Last working day at this project , baptism chapel/ cemetery at the Dead Sea Jordan

“My father observed that most buildings, and most buildings that we truly love, are not the work of architects. The agreeable settledness of the old English town, he reasoned, was the work of local craftsmen…” Sir Roger Scruton, Gentle Regrets

Stunning speech defending Western civilization. The best political speech I’ve seen in my lifetime. Shared with my wife and she thought the same. I will be saving, watching again, and showing my kids when they get older.

We completed the equity raise and closed the construction loan yesterday evening. We’re wasting no time: we’re breaking ground today. It’s time to BUILD! Stay tuned.

Have been itching to reveal this: rendering of our residential courtyard for Townsend, our infill mixed-use project getting ready to break ground. 12 townhomes surrounding a few connected courtyards with layered gardens and brick pavers. So. Dang. Beautiful. This is actually a highly accurate rendering of what we are doing architecturally—we use our real designs and detailing from sketchup as the backdrop, and collaborate with an amazing illustrator (JJ Zanetta) to bring it to life. We have a ton of fun working together. He actually knows how to capture the FEEL of it. Even the varying pavement, etc, is all from the plan; that’s not just superficial detail in a rendering. We’ve designed the outdoor space with as much thought as each floor plan and facade. And we are also leaving some space for design to evolve as the project unfolds. We are imagining more free standing planters and pots that enclose each home’s front “patio” for a semiprivate space that’s also lush and can be tended, but didn’t make sense in rendering. We opted for a central garden rather than some fire pit, table, outdoor kitchen or “amenity” in the center of the courtyard; we have more public space nearby with our commercial courtyards, AND it’s already walkable to 30 F&B options if you want a “gathering space”. It’s tempting to create “usable” amenities, and sometimes you should, but here, the central courtyard is a beautiful space to enter and exit your home, to look out your window and glimpse, a place to sit outside, and if you WANT to engage with someone across the way you can, but there is also a barrier in between and it makes it optional. It’s balancing privacy option for interaction—in a stunningly beautiful and peaceful setting. I cannot wait to build this with our team. It’s been a tremendous amount of work over nearly 2.5 years to be on the edge of breaking ground. But it’s going to be so much fun. And it’s also going to blow people away. I promise you: this will be some of the best walkable infill in the country.

Walking through downtown Edmond, the fastest-growing large city in Oklahoma, to show you where we’re building Townsend, our next mixed-use neighborhood. If you want to see more beautiful, walkable neighborhoods built across the country, I’m inviting you to help make it happen -- and co-own income-producing real estate in the heart of a thriving downtown. 📍 10,845 SF of boutique commercial held long-term 🏘️ 20 for-sale townhomes 🌳 Thoughtful shared spaces to make it all come alive We’re in the final stretch of our raise. If you’re curious, DM me and I’ll send you the deck.

Townsend is now open for investment! Walkable. Beautiful. Built to last. We’re on the 5-yard line: entitled, permitted, & ready to break ground in a historic & growing downtown. DM me for the deck. If you believe in building places worth keeping, a repost is appreciated!

TOWNSEND RAISE NOW OPEN I’m excited to announce the raise for Townsend is officially open! This is a walkable, mixed-use neighborhood in a fast-growing downtown. Our philosophy is simple: we build things worth keeping. 1. Real places people love 2. In walkable, growing neighborhoods 3. Designed to age well 4. Held for the long term If you’re interested in joining me to co-own beautiful, income-generating real estate, just DM me – I’ll send you the deck. Not investing, but want to support our vision? I’d be grateful if you’d repost or share!

The best way to increase housing supply is to liberalize zoning & building codes, ease land use regulations, and create financing for asset classes that don't benefit from strong federal support, in cities with established infrastructure. Not razing cherished public lands.

Well folks: we passed City Council unanimously last night for our 1-acre infill Townsend project with 20 for-sale townhomes and 8,700 SF of boutique commercial in downtown Edmond (Oklahoma City metro). Gearing up to break ground this spring. Boy this is going to be FUN!

Remember that 3D model I recently posted of our upcoming project? Check out the final stills from our immensely talented illustrator JJ. The texture! The color! The feel! I love working with artists who love their craft. And the real thing, when we build it, will be even better.

Closer perspective. These 3 buildings you see form a shared courtyard which will be the heart of the boutique coworking space. Shaping space with buildings is where the magic happens! Imagine walking down the sidewalk and seeing this? You can’t help but walk down it!

I love Coby’s work. He has a unique voice in the field, bringing a financial and people-first perspective to the way we live and how we build. He offers thoughtful critiques while remaining overwhelmingly, well, optimistic. Ordering his book now. Way to go @Cobylefko!

A very important distinction. It’s why inflation is so sinister. When I say “it costs us 40% more to build today than it did 4 years ago”, people interpret that as housing literally becoming more costly to produce. But in reality, our dollars are just worth far less than they were. We actually have substantial productivity-increasing technology that we didn’t have 4 years ago—AI. Which brings the true cost of producing something down. Even if only fractionally at this point. But it’s difficult to communicate this in normal language. So inflation is broadly understood as things “getting more expensive” rather than as “our dollars being worth less”—almost all due to increases in the money supply, from what I can tell.

Nearing approvals for a piece of our Townsend project, an infill, mixed-use neighborhood. Has been quite the journey! Will be our 4th submission. You can see the complexity in the site plan. We are shaping space with buildings, and it’s as nuanced as an interior floor plan.

One of many reasons zoning reform is so important: legalizing mixed-use neighborhoods will liberate the elderly from car dependency.

They’re the best! And fun to work with

Thank God they missed — one inch or two and he would have been instantly killed.

Our first and last Moongate was in Carlton Landing (left). Finally, getting the chance to build another in our Townsend project. It’s a portal to a spacious, green, inner-block courtyard with 12 townhomes. Making it inner-block, in an urban environment, we are able to control the experience. Walk through the portal and you’re in another world.

Cozy bedroom vibes. The brick and salvaged beams add so much character and texture.