Q&A With the JAM House Owner and Designer – Jeremy Miller

Now that the JAM house is complete, we wanted to share more about the vision, design, and overall experience of the build. This house is unique in design, location, and how it was planned. The following is an interview with Compton Construction’s Drafter and Estimator, Jeremy Miller. This is a piece of his story and his reflection now that the project is complete.

If your not sure what the JAM House Build is, start here.

 

What made you decide to design and build a new house vs. buy and renovate an existing place?

I’ve also always wanted to design my own home since a young age and the land banks’ low cost of land ownership afforded me this opportunity. The work required to retrofit an older home with the type of style and environment I wanted was going to be a barrier. 

 

Why did you select Franklinton for your home?

I had been living in Franklinton for over 4 years and came to really enjoy it.  Among the many benefits are: friends in the neighborhood, easy accessibility to work & all of the urban core of Columbus, tax abatement savings, overall cost effective living, being off the beaten path.

 

What was the inspiration behind your design choices?

I’m a minimalist, so that informed my design aesthetic.  Concrete, plywood, basic tile, simple color choices.  Open spaces with high ceilings & high windows to create room to think and lots of ambient natural light in a narrow city lot.  Quality space without taxing the pocket book to hard.

 

What has been your favorite part about the entire construction process?

It felt like constantly jumping through hoops and working around new obstacles that taught me how little I knew about building a house from financing to installing trim.  That being said I received so much help every step of the way, most of it without really even asking.  Friends, coworkers, and family stepped in at every obstacle and helped me keep moving forward.  That was definitely the best part.

 

Since you performed some of the finish work yourself, was it more overwhelming or rewarding to complete those tasks?

It was very rewarding, and humbling.  I completely underestimated the physical effort required to complete the trim carpentry, but learning how to do it while working with Paul and seeing the end result has been a great.

 

What advice would you give to others, thinking about buying or building a home? What was your biggest learning experience?

Think of a home as a puzzle and ask how much it can accomplish.  Rather than tying you down, property ownership can instead create more freedom/opportunity in your life.  (creative opportunity, financial opportunity, opportunity to learn new skills).

 

Is there anything you would change about your house now that it is complete?

Not yet, although that may change after living in it for a while.  For being the first building I designed and built from the ground up, I couldn’t be happier.

 

Check out the other Finished Photos of the project, and watch the build, from start to finish on our YouTube Channel.