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:
Can You Build a Guest House on Your Coastal Florida Lot?
Adding a guest house or detached ADU on a coastal Florida lot — permit path, lot rules, flood elevation, and utilities — a practical architect's read before you commit.
Are ADUs Allowed in Florida?
What you can actually build as an ADU on a coastal Florida lot — the local rules that really govern it (no statewide by-right law passed), plus flood and coastal limits, from an architect.
How Does Renovating Change Your Florida Insurance?
How a coastal Florida renovation changes your flood and windstorm insurance — the design decisions that move premiums, and how to plan for them, from an architect.
How Do You Add On to a Coastal Florida Home?
Adding on to a coastal Florida home — what tying new construction to old under current wind and flood code really requires, and your options, from an architect.
What Does "Substantially Damaged" Mean in Florida?
What "substantial damage" means for a storm-hit Florida coastal home — the repair-vs-rebuild decision and how to stay in control of it, explained by an architect.
What Does an Elevation Certificate Tell You?
Is your coastal Florida home already flood-compliant? What an elevation certificate tells you — and how it can change your renovation's scope and cost before you start.
How Do You Renovate a Florida Home in a Flood Zone?
Renovating a coastal Florida home in a flood zone — the permit path, elevation rules, and insurance reality, explained by an architect before you commit to the work.
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.