David joined Pickett Homes in 1993 to help Bill and Barbie Pickett design and modify house plans to meet the needs of their customers.

At that time, Bill met with the customer to show them the standard plans available and determine if modifications would be needed. Then, Bill would take the modifications back to David to draw out.

Turning Ideas into Visual Plans
About three years later, Bill turned the responsibility over to David to begin working directly with customers. Since then, David has been honing the process, making it easier for customers to visualize their home before the foundation is ever laid.

"Most customers find a standard plan that I’ve designed that they basically like but want a few simple modifications," David says. "From time to time, though, we get customers who want something entirely different, so I start from scratch."

CAD System makes planning easy
Today, through the use of a computer assisted design (CAD) program, David has designed and modified hundreds of plans — and can do it much more quickly and efficiently.

"I don’t think we’ve ever built two of the same home," David says. "Everyone has unique wants and needs so we customize our home plans accordingly."

David tells his customers up front that he's going to be honest with them throughout the process, including telling them if any of their ideas are 'off the wall.' "Customers appreciate this about me and other Pickett employees," David says, "because they realize that we are trying to help them build a home that they can live with and love, as well as easily resell should they ever need to."

Building and Design Experience Is Key
Prior to joining Pickett Homes, David spent 18 years doing truss work in Kentucky and Florida. "Working with trusses and designing roof systems allowed me to develop my ability to visualize homes three dimensionally," David says. "This practical experience both on the building and design end of the business has helped me provide better designed homes for our customers."

Growing up, David said he remembers admiring how his father, who was one college year shy of a having an architectural degree, was able to sit down at their kitchen table with a drafting board and t-square and draw up a new plan for a home. David said that he probably indirectly learned a lot from his father.

"I never imagined that I’d be doing what my father once did on the side, differing only in that I use a mouse and computer monitor to draw house plans," he says.