This is our second project with Mat and his team. This time we thought we’d really test his expertise by presenting him with an almost impossible design project. The purchase of the existing property (consisting of three dilapidated buildings) was contingent upon getting our design complete and approved by the Conservation, Lake Shore Protection, and both state and local officials within a four month time frame. Oh, did I mention that every aspect of the project violated a setback in some capacity? We knew that Mat was the only architect who had a fighting chance of coming up with something everyone could live with. He’s a brilliant artist who can speak with engineers, understand the language associated with conservation regulations, and is willing to research anything he is unsure of. Mat worked late into the night every day for weeks to help us meet our deadlines. His efforts resulted in a beautiful design that embraced the gorgeous lake shore and conservation areas without compromise, while improving setbacks guidelines. Still, we had resigned ourselves to the fact that the board would most likely send us home empty handed. The property was just too complicated.The evening of the meeting, our engineer presented Mat’s design to the board. There were some questions – which is to be expected – but very little debate. At the end of the meeting, a unanimous vote to approve was granted along with a the comment that, “ This property deserves this house.” We were all shocked, stunned, and thrilled! In April 2016, construction began and Mat’s design (and our dream) came to life. It’s true, these houses were meant for the property and we are absolutely in love with everything about them! We’re taking a break from construction for now, but I’m pretty sure we’ll be working with Mat in some capacity down the road. How could we work with anyone else?
