egypt
My wife and I recently returned from a tour of Egypt. Hence why this newsletter comes a little after the month has ended. However, I have something fun to share with all of my construction industry partners and friends and that is: timber stick framing really is a North American phenomenon. One thing that stands […]
73 Degrees Podcast Appearance
Room Size has a huge impact on how you feel in your home. I’ve walked a number of homes this year that had spaces that felt like grand ballrooms with 30 foot ceilings and 70 foot spans, but when I imagine living there trying to cook dinner while someone’s trying to watch TV the sound […]
What is a Building Envelope and Why Should I Care?
The construction industry can be jargon heavy. I try to avoid these terms in my writing, and also in speaking with others outside of the industry. But, that can be difficult because some of these terms encompass important ideas that would be difficult to express without going into some depth. One such term is ‘Building […]
Designing A Home For Holiday Entertaining
I recently attended a holiday party hosted at a beautiful home in Red Ledges. The home was new, large, and totally incompatible with hosting. It appeared to have been designed for two people to comfortably inhabit, but little consideration had been given to the mechanics of how a party will unfold. While the space was […]