Introduction - Architect as Developer Guidance

[Jeffrey Van Voorhis]

Hi Everyone!

Happy to finally be here making my first introduction! I've listened to the podcast on and off for a few years and have a pretty solid high-level understanding of how deals are structured. I'm just starting to dig into the real details and wanted to share where I'm coming from to see if anyone could point me in any particular direction or connect and chat further.

I'm a licensed architect in Orange County, California and recently transitioned to running my own practice full-time. I’ve spent the past 10 years practicing at a couple of the top design firms in the area. My background is custom residential, everything from large single family residences to more compact 2-4 unit projects. 50/50 mix between end-user projects and spec homes. I've always had a huge interest in the alternative project structures where the Architect acts as the Owner and Developer. My long-term plan is to have an arm of my business where I develop (and maybe one day build) my own designs to complement the traditional client-led projects. Effectively the Jonathan Segal business model.

There are a few product types I know like the back of my hand and, if I were the primary decision maker, could take a design from entitlement reviews to having a complete design ready for engineering within 2-3 weeks. Between the market rate of the services I offer and at least several months of holding costs I can eliminate, I know that I can bake some legitimate value to a deal however I have no direct experience packaging that value way that could help secure financing.

And that’s essentially where my research is currently focused! Happy to connect with anyone who's remotely interested or has any experience in this type of project structure. As this is a long-term strategy for me, I have no issue exploring partnerships or mentorships on deals to help show me the ropes.

Thanks so much and excited to be here!

- Jeff