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.
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.
The Coastal Florida Building Field Guide
A coastal Florida architect’s field guide to renovations, ADUs, and new builds — flood zones, hurricane code, permitting, and cost, and how to start in control.
What Is Florida’s 50% Rule?
Florida’s 50% Rule can turn a renovation into a forced rebuild. An architect explains how substantial improvement works — and how to plan around it before you commit.
Building Seaward of the Line: What a CCCL Permit Requires
Building or remodeling seaward of Florida’s Coastal Construction Control Line — what a CCCL permit requires, and how it stacks on local and flood rules, from an architect.
How to Renovate a Communist-Era Apartment in Romania: The Short Guide
How to renovate a communist-era bloc apartment in Romania, step by step: check the building, what's legal, layout limits, what a full renovation includes, what it costs, who does it and how long it takes.
What Does It Cost to Build on the Florida Coast?
What coastal Florida renovations, additions, ADUs, and builds really cost — range-first by an architect, plus why an independent number beats a quote you can’t check.
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.
Ghiduri in limba romana despre noul Cod al urbanismului, renovarea apartamentelor de bloc si construirea unei case noi.
What building from the ground up actually involves — structure, permits, cost, decisions.
Architecture, culture, and the ideas worth arguing about.
Latest articles:
What Does It Cost to Build on the Florida Coast?
Honest cost ranges for a coastal Florida build, what pushes numbers up, and what to pressure-test in a contractor quote before you commit.
What Does the Florida Permitting Process Look Like?
How coastal Florida permitting actually works — the sequence, the timeline, and why it varies by county — plus the real cost of skipping permits, from an architect.
What Are HVHZ and NOA Rules in Miami-Dade?
What Miami-Dade's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone and NOA product-approval rules mean for your project — the strictest coastal code in the US, explained by an architect.