Owner-builder school · Orange County & LA

Run your own build. Yes, you.

A new home, a whole-house remodel, or an ADU in the backyard — you don't need to swing a hammer, you need to run the project. Be your own general contractor and keep the 10–25% a GC would charge.

New home buildsWhole-house remodelsADUs

Get the free checklist See how it works

Phase 01 · Foundation

Learn how a build actually works

New build, gut remodel, or ADU — they all run on the same sequence. Learn the order of operations, the permits, the budget math, and the vocabulary, so nobody can talk over your head again.

Phase 02 · Framing

Plan it like a general contractor

Scope, budget, financing, draw schedule, and a bid package that makes subs compete for your job — whether that job is a vacant lot, the house you already live in, or 800 square feet out back.

Phase 03 · Roof & rough-in

Hire and manage your subs

You hire the same framers, electricians, and plumbers a GC would — directly. Vet the bids, catch the padding, hold the schedule.

Phase 04 · Finish

Move in with equity, not regret

The margin you didn't pay a contractor becomes equity in your finished home — and you'll know every wall of it.

Typical owner-builder savings

Building across OC & LA

Drawn, then built

Every house starts as lines on paper.

Keep scrolling — the drawing turns into 5415 Ash, a real project I ran from permit to final inspection.

5415 Ash in Highland Park, finished: a craftsman house with a steep gable, front steps and mature trees. — Scroll to build it

Proof, not theory

Homes I've actually built

Four of the two dozen–plus homes I've built and remodeled across Southern California.

See the projects

How we work together

Remote, on purpose.

I don’t walk your job site — and that’s deliberate. The decisions that cost you money happen on paper: the bid you’re about to sign, the change order that just appeared, the payment application that doesn’t match the work. That’s where I put the time, and skipping the windshield keeps the price where it is.

Need me to see something? Send photos or a video walkthrough and you get a recorded review back within 3 business days.

Three ways to start

Pick the level of help you need

Start here

First Steps

Answer one question honestly: can I be the owner-builder on this project, with this budget, in this market?

See what's inside →

Self-Managed Build

The whole system — permits to final inspection — with the checklists, budget forms, and bid templates I use.

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With me

Build With Me

Everything above, plus a kickoff call, 12 document reviews and 6 milestone calls — all remote.

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The home you want exists. You're the one who builds it.

Start with the Home Selection Checklist — what to verify about the property, the zoning, and the layout before you fall in love with a floor plan or sign a remodel contract.

Send me the free checklist