Thoughtful by design.

The love of building homes came early for me. My grandfather, Earl, was an original homestead builder and lifelong family farmer. With land that came from their family’s government land grants, a young Earl and his brothers (Hab and Lee) helped build their small town before settling into the farming life. This was before plywood was readily available – before drywall existed. Everything built by hand – hand saws, hand hammered. They even milled and dried much of their own lumber!

Farming was how Grandpa Earl raised his family, but building houses was his passion. He instilled that passion for home-building in me, along with his rigorous work ethic. My dad was a contractor, but it was my grandfather who instilled in me a love for building homes and working hard. In retrospect, I think my grandmother worked even harder.

Grandma Edith was an all-grades teacher in a one-room schoolhouse – think “Little House on the Prairie” – and education was very important to her. All four of their kids became college graduates, thanks in part to grandma’s relentless tenacity. I doubt either one would’ve called it sacrifice, though. Grandma and grandpa were young during The Great Depression. Being able to raise a family was a blessing they didn’t take for granted.

I must admit, there is something special about driving back to Malin, Oregon (population 741) and seeing all the streets that are named after our various family clans. The last time I drove through Malin was in the summer of 2016. I returned to this sleepy town while on a nostalgic fishing trip nearby. I remember thinking that this might very well be the last time I make it back here. I got a little teary as cherished childhood memories came flooding back – at an age when I could finally appreciate their significance.

Grandpa Earl died while I was in college. He never saw the man I became; the adult he helped mold. I took a lot of winding roads through many different career paths before I built my first home in 1994. I lost money on that house but gained a lot of wisdom – and I had a blast! The seed was planted. Eventually I found business partners and started three different home-building companies along the way.

Those companies built hundreds of houses, which taught me great lessons about managing teams and the economies of scale. But it’s a different world now. Whether it’s a “spec” or custom home, I build each one like it’s for my own family, so each home gets the personal attention it deserves. 

We don’t have a traditional model home. We don’t have a huge staff or fancy videos or commercials. We do work with very talented designers and craftsmen. Our vendors, mechanical trades, and subcontractors are carefully vetted, too. 

It’s construction. Things happen. But we plan carefully to minimize problems before they happen and own up to them when they do. More importantly, we take care of them. No home is perfect, nor could it ever be. But we’ll never stop trying to get there.

That’s my story. What’s yours? If you’re curious about having my team build your Canyon Lake area custom home, let’s chat. We’d be honored to be a part of your story.