The Construction Source

MARCH 2021 person.” “Our designers work closely with clients to customize every detail to their request,” Dan explains. “Whether we’re working on a 30,000 square foot mansion or a compact tiny home, we want the client to feel like they’re coming home to luxury – whatever luxury means to them.” These days, DRAW Designs’ projects are mainly residential, and they can range greatly in size, value, and type. The firm does everything from tiny homes, to shipping container homes, in-fills, estates, duplexes, town-homes, row- houses, and more. Their largest job to date was a 28,000 square foot home in Fort McMurray, which was a rebuild following the wildfire of 2016. The company enjoys doing residential work, Dan says, because that’s where they can have the greatest impact on their customer’s lives. “We’re a big part of people’s lives,” he says. “We form personal relationships, and we help people achieve their dreams. It’s a very rewarding thing to do.” The key to forming those relationships, Dan believes, is “listening.” He says that’s one of the “biggest things we do, right from the beginning.” “We make sure we understand how they are going to use the house, how they live,” he explains. “And we always keep in mind that it’s not our house, it’s the client’s house,” he says. “We’re here to lead and guide them, but we’re not here to dictate to them. We have to make the house work for them, not us.” “I know other architects who will refuse to do something because they don’t think it will look good,” he adds. “We don’t believe that’s our decision to make. If it’s important to the client, we believe our job is to find a way to make it work.” ‘Making things work’ is another