About Zach
I grew up in Florida, where older architecture isn't nearly as common as it is in Pittsburgh. When I moved here, I lived in an old house for the first time, and I was fascinated to live in a home that had served generations before me. I had to know how it was built.
01
I started in construction as a project manager, but I wanted to learn it by the book. So I went to work as a laborer: demolition, flooring, drywall, every part of a remodel in old homes. You can't lead a crew well until you know the right order of operations.
02
Working with outside designers, I saw everything from Pinterest boards to full CAD sets. I became the firm's first in-house interior designer, doing the spatial planning and the construction documents. My plans showed every layout, measurement, and offset, so plumbers, electricians, and HVAC crews could do their jobs without losing time to questions.
03
Now I get to work with people who value historic homes and want to preserve them for future generations. Every project gets everything I've learned in construction, project management, and design, from the same person.
Who pushed me into this
We used to maintain our homes with real pride. Good architecture and good design weren't only for the very wealthy; everyday families got to enjoy them too. That has declined since the turn of the last century, as homes were built cheaper and faster.
My mentor, Brett Waterman, host of Restored on the Magnolia Network, made the same jump I did from a corporate job to hands-on work. His fascination with what we've lost in American architecture is what got me into this field.
What shapes my eye
Arts and Crafts came out of England in the late 1800s and peaked here in the '20s and '30s. It marked a shift from formality to a more modern way of living: fewer formal rooms, front doors that opened into the living room, flat trim, earth tones, and beautiful woodwork.
It sits right between a high-style Victorian and the way we live today, and it shows the craft instead of covering it up.
My favorite material is quarter-sawn oak, for the ray fleck that runs through it.
Sources I trust