Our Story
“We create our buildings and then they create us.” — Frank Lloyd Wright
The idea for Zen Harmony Homes began on a 200-unit tract housing site in San Diego. Born and raised there, I’ve always felt a deep connection to my hometown. After graduating from U.C. Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design in 1995, I couldn’t wait to make my mark.
Early in my career, I was fortunate enough to work on a variety of projects – amazing historic projects like our 3-building retail project reconstruction of an historic adobe home in Old Town San Diego, affordable housing, high end homes, and even a couple of museum projects in Balboa Park.
The projects most that stayed in mind though were the large housing tract projects, and they stayed with for all the wrong reasons. I watched developers level acres of raw land to build mediocre, profit-driven houses in more than half a dozen tract projects. There was no regard for the environment, the materials, or a sense of community buiding. I knew there was a better way to develop, but I didn’t have all the answers yet.
That experience sparked a journey that has spanned over 30 years. I spent over two decades working as a drafter, project manager, and eventually chief designer for several residential firms. I learned the “how” of construction, but my heart was set on the “why.”
In 2017, I stepped out on my own to launch my firm, finally uniting my Berkeley roots in environmental design with 22 years of technical expertise. I discovered that the tools to create beautiful, resilient homes already exist—we just need the will to use them.
Zen Harmony Homes is the result of that lifelong pursuit. Every design is built on three pillars:
- Timeless Design: Rooted in the philosophy of my teacher Christopher Alexander, focusing on how people actually live.
- Affordable Efficiency: Clever, open floor plans that eliminate the wasted square footage of 20th-century homes.
- Superior Quality: Utilizing RSG3D Panels—the most resilient, fire-rated, and energy-efficient building system available today.
My collection of pre-designed homes saves you thousands in custom design architectural fees, while my customized services ensure your project’s success from day one. I’m honored to help you build a home that doesn’t just house you, but inspires you.
Form & Function
In 2021, The California Legislature passed Senate Bill SB9, which makes it possible to put as many as four dwelling units on existing single family lots using lot splits and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). The stated goal of the law was to encourage the construction of moderately priced housing and wealth building at the family level.
SB9, along with the terrible widlfires that have affected California for decades, led to the creation of Zen Harmony. Our mission is to design beautiful small homes that take full advantage of the new laws, and use building materials that don’t deplete our forests.
High quality design is not exclusive to high end homes. It’s dependent on high end finishes either. When homes are designed with good proportion and composition, less can become more. Our portfolio offers several design collections and sizes, all designed to the highest standards.
Resilience & Sustainability
RSG3D is an incredible Panel Building System that is both fire resistant and hurricane resistant, receiving a 2-Hour fire rating from the International Code Council (ICC). These remarkable qualities are coupled with their amazing sound damping quality. Additionally the RSG3D panels have verified energy savings over the lifespan of your home. The panels are truly ahead of their time.
Zen Harmony’s homes are designed exclusively with RSG3D. It is a privilege to offer our moderately priced homes using the very best building system on the market.
Quality & Affordability
The RSG3D panels used to build the house, including the walls, floors and roof, are all fabricated in a quality controlled manufacturing environment. They are then shipped to the job site, assembled and secured, then coated in both sides with 1 1/2″ of sprayed concrete. This “hybrid” prefab process the best of both worlds – the flexibility of easy customization and the efficiencies gained by stock design.
Many of the most expensive homes in the world are built to “max out” a site. This means creating a house that has tons of spaces that will never be used. Even the middle class tract homes built in the last century had formal living rooms and dining rooms that were rarely used. By simply eliminating these excess spaces and focusing on designing open living areas and compact sleeping areas, we have made quality homes that we can offer to you at a moderate price.
Most importantly, RSG3D panels make our homes as structurally sound, fire resistant and resilient as any home in any neighborhood, rich or poor. Additionally the RSG3D panels have verified energy savings over the lifespan of your home.
While our mission is focused on the challenges of homebuilding in California, our homes can be built anywhere.
Please take a moment and look at our designs, and feel free to reach out to us with any questions you have.
(415) 409-9243
info@zenharmonyhomes.com