Today Ted speaks with Will Prull, President of Prull Custom Builders, a locally owned and operated Sante Fe company that has been in business for over 40 years.

Prull has built award-winning homes expressed in Pueblo Revival, Territorial, and Contemporary architecture. Over the years, they have been on the leading edge of the solar, green, and healthy home building movements.

Asked why there seems to be a lack of tradespeople today, Will says that there simply aren’t enough opportunities for apprenticeship in the US.

Serious journeymen find themselves having to leave the country for an extended period of time in order to learn the craft they want to make a career out of—such as Will’s own son, who lived in Japan for three years learning to become a knifemaker with the local masters.

Ted and Will reflect on the great artists and craftsmen throughout history, from musical greats such as Elton John and Bob Dylan to the legendary architects that dreamed up the Parthenon and the iconic elevated wooden structures of Japan.

While Will doesn’t believe he even holds a candle to these visionaries, he finds meaning and fulfillment in simply being able to contribute to the visual fabric of his community and leave that architectural legacy long after he’s gone.

Topics Discussed

• [02:02] Early lessons in business
• [07:11] Why we lack tradespeople today
• [12:09] The evolution of Santa Fe as a place one could call home
• [16:10] Will’s forecast of the housing market
• [19:59] How much of Will’s work are renovations and how much are new builds
• [21:23] Switching from adobe to contemporary
• [32:06] Incorporating acoustics into a home design
• [40:36] What Will takes back from his travels, design-wise
• [44:06] Why it’s okay to fail
• [46:44] How Will retained his passion after over 40 years
• [54:06] What Will is most proud of

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Key Quotes from Episode

• I respect good architecture so much. It’s an art and a science.
• When you look at great architecture, I just feel that we’re a shadow of that. We’re trying to emulate it the best we can. […] We’ll never get to those levels, but it feels good to be doing the very best we can and doing some of the best work in our area. I’ve always considered our work to be leaving a trail of beauty as we move from one project to another.