SantaFe.com

As current chair of the Historic Design Review Board, with thirty-five years of designing and building in Santa Fe, and a columnist for Santafe.com, I hope the Q&A format below (and in future columns) will answer many of your questions about building in Santa Fe.

Whether you are constructing a new home or remodeling your existing one, the process can be daunting. Navigating the municipal and county codes and permitting process, defining your scope of work, and negotiating with your contractor are crucial steps to your success.

You can email additional questions to me at

Friday, July 25, 2008
by Sharon Woods • Woods Architects Builders, Inc.

Probably the most important decision you will make when building a new home or remodeling your current home is choosing your contractor. Your choice of contractor determines whether your building project goes smoothly, finishes on time and within budget, or potentially becomes a nightmare.

Most consumers are not aware of how complex building can be. A good contractor orchestrates your project by thoroughly understanding the plans and specifications, provides an accurate estimate, contracts with subcontractors, schedules the work, and provides you every month with a written record of all...

Friday, May 23, 2008 at 12:26 PM
by Sharon Woods • SantaFe.com

Santa Fe has been my home for thirty five years. I first fell in love—and always will be—with the breathtaking mountain views, the rich cultural heritage and, most important to me, the city’s historic architecture. The unique multicultural texture of Santa Fe—mixing Spanish, Indian and Anglo heritages—has produced historic neighborhoods that are visually exhilarating. Often their beauty is in the details--vigas, corbels, portales, deep-set windows, brightly-colored doors—but it’s also found in the simple but dramatic juxtaposition of homes on a winding street. There is always something...

Tuesday, January 15, 2008
by Sharon Woods • Woods Architects Builders, Inc.

I am often asked by those seeking to own or build a special Santa Fe home, why it costs just a bit more for your Santa Fe dream home. Once you hear the reasons, you'll know that Santa Fe is well worth the extra. Having designed and built many Santa Fe homes for over thirty years, I give careful guidance in achieving a fine home with all of the special qualities that our city's rare architecture can offer.

Numero uno among reasons why you just may experience a moment of gentle heart failure when you learn what home's fetch in Santa Fe is the fact that almost any home that meets the...

Thursday, February 21, 2008
by Sharon Woods • Woods Architects Builders, Inc.