|
 My
Home Designing Career began about 1972 when I went to work for a
large home planning company in Dallas, Texas. Well, actually, it
might have started 15 years earlier when I first discovered Crayons.
I was always drawing something. My 3rd grade art teacher was always
displaying my drawings in the trophy case near the principle's
office. I got to see those drawings a lot. ;) In high school all by
buddies wanted me to draw pictures of Hot Rods and Rat Finks on
their book covers. It was a gift! I never gave college much thought
being that I was from the south side of the railroad tracks and
nobody from our part of town went to college. I started work early.
I mean at age 13 I was working in construction. I first helped the
electricians by pulling wire through conduits. When I was 14 I was
helping the plumbers. Imagine a 14 year old kid sweat soldering
copper pipes with a propane torch. In between all that I helped the
framing crews by fetching lumber from the stacks of lumber on the
construction sites. By time I graduated from high school I knew how
to fully construct a home from the ground up. However, my artistic
abilities landed me a job in drafting house plans for Don Moore of
The Plan Shoppe in 1972. Seven years later I accepted the offer to
go back to work in a home builder's construction company. This time
I was in charge. I was the In House Designer of the homes we built
and the Construction Manager. I acquired the building permits,
scheduled all the sub-contractors, called the city for inspections
and took the houses all the way to the Certificate of Occupancy.
Then, in 1980, the prime interest rate hit around 21%. We couldn't
sell houses so home I went. That same night, while having my pity
party, I received a call from a home builder I haven't heard from in
two years and he needed my help designing a home for his home
buyers. I do believe in Devine happenings. My own Home Design
company was born. That was thirty years ago and over 3,000 home
designs later. Hey! I'm starting to get good at it. Sometimes my
clients will ask where I attended school. I tell them I attended HKU*.
They ponder a moment and ask, "Is that in Kansas?".
I am married to my wonderful wife of 18 years
(third time's a charm!). Her name is LaVerne and yes, she has a
sister name Shirley. Yes really! We have 4 adult sons and 4 grand
children. I am affectionately known as Peepaw to some wonderful
grand kids.
*HKU = Hard Knocks University. |
