Journal

Writing on homes, design, and the decisions that matter.

I write about what I've learned designing and building homes — the things that work, the things that are misunderstood, and the questions worth asking before you build. These aren't abstractions. They come from a house I designed for my own family and live in every day.

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Featured entry

High-Performance Building · March 2026 · 12 min read

Why air sealing matters more than insulation — and why almost no one does it correctly.

Most homeowners specify an insulation level and call it done. Air sealing is the part nobody talks about — and the part that actually determines whether your house is comfortable. In my home, the floor and ceiling temperatures in winter are nearly identical. That doesn't happen by accident.

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In this entry

What air sealing actually is and why R-value alone misleads you
The five locations where air sealing fails in nearly every residential build
What the blower door test actually tells you — and when to run it
How I designed the envelope in my own home, and what I'd do differently

Design Process

Pre-Drawn Plans vs. Custom Design: An Fair Comparison.

Stock house plans from the internet cost a few hundred to a few thousand dollars and look like a bargain next to custom design fees. Sometimes they are a reasonable choice. Often they create problems that cost far more than the custom design would have. Here's how to think about which situation you're actually in — and what you're actually getting in each case.

Feb 2026 · 8 min

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For Clients

Why design decisions are cheapest before anything is built.

Most people learn how expensive mid-build decisions are the hard way — when they're already holding a $40,000 change order. I've watched it happen. Here's the framework I use to make sure my clients aren't in that position.

Aug 2025 · 5 min

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High-Performance Building

HVAC load calculations: why rules of thumb produce uncomfortable homes.

The standard approach to HVAC sizing is to use square footage. The problem is that square footage tells you almost nothing about how much heating and cooling a home actually needs. Manual J exists for a reason — here's what it is and why it matters to you.

Nov 2025 · 9 min

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Off-Grid Living

Sizing a solar array: why the number your contractor gives you is probably wrong.

Most solar quotes are sized for average daily production in good conditions. They're not sized for January, which is the month that determines whether your system works. Here's how to think about the number that actually matters.

Jan 2026 · 10 min

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For Clients

What to bring to your first design conversation — and what to leave out.

I've had discovery conversations with clients who showed up with a binder of magazine tearouts and no idea what their budget was. And I've had clients who arrived with nothing but had thought deeply about how their family actually lives. One of those conversations produces a better home.

Dec 2025 · 6 min

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Design Process

The rooms people regret — and the rooms they never thought to ask for.

In almost every custom home, there is one room that sits largely unused and one space the owners wish they had thought to include. After seeing both patterns enough times, I've started keeping a list. This is that list.

Oct 2025 · 7 min

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Off-Grid Living

Living off-grid with a family of nine: what we gave up, and what we didn't.

The most common assumption about off-grid homes is that you sacrifice comfort for independence. My family runs a dishwasher, washer and dryer, full kitchen appliances, and a forced-air heating system — all from solar and battery storage. Here's how that's possible, and what it actually took to design it.

Sep 2025 · 14 min

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Design Process

The difference between a house that fits and a house that functions.

Most clients come in knowing what they want. A farmhouse kitchen. Vaulted ceilings. A big front porch. These are aesthetic preferences, and they're valid. But they're not a design brief. Here's how I think about the difference between what a home looks like and what it does.

Feb 2026 · 8 min

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Design Process

How software engineering made me a better home designer.

Thirteen years building systems for a living taught me how to think about complexity, manage stakeholder expectations, and make decisions that age well. Those skills transfer more directly to residential design than I expected — and in some ways they're more valuable here, because you only get one shot.

Jun 2025 · 8 min

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About this journal

Everything here comes from direct experience. None of it is abstract.

I write about what I've learned from designing and building my own family's off-grid home on 40 acres outside Spring City, Utah — and from the work I do with clients. I don't have opinions about home design from a distance. I live in the house I built, and I notice every day what works and what I would have done differently.

These entries are for people who are thinking seriously about building — who want to understand not just what to choose, but why the decision matters, and what happens when you get it wrong.

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