“Tory’s imagination and flexibility were abundant during our planning and designing stages of our home. He is the consummate professional – willing to share ideas and provide suggestions on how to improve flow, functionality and livability in a given framework (and budget). He understood what we were trying to accomplish and delivered the product beautifully – as well as on time and at a great value”.
Juana & Al Quick
“We have worked with Tory Stephen on several remodel jobs on our home in Mars Hill, NC from tiling to plumbing to electrical - Tory's work is fast, clean and very professional. He knows how to listen and can make helpful suggestions on how to make a job work better. His work is always top notch! We would recommend Tory Stephen for any job”!
Pamela Harper and Tony Viele
“I wanted to express my gratitude for the services The Stephen Group has rendered to America’s Home Place over the last 2 years. Regardless of whether or not it is the million dollar home or a smaller two hundred thousand dollar home, Tory has consistently demonstrated an uncanny ability to hear what our customers want, assess their needs and then formalize it into a functional and exciting plan, . . .disregarding personal bias.
I have worked with many designers and architects over the last 15 years in the construction industry, but I choose to work with The Stephen Group because my clients enjoy working with Tory. They sense from him a sincere desire to understand and design the home of their dreams.
Additionally, Tory always impressed me with his ability to take a napkin drawing and produce the design of a clients dream, in far less time than most designers and architects. Ultimately, Tory’s extensive experience has provided our clients efficiency in the development of their plans that translates into actual $$savings in their time and resources.
Keep up the great work and as always, I look forward to the opportunity to work together again”!
Russell Miskin Division President America’s Home Place
“My wife and I were interested in starting a building program so we began the endless search for house plans. We found some very nice plans but all of them seemed to lack something that would require us to alter the design. That’s when we contacted Tory Stephen at The Stephen Group. Tory carefully took into consideration our ideas, family size, land layout, and budget needs. The final plans that Tory presented to us exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend Tory Stephen for your architecture needs. You won’t be disappointed”.
Mark & Sonya Debruhl
“The architectural plans and details produced by Tory Stephen, Architect are well thought out from both a design and construction perspective. Having worked in commercial and residential construction over the last 15 years, …I have experienced the thoroughness and practical nature of the architectural work coming from Tory”.
John M. Chase, Licensed GC
“Shirl and I had an excellent designing and building experience with Tory. It is not everyday one can find an architect who will work with your ideas and his. Tory's strongest point as an Architect is that he knows the building trade. Our addition to our Mars Hill home came out great, and how much pleasure we get by sitting on our new porch”.
Jim And Shirl Parmentier
“Tory Stephen did four projects for our mountain top home… Tory is knowledgeable, easy to work with, attentive to details, and able to architect any design one needs to fit their home. He doesn’t leave the construction site or your home in a mess while he is working. We heartily recommend him for all your home projects--even the difficult ones”.
Walt & Andrea Turner
“I am a builder of high end custom homes here in Western North Carolina. I have most recently completed a beautiful Art & Craft style home designed and drawn by Tory Stephen and had the opportunity to work closely with him on this project.
As a builder we are often challenged with technical issues during the course of a project. The working drawings that Tory provided were extensively detailed, giving us the information that we needed, when it was needed. He handled change orders, by the homeowner, quickly to minimize any on site interruption.
I found Tory to be very approachable and easy to work with. His resourcefulness and willingness to help see the project through made him a team player. I look forward to working Tory on future projects”.
Ken Hilbert, Licensed GC
“I have know and worked with Tory for more than three years. I have found him to be knowledgeable of both construction practices and Building Codes. I have observed him working with the Owner to assist the Owner in developing project programs. He is willing engage in discussions with the Engineer on how to incorporate plumbing, HVAC and electrical systems into the project areas. I have found Tory to be pleasant and enjoyable to work with. His laugh is great”.
B. Augustus Sims, P.E.
we design your dreams
My Home, My Story
I grew up in a family of builders and makers of things. DIY was a family motto! My grandfather Wray Hamrick became a general contractor in California after serving as a B29 Chief Mechanic during WWII in India and the South Pacific. He built and remodeled just about everything. When I was a kid he had built 3 custom campers and by the time I was 18 he had finished his 4 custom camper; they were nice, too.
My mom was a wonderful homemaker. Many people today view that in a derogatory manner but not me. She made most all of her own clothes and as a kid she made a lot of my clothes. She was a great cook and baker. She put up preserves that beat any store bought canned goods I have ever had. Opening up a bottle of canned pears in the winter to have with breakfast was like eating candy without the guilt.
My dad was a civil engineer and worked for the University of California Berkeley conducting seismic research for most of his career. Many of the modern structural codes that we have today came from his research. He also was a “builder”. When I was very young he built the most beautiful mahogany canoe I have ever seen to this day. More recently after retiring he went to work for John Huntsman in Armenia, first in his prefabricated concrete plank factory in Yerevan. Then he spent 2 years in Gyumri building a school and apartment building. Trust me, it is not easy building in that country, but he did it.
I have had a wide variety of professional experiences in the design & construction industry over the past 26 years. My love for the industry began with working summers in my early teens for my grandfather, and then general contractor Carl Else as a carpenter’s helper. I also had a fantastic wood shop teacher, Ray Mendoza, who taught me the fundamentals of cabinetry & millwork. I learned the value of tools and their proper safe use. I was given a great foundation.
I began my “official” career after high school as a union carpenter’s apprentice in the San Francisco Bay Area, then later in Southern California, becoming a; master carpenter, custom cabinetmaker, home remodeling contractor, commercial construction manager and licensed general contractor in 1987. Then off to college at the age of 30, because the economy went south in 1989, receiving my Bachelor’s of Architecture degree from one of the finest architect programs in the country; Virginia Tech.
While studying at Virginia Tech I became immersed in ceramic art in addition to my architecture studies, under the tutelage of a great friend and mentor, David Crane, gaining a new perspective and way of seeing the world around me. I have been making pots part-time in my own small studio at home ever since.
After graduation I began my architectural apprenticeship in San Diego California working for both traditional architectural, design/build, and project management firms. I completed my 9 written and 1 oral ARE exams in 2002 and became a licensed professional architect in California and with my NCARB certification in 2004 I was licensed in North Carolina.
My design and building experience has varied over the years from small residential remodeling projects to retail, educational, medical, coroner/forensic, police/sheriff, federal/county and city governmental facilities to high end residential projects.
I love what I do, I always have; I built & dug forts as a kid, restored motorcycles, several cars and a ’51 Willies Overland pickup truck before I was 20, I have designed and made so many things I really can not remember them all. In my family the motto was “why buy something if you can build it or make it yourself”, my father, mother and grandfather being great examples.
To say the least building is in my blood. I had wanted to build my own home for most of my life. I helped my grandfather build his last home in Oregon and I had been itching ever since then to build one myself. You see, when we arrived in Blacksburg, VA to attend Virginia Tech my good wife did it kicking and screaming, three years later she left the same way. As far as she was concerned the Appalachian Mountains were hers. So in 2003 my wife and I decided to move back to the Appalachian Mountains from California, get some land and build a home.
I experienced all of the challenges that everyone faces when they build a home; budget, schedule and quality, in a nut shell. I could not really complain much about the builder and his role in the project or the architect! Fortunately, my wife kept my feet on the ground, and I did not mess up too much. Our home is a bit unusual besides that fact that an architect built it.
The major difference is that 90% of the “living space” is on the upper floor. The whole reason for that was we wanted a studio space for our respective artistic pursuits. My thought then was; why not maximize on that idea and have the work studios on the main grade level and then the living area on the upper level all under the same roof.
Being the architect that I am, I would design a completely
different house today for myself. I must say that this experience was a
wonderful “laboratory experiment”. I learned so much about myself and what it
is that I really like and what is really important to make a home. We all live
in homes that are as diverse as each of us, but until you must define and
create limitations for yourself as to what will become built reality; I believe
that an architect/builder has not completed their professional training to
truly benefit their client.
I realize that this home may not be at all what you would like, that is fantastic! This is why I feel so strongly about our motto: “we listen, then together we design your dreams” Because that is what I do for each of my clients, I am a processor and classifier of information. I take all that I can learn from each client and draw some lines that represent what they really want and need, or how they want to live. I know that this sounds crazy but a good architect must see in 4d not 3d. The 4th dimension is the dimension of people interacting with the built reality. This is how I “see” and what I want to give to each and every client, what they want.
