Today we’d like to introduce you to Gerald Barksdale.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Gerald. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I received my Bachelor of Architecture from Auburn in 2006. I worked in traditional practice at a handful of firms in Florida and Tennessee before moving to San Diego in 2008. When the crash came, we purchased a house in West Nashville, and I went back and taught myself how to remodel houses.
I then turned that new knowledge into a Design-Build company here in San Diego, doing mostly interior remodels from 2010-2016. I was the designer as well as the general contractor. I decided that 2015 would be my last year for construction and started winding everything down starting in 2016, eventually finishing the last little project for a friend and repeat client around May of 2016.
In the meantime, I had reached out to my new business partner to start sending me any and all of his design projects, as he prefers the more technical aspects of the business, where I prefer the creative & visual side. So, I handle the initial client relations, concept creation & visualization while he handles the building plans and consultant coordination.
We are all independent contractors, meaning we provide design-build quality and all-inclusiveness, but without the overhead of the showroom and in-house staff. We currently work from our homes and meet once or twice a week as needed, though I am seeking office space to have a physical presence in the Bay Park area.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Yes, for the most part. The investment industry can be very cutthroat, and that’s where I cut my teeth, so there have been some downs with the ups. Closing down the construction arm to focus fully on design was the best thing I ever did.
Please tell us about Design Build | California.
Design Build | California is a boutique design firm, working mostly in the single-family residential space. Most of our work is in San Diego and the surrounding cities & county, though we are actively pursuing projects around the country. I am actually writing this from Texas where I’m visiting a project of ours in College Station.
We take great pride in being able to design at a consistently high level in any style. San Diego has been very instrumental in my growth as a designer because there are so many styles of homes here, forcing me to adapt to each individual project and not just repeating similar designs.
The ability to produce the same quality in any style is what, I think, really sets us apart from other firms.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I kicked a field goal in Alaska in 1998. That was pretty cool.
Contact Info:
- Website: designbuild-ca.com
- Phone: 8582139077
- Email: gerald@designbuild-ca.com
- Instagram: designbuild_california
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
