Building My Own Home: The Start of My Practice & Lessons Learned

• Ronnie Gor

It started with a young family with two little kids, in a foreign land, seeking the perfect place to put down roots. Doing that in a way that fit the mindset of an architect and an engineer felt like an astronomical task. We were unhappy with the choices and the prices of houses we could find around, so what started as a dream, soon turned into my worst nightmare. 

We decided that we will build our own house, with almost no construction experience and little understanding of the costs involved. Early on, we realized that to make this a reality, we would really have to be involved in every little detail. And there were a lot of details – from figuring out how to design, build, and procure materials and labor, to supervising the labor, dealing with city inspections all the while staying under budget. 

All of this ended up on my plate, while my husband toiled at his full time job. On top of this project of a lifetime, I juggled the tasks of managing a work site, raising a family with two young boys (7 and 4 years old), with no family or help available to me. But the immense joy of making something from nothing became our obsession. 

We bought an old single story ranch style LA home with plumbing and foundation issues, disconnected from the pool, front and rear yards and the streets. We lived in it for a couple of years while our boys were 5 and 2, as I designed the project and got the permits to begin construction. Finally, we moved out to make our dream a reality. 

Contextually, I knew I wanted to take advantage of the warm and sunny weather by creating openings in the walls, which makes one feel in sync with nature and the surrounding landscape. The cedar tree in the front yard, with its towering presence of 20 feet, almost made its way into the house in the form of a front courtyard. With a lily pond in the courtyard and the view of the tree through the courtyard, cooking suddenly became a very enjoyable task.  A generous kitchen island, complete with a view of the front yard with its towering tree, and the backyard with its gigantic pool, finally felt like all pieces came together and belonged to each other. 

Check out more of my work and projects here.

Each day and night, with the passing of different seasons, we are showered with nature’s constantly changing colors and moods, thanks to the strategically placed glass doors and windows in the main living and dining space. Connection to nature is visually and physically present in every bedroom. I used glass as a main envelope of the space, to experience the play of light and shadow in the main part of the house, where it made the most sense. To counter that, I decided to clad rest of the spaces in wood in some cases, and in metal skin in others – all to achieve a well-balanced play of forms. Nature was my teacher and muse as I made these design decisions. 

The ease with which you can step outdoors and return back indoors encourages us to participate in the environment and to be more mindful of nature and its inhabitants. The landscape around the home was also designed to fit in with the existing footprint of the house, the tree, the pool, satisfying the urge to create a thriving habitat for bees and insects. 

As I walk through the home I built and made my own, putting all of my expertise, inspiration, skills and love into it, I do feel I did the right thing by taking it on. I was my own general contractor, and built my own house just the way I dreamed it. There are so many beautiful details, thoughtful elements and design aspects that I have managed to achieve because I was my own general contractor. The satisfaction and the sense of achievement after completing something like this is just irreplaceable! It feels especially rewarding as I think about the tough days, when I felt completely helpless, exhausted and lost. I am proud to call this place our home, and I am proud of everything I have put into making this space one of a kind – the perfect place for us to put down roots.

This house is my story – a woman in construction, a mother of two young boys, an architect, an immigrant, and just another human creating something they love. I cannot wait to see what this house will hold in the future. And I look forward to creating more spaces that are going to be well-loved, lived in and will connect its humans with nature and each other.

Just like I made my dream a reality – I can do the same for you! Contact us today to chat about the potential of your project.