Today we’d like to introduce you to David Edgar, Jr
Hi David, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
When people ask me what I do, I tell them I am a creative, maker of things. I make buildings, artwork, surfboards, furniture. I had my first wood shop in high school at age 15 in my parents garage. I would make classroom furniture for my mother’s Montessori school, speaker boxes for my friends trucks, skate board ramps and all manner of tree houses.
After graduating from Lamar CISD High School. I received a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Texas Christian University in 1988. In 1994 I moved to New York City to pursue my art career. I ran a small high end residential contracting company, D Edgar Inc. and continued to be active in the arts. I had studio rental spaces in Williamsburg Brooklyn, built art galleries and did art fabrication and installations.
In 2019 after 25 years in New York City, I decided to move back to Houston, Texas. Because my kids were grown and my parents were aging and I wanted to be closer to family. I had also become very interested in Passive House construction. In moving to Texas I was able to focus on this work and begin a new pipeline of projects with my new company, PH Builders of Texas. For myself and many, the introduction to actually building and PHIUS certification is through the development of their own projects. Houston’s strong business environment and relatively affordable entry made it an appealing place to start building this type of housing. Through the Houston Chapter of the Passive House Alliance, I met local aspiring developer Jesse Hunt, and together we built the first Certified Passive Houses in EaDo in 2023. Currently we are working on a deep retrofit project in the Heights which will be certified under the Revive Standard that the Passive House Institute US released this summer. We are also working on new market rate developments in EaDo.
Over the years I have shown my work in Houston, Dallas, Ft Worth, NYC, San Francisco and Tokyo. This year I had a show at Mod Coffeehouse in Galveston. Currently I am showing my artwork at Art Museum Texas in Sugar Land.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The Covid 19 pandemic delayed my certification by a year. I was able to complete the coursework and get certified in 2021. Successfully creating the first project was definitely a milestone and has been fundamental to getting the word out that this type of construction is possible in Texas. We had to prove that we could actually build to the highest indoor air quality standard with energy savings of 65-70% at a negligible cost delta. Now that people have seen the project and experienced this higher level of construction quality it is selling itself.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I view my building and art making practices as one and the same. They are both informed means of problem solving and aesthetic endeavors. I enjoy working with my hands and tools to create buildings, art, and furniture. The works are inspired by my personal travels, the beach, and work in construction. The geometry of Piet Mondrian meets surfboard building combined with loose painting, and black and white photography. I collage photographs from daily experiences and abstract painting to create surprising juxtapositions with lush marks and streaks. The works are playful in spirit and rich in color and textures. Many of the materials are upcycled from building projects, and the techniques employed to create the works have been honed over decades of practice as both artist and builder.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I am always working on art and building projects at the same time. The experience of covid taught me to slow down. Things will happen at the pace they will happen. I was lucky enough to be working on a large ground up hotel project at the time which kept me busy through most of the Covid pandemic. I was able to embrace the new realities of the workspace and soldier on. Like everyone else, I learned to not shake hands at meetings and wear Personal Protection Equipment religiously. Through the experience I learned to cherish and balance family and work in a way that I wasn’t able to appreciate in the past. Because we couldn’t fly, I had to drive cross country several times to visit my kids back in New York. Driving let me get to know parts of the country that I had been flying over for 25 years. Taking the extra time, I was able to greatly improve my photography that has become integral to my current body of work.
Pricing:
- The additional cost of certified projects is between 3-10%
- The cost is generally due to our needing higher quality doors and windows
- We use additional ventilation equipment not typically seen in code construction.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dedgarinc.com
- Instagram: @ph_builders_of_texas
- Facebook: @d_edgar_art
Image Credits
The photos are by me
