The Ultimte DIY: Architect and GC Couple Builds in Utah

In this episode, we sit down with Antonia Botero to talk about designing and building her own home in Park City, Utah—a contemporary mountain house shaped by view, guidelines, risk, and a deep understanding of construction. We open by grounding the project: a new build that broke ground in May 2022 and wrapped up in August 2023, completed on an aggressive 13-month timeline in a post-COVID construction market. Antonia served as both architect of record and co–general contractor alongside her husband, bringing a commercial development mindset into a residential project.We explore how the site and HOA design guidelines shaped the house. The home is oriented entirely to the western view of the Wasatch Back, prioritizing experience of landscape and daylight over conventional orientation rules. From the street, the house is solid and restrained; inside, it opens dramatically to the horizon. Antonia talks about embracing guidelines as design constraints rather than obstacles, choosing to reinterpret fire and material rules in a cohesive way instead of applying them superficially. That approach resulted in a house with no “dipped-in-stone” base and a consistent architectural language.Design principles drive every decision. We discuss honesty in structure and materials, visible glulam beams that actually hold up the roof, exposed steel, large overhangs, and thermally modified wood siding. The plan is organized as a strong architectural parti—a long, low L-shaped house that clearly separates public and private zones while allowing varying levels of access for guests. The house is designed for entertaining without sacrificing privacy.On the construction side, we dig into how treating the house like a commercial project affected decisions. Antonia explains why they built a concrete podium instead of conventional wood framing, how lumber pricing influenced structural choices, and how commercial-style coordination—between plumbing, electrical, sprinklers, and structure—created efficiencies but challenged residential trades. We hear stories of incredible trade partners who embraced the challenge, alongside cautionary tales like a once-in-a-lifetime marble slab being cut in half.A major theme is risk. Antonia is clear that she would not recommend her process to most homeowners. She took risks she would never take with a client—testing new products, resolving details in the field, and living with temporary conditions for years. We talk about how critical it is for homeowners to understand risk, ask questions, and decide what they can live with emotionally, financially, and practically.We close with lessons about decision-making, collaboration, and knowing when to push and when to pull back. Antonia reminds us that there is no universal blueprint for building a home—only a framework that must be tailored to each person’s life, priorities, and tolerance for uncertainty. And yes, after all the complexity, her favorite daily joy is simple: heated bathroom floors.(00:00) Introduction to Home: The Second Story(01:18) Project overview: Park City new build(03:07) Antonia’s background in architecture and development(05:08) Designing to the view and working within HOA guidelines(11:35) Designing your own house as an architect(17:15) Architect + GC from day one(21:24) Why there’s no one-size-fits-all process(24:02) Turning a personal project into a client project(31:56) Commercial construction strategies in a home(37:57) The marble kitchen saga(42:22) Risk, experimentation, and client responsibility(45:29) Favorite feature(46:36) Host reflections and key takeaways Have questions? Want to be on our show? Email us! [email protected] about our hosts:Marilyn: Runcible Studios: https://runciblestudios.comSherI: Springhouse Architects: https://springhousearchitects.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.