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What does it look like when architects and builders work together from the start?

This season on Work in Process, we're introducing a series within a series, sitting down with local architects to discuss their design process and how they work with builders. In the first episode, Daniel Glauser is joined by Sarah Johnson, Principal at Matt Fajkus Architecture (MFA), to talk about design philosophy, client relationships, and why early collaboration leads to better homes.

Sarah shares her path from a dual degree in architecture and civil engineering at Texas Tech to the UT Austin School of Architecture, and how a few weeks of helping a new professor with renderings turned into 15 years of growing MFA from a startup into a 10–15 person firm. She and Daniel dig into MFA's approach of letting the client, the site, and the program drive the design, and why natural materials and a strong connection to context make a home feel timeless instead of trendy.

They also discuss what makes designing in Austin both challenging and exciting, from high design standards and city requirements to diverse topography and difficult sites, and why constraints often generate the best ideas. The conversation turns to the architect-builder relationship: bringing a builder on during schematic design, running pricing checks at every phase to keep the design aligned with the budget, and staying connected through construction to protect the design intent.

This conversation shows how trust, communication, and shared vision between architect, builder, and client shape a truly custom home.

In this episode:

• Sarah's path into architecture and the founding of MFA
• Designing in response to the site, the client, and the program
• What makes a design timeless vs. trendy
• How MFA gets to know a client's lifestyle
• The challenges and opportunities of designing in Austin
• Treating constraints as design opportunities
• Why builders should join the team during schematic design
• Constructability vs. value engineering
• Common misconceptions about the design process
• Architect involvement during construction
• Advice for anyone planning to build a custom home

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