SPEK didn't start from the point of view of an architect or from that of a builder/developer. We started making great living spaces because it was way more challenging and artistic than our day job. Now that we have hit our stride, we don't see any reason to map to a cookie-cutter method of designing. In fact, driving through any of the most recent Austin developments where everything is the same, leaves us bored and sad. We see no reason to design things to look like they were built in a time other than our own.

Every SPEK project starts with a search for the elusive "design gestalt" – that single idea or concept from which the entire house will then ebb and flow. Usually this big idea comes from the building we are going to recycle. We spend lots of time studying how the original structure relates to the landscape and neighborhood in which we find it. We want the spaces we design to create a completely unique lifestyle for the owner, but still make sense where we build them. We pride ourselves on the fact that most neighbors have told us the houses look completely original but still "fit" with their streets.

The SPEK buyer is an individual with a specific point of view that has high expectations for design and finish, and who also is looking for a place that will change their life for the better. They are a specific caliber of people who understand SPEK's product is not purely architecture, but also art. Our buyers see that we create a well designed life. Because each owner is as unique as the original house we recycle, there is no reason to repeat the same idea twice. Every house is unique in it's visual appeal and the way people who live in them will experience the space. We will, however, use similar materials and colors from one design to another and that reflects attention to our ongoing process of creating the SPEK brand.

On The Green Tip

We perceive our process of building as performance art. Every step is done artfully with the intention of creating good karma for both us and our eventual buyers, and this means we embrace green concepts and materials wherever we can:

• We use existing structures without razing them to the ground. Old wood is stripped of nails, cut back to usable lengths, and then re-used in the structures again. We embrace materials that are made from recycled materials and which can be recycled.

• We recycle everything we can from the worksite. We personally jump into dumpsters when careless workers throw out cardboard, plastic, or re-usable materials. All toxic materials and leftover paint is taken to the hazardous waste recycling plant in Austin.

• We landscape with plants that are native and which require little extra watering. We reduce the total area of water-needy surfaces like lawns in favor of rocky xeriscaping.

• We install high efficiency tankless water heaters and energy-star rated appliances. We use low emissions insulating windows and our designs incorporate natural light into interior spaces. SPEK owners rarely have to turn on a light until night falls.

• We design our houses to redirect rainwater to the plants that need it in the yard whenever possible. We decrease run-off from our lots and design with non-impervious surfaces rather than large concrete areas for parking and entertaining.

• SPEK houses embrace the outdoors! We create spaces that feel bigger through the integration of indoor and outdoor rooms. Our designs intend for the eventual homeowner to spend quality time outside in private and semi-private spaces.