Scandinavian Haus in Carlsbad, California.

This is my personal test lab. Me, my misters + my sons home where I get to practice what I preach!

The design began with a simple idea. Knowing a home can be more than a stucco box with a red roof. Knowing a home can be small. Knowing progress is impossible without change. Maybe more risk taking than a normal home owner would take.

It was about designing a home to last rather than be replaced. It was about living efficiently in a home that was designed from the “inside” out. It was about promoting the family being together by making the public rooms more inviting. It was about making a room only as big as it needs to be.

To afford this project, we were owner-builder, no general contractor. We bid out/ hired/ coordinated all the subcontractors ourselves. In addition, my mister + I did as much of the labor ourselves. We installed the exterior brick; we had just one mishap of a falling brick during install; my 1st concussion + bloody head. We even learned how to install roof underlayment for the metal roof we splurged on. We also traded work.

A creative project to share with the world.

The way we live in our homes can make all the difference. We can either change what we have to love it + “stay put”… or feel unsatisfied + “move on” thinking the grass is always greener elsewhere.