Journal
Notes from the studio.
In-depth guides on building in St. George, Ivins, Cedar City, Hurricane, and across Southern Utah. Costs, climate, permitting, design decisions, and the small details that separate a great home from an ordinary one.
Building in Southern Utah: Red Rock, Climate, and What It Means for Your Home
Why a desert home is designed differently than a Wasatch Front build, sun angles, monsoon bursts, expansive soils, and the materials that hold up.
Custom Build vs. Move-In-Ready Home: Which Is Right for You in Southern Utah?
An honest framework for deciding which path fits your timeline, your budget, and your tolerance for making a lot of decisions.
Permitting Timeline for a Custom Home in Washington County, Utah
How long it really takes to get from signed plans to ground-breaking in St. George, Ivins, Washington, Hurricane, and Santa Clara, with the steps that trip owners up.
Ivins vs. St. George: Where Should You Build in Southern Utah?
Two of Southern Utah's premier addresses, side by side: what each town offers, what land costs, and which fits which kind of homeowner.
Energy-Efficient Custom Homes in Southern Utah: What Actually Matters
How to build a high-performance home in St. George, Ivins, and Cedar City that stays comfortable through a desert summer without sacrificing the architecture.
Building a Custom Home in Kanab, Utah: A Complete Guide
Kanab is one of the most beautiful, and most underrated, places to build a custom home in the Western US. Here is what you need to know.
How to Evaluate a Lot Before You Build in Southern Utah
The cheap lot is rarely the cheap home. A Southern Utah builder's checklist for reading a parcel before you make an offer, from soils and slope to utilities and HOA fine print.
Construction Loan Basics for Building a Custom Home in Utah
How a construction loan actually works, what a construction-to-permanent loan saves you, and what lenders want to see before they fund your Southern Utah build.
Building on Land You Already Own in Southern Utah
Already hold a lot in Washington, Iron, or Kane county? Here is how to turn it into a custom home, what to verify first, and how owning the land changes your budget and financing.
Desert Modern vs. Mediterranean: Choosing a Style for Your Southern Utah Home
Two of the most popular looks in St. George and Ivins, compared honestly on cost, climate fit, HOA rules, and how each one ages against the red rock.
The Custom Home Build Timeline in Southern Utah, Month by Month
A realistic 14 to 18 month timeline from first conversation to keys, with where the time actually goes and what causes the delays nobody warns you about.
12 Questions to Ask a Custom Home Builder Before You Sign
The questions that separate a builder who will protect your budget and your home from one who will not. What to ask about contracts, allowances, warranty, and how they handle the hard parts.
Allowances and Selections: How to Keep a Custom Build on Budget
Allowances are where custom-home budgets quietly blow up. How they work, why lowball numbers make a bid look cheap, and how to set them so your final cost matches your contract.
Building a Casita or ADU in Southern Utah: What to Know
Casitas and accessory dwelling units are everywhere in St. George and Ivins, for guests, aging parents, rental income, or a home office. How they work, what they cost, and the rules that govern them.
Cost to Build a Custom Home in Cedar City, Utah (2026)
Cedar City and Iron County run meaningfully below St. George to build, and the climate is different. What you will really pay per square foot, and what changes at higher elevation.