Those of you who know me know that I am a lot of things--and near the top of that list is "dreamer." Couple that with being a creator, a designer, a determined doer, and a house-crazed real estate/architecture fanatic, and do you know what you get? You get someone who's been on the edge of his seat, knees bouncing like an excited 12-year old, as he waits for the day when he can dream up/design/build his own home. Good news on all sides: that time has finally come! I'll be leaving my perch at the Maryland on South Temple and moving down south--9th & 9th, to be precise. I've done the math, and since the time I purchased my own very first home (at the ripe old age of 21), I have been the proud owner of 10 houses (most of which I have renovated, designed, or decorated, a couple of which I landlord-ed, and all of which I have loved).

I've owned my share of homes, sure, but this one I'll have a hand in from day one. So...in light of my first from-the-ground-up project, I think it's also a good time for the first installment in our "Cody Derrick, start-from-scratch, dream-big, fuck-the-status-quo, to-hell-with-price-per-square-foot, don't-tell-me-what-to-do, I've-put-in-my-time, I'm-building-my-dream-house, thank-god, hallelujah, holy-shit, where's the Tylenol" blog series. It's been a long-ass time coming, guys…I'm super excited. And yes, we're in the very early stages of the process, but I'm already learning, and the point of this blog series is to share the knowledge. Today's message?

Hire an architect.

When it comes to a project this big (I'm building a freaking house!) we need people to hear us and filter us and see what we don't see, because often times we are too close to ourselves to see the whole picture. An architect will help you step outside the project, enable you to make the right decisions. In truth, there are dozens of architects in this city that are doing AMAZING things, and I applaud their work on the daily. But my long-standing relationship with John and Anne, principals of Sparano + Mooney, had me knocking on their door for this project. Having paired them with various clients over the years, I've seen time and again that these two are brilliant minds and major talents in their field, and they won me over long before I ever purchased the lot. As with any great architects, John and Anne gave me some homework: I needed to write down the things I loved about all the places I've lived. Favorite rooms, experiences, nooks and crannies, etc. My list was long. Talking about these things can get heavy in a hurry, but this is the important stuff. And precisely why it's so imperative that you hire someone you trust absolutely…someone who will give you what you need, not what you want.

Stick around…this is going to get soooo good.