Journal
A practitioner's perspective on custom builds in the US Virgin Islands and coastal Florida, renovations in Romania, and residential architecture more broadly — the design decisions, market realities, and project knowledge that don't usually get written down. Published weekly.
Featured articles:
The USVI New Build Field Guide
The complete overview for anyone planning a custom home in the US Virgin Islands — islands, permits, timelines, cost drivers, and what the process actually demands from the start.
USVI Construction Costs Per Square Foot
Honest cost ranges for a USVI build, what pushes numbers up, and what to pressure-test in a contractor quote before you commit.
What Does the USVI Permitting Process Actually Look Like?
The permit path from submission to groundbreaking — timelines, agencies involved, common reasons projects get sent back, and what to have in place before you file.
St. John vs. St. Thomas vs. St. Croix
A practical comparison of the three islands for buyers deciding where to build — infrastructure, permit paths, cost differences, and which fits which project.
Cisterns, WAPA, and Water in the USVI
Every USVI home runs on rainwater. How cistern capacity is calculated, what WAPA can and can't be relied on for, and how water infrastructure shapes design decisions.
What Is the USVI Coastal Zone Permit and Do You Need One?
When CZM review applies, what triggers it, and how coastal zone requirements affect timeline, buildable envelope, and cost on a USVI project.
Adding a Guest House in the USVI
What lot coverage rules, utility capacity, and the permit path actually allow when adding a detached structure — for owners evaluating whether their property supports it.
Adding a Pool to a USVI Property
Coastal zone triggers, cistern math, site excavation realities, and honest cost ranges for a pool addition — before you commit to a design or a contractor.
The Romania Apartment Field Guide
The complete framework for buying and renovating a Romanian apartment — building eras, structural realities, permit path, budget structure, and what to check before you commit.
Renovating in Romania: What Budget Estimates Always Miss
The costs contractors leave out of their initial quotes, why Romanian renovation budgets tend to overrun, and how to build a realistic envelope before you start.
Contents:
What building on St. John, St. Thomas, and St. Croix actually involves — from land to permit to construction.
Building on the Florida coast — from flood zone to permit to construction.
Renovation in Romania — what the building, the process, and the design actually involve.
How we work with clients across time zones, jurisdictions, and project types.
What building from the ground up actually involves — structure, permits, cost, decisions.
What existing buildings require before, during, and after — structure, regulation, and cost.
Architecture, culture, and the ideas worth arguing about.
Latest articles:
Adding a Guest House in the US Virgin Islands: What the Permit Path, Lot Rules, and Utilities Actually Require
What lot coverage rules, utility capacity, and the permit path actually allow when adding a detached structure — for owners evaluating whether their property supports it.
Adding a Pool to a USVI Property: What the Permit Process and Site Reality Actually Look Like
Coastal zone triggers, cistern math, site excavation realities, and honest cost ranges for a pool addition — before you commit to a design or a contractor.
Cisterns, WAPA, and Water in the USVI: What Every Homeowner and Builder Needs to Know
Every USVI home runs on rainwater. How cistern capacity is calculated, what WAPA can and can't be relied on for, and how water infrastructure shapes design decisions.
What Does the USVI Permitting Process Actually Look Like?
The permit path from submission to groundbreaking — timelines, agencies involved, common reasons projects get sent back, and what to have in place before you file.
How to Manage a USVI Construction Project from the Mainland
Managing a construction project in the US Virgin Islands from the mainland is less unusual than it sounds. Island builds are structurally remote from the start — specialists routinely work across locations, materials arrive by barge, and no single person is physically present for every decision. The question isn't whether remote management is possible. It's whether you have the right team and the right expectations in place before ground breaks.
What a USVI Project Actually Demands From Your Architect
Building a home in the US Virgin Islands is not a mainland project with better views. The structural defaults are different, the terrain is unforgiving, the supply chain adds cost and time to every decision, and managing a project across time zones and water requires a specific kind of discipline.
An architect without direct USVI experience isn't starting from a position of competence — they're starting from a position of assumption. What follows is a breakdown of where that gap shows up, and what it costs when it does.
St. John vs. St. Thomas vs. St. Croix: Which Island Should You Build On?
A practical comparison of the three islands for buyers deciding where to build — infrastructure, permit paths, cost differences, and which fits which project.
How Do You Design a Hurricane-Resistant Home in the USVI?
Designing a hurricane-resistant home in the US Virgin Islands means engineering for two simultaneous threats: extreme wind events and seismic activity. The USVI Building Code requires homes to withstand ultimate design wind speeds of 165 mph, and the islands sit in Seismic Design Category C — a combination that eliminates many of the structural shortcuts common in mainland US residential construction. Code compliance is achievable with the right structural system, roof geometry, and opening protection. But compliance is the floor. The homes that perform best in major storms are the ones where the architect treated the code as a starting point, not a checklist.