"Almost anything can be built. The hard part – and the fun part – is figuring out what should be built."
Client Testimonial
"Dear Mark, We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to you and your team for outstanding work on renovating our kitchen and bathrooms. Your thoughtfulness, creativity, practicality, and attention to detail helped inform and execute a project that exceeded our expectations! It feels like we moved into our dream house."
-Bob & Jessica L.
Experience
My interest in renovation and building began when I helped my dad reroof our garage, which led to volunteering for non-profit builders and later to consulting to construction and building products companies. In 2003, I moved to Washington, DC and began a full-time focus on residential renovations, designing and managing projects ranging from kitchen and bath updates to whole-house renovations with extensive structural work and complete floorplan reconfigurations.
Every building and every client’s needs are different, but some principles seem universal:
- It’s easier to change a drawing than to rebuild a finished product.
- Figure out the right scope of work. Sometimes this means finding a way to fit something extra into the budget. Sometimes it means figuring out which things not to do.
- The earlier the conversation starts, the better the results.
I love being part of a team that helps clients identify their priorities, develops elegant design solutions, and then makes the ideas real. With good design the space not only meets your needs but also makes you happy to be in it.
Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my wife and sons, reading, chess, ultimate frisbee…and working on renovation projects of my own.
Education & Certificates
- BA in PPE (Philosophy, Politics, Economics), Pomona College
- MBA, University of Chicago Graduate School of Business
- EPA-certified for work with lead-based paint in renovation, repair, and painting (RRP)
Community Involvement
- Cub Scout Pack 33 - Pack Carpenter
- Habitat for Humanity - Volunteer
- Rebuilding Together - Project Site Lead & Volunteer
- Congressional Schools of Virginia - Past Board Member and Treasurer
- U.S. Chess Center (A non-profit that teaches chess to children in the DC metro area to improve their academic and social skills) - Past Board Member
- Northern California Land Trust - Volunteer
