Design · Building Science · Project Consulting · Colorado
We are experienced guides for the decisions that come before construction: building design, building science, and project consulting, along with kitchens, baths, specialty finishes, and the practical, resilient systems that keep a place comfortable for decades.
01 — Ethos
We are not trying to become a large custom home builder. Our greatest value comes earlier — helping you evaluate a property, test an idea, and understand your home as a living system of sun, water, air, structure, and daily life.
Rob and Shelley bring two decades of hands-on construction to the drawing table. Advice here is paid, unhurried, and unbiased — we are not selling you a project. We are helping you decide whether there is one, and what shape it should take.
02 — How we help
Consulting and conceptual design come first, supported by the hands-on remodeling and fine finish work we have done for twenty years.
Clear, paid advisory sessions on property, siting, solar, water, and material choices — before anything is drawn or poured.
ExploreRob works with you before architectural drawings begin — clarifying ideas, improving layouts, and solving practical problems early.
ExploreSequencing, budget realism, permitting strategy, and long-term maintenance thinking before construction begins.
ExploreAn honest read on what your existing home can become — what is worth changing, and what is better left alone.
ExploreCareful, hands-on renovation of the two rooms that carry the most daily life — planned well, built once.
ExploreFaux painting, artistic wall finishes, murals, custom textures, and fine skip trowel work applied by hand.
Explore03 — Building science
A house is a system. Sun, water, air, structure, and landscape are already acting on your site every day — good design simply works with them instead of paying to fight them. These are the principles behind everything we advise.
Orientation, glazing, and thermal mass do free work every day for the life of a building. Get the sun right and the mechanical system gets smaller, quieter, and cheaper.
A simple roof with generous eaves sheds water, shades summer glass, admits winter sun, and protects siding. Complexity in a roof is usually just future leaks.
Air sealing and continuous insulation are the only upgrades that never wear out and never need service. They pay back every single winter, silently.
Before drainage is plumbing, it is landform. Grading, swales, and planting decide where water goes for decades — and whether it becomes an asset or a repair bill.
A home should sit on its site as though the land had been waiting for it. Access, trees, wind, and views shape the plan long before style does.
We choose materials for how they look in their fortieth winter, not their first photograph. Serviceable, repairable, honest, and locally sourced where it is real.
Gardens, greenhouses, and growing systems belong in the plan, not the afterthought. Sun, water, and soil are site resources like any other.
The best solution is usually the simplest one that still works in twenty years. We plan for maintenance, aging, and change rather than pretending they will not come.
04 — Selected work
Conceptual Design & Consulting
A strong horizontal roofline gives this home a grounded relationship with the landscape. Generous overhangs provide shade and weather protection while creating sheltered outdoor living space. Expansive windows bring natural light deep into the interior and open the home toward the surrounding views. Wood, metal, and stone create a durable mountain modern palette that feels warm, practical, and connected to the land.
Remodeling Consultation
This elevated deck extends the living space outward while preserving an open feeling beneath and around the structure. The design emphasizes clear sightlines, strong structural geometry, and a natural transition between the home and the landscape. Simple detailing allows the view and the craftsmanship to remain the focus.
Pre-Construction Planning
Exposed timber beams establish the rhythm and character of this great room. The open volume creates a sense of spaciousness while natural wood brings warmth and human scale. Large windows draw daylight into the room and strengthen the visual connection between the interior and the mountain setting. The materials work together to create a space that feels substantial, comfortable, and enduring.
05 — Coming soon
An upcoming Harmony initiative: modular hydroponic and aeroponic growing systems that let families produce fresh food year round, in a Colorado climate that only offers a few months of garden. Food production belongs in the plan for a property — alongside sun, water, and shelter — not as an afterthought.
06 — A longer view
Harmony Development Coop is the foundation of a broader vision — a small family of efforts connected by one philosophy: thoughtful design creates better homes, better lives, and stronger communities.
The foundation. Consulting, conceptual design, and careful remodeling across the Colorado high country.
Books exploring thoughtful living, humanity, design, and the future we are quietly building toward.
Beautiful reusable gift wrapping that reduces waste, made with the same care we give a house.
Visit siteHydroponic and aeroponic growing systems that help families produce food year round.
A long-term vision for stronger communities through practical ideas and meaningful collaboration.
07 — Begin
Considering a property, weighing a remodel, or unsure whether your idea works — a single consultation often saves far more than it costs. We answer every inquiry within two business days.
