Every Legacy Home™ begins with place — and how that place makes you feel. We call this Land Whispering™: reading light, wind, sound, and texture while we study the practical rules that shape a site. The Story Session™ happens on your property and concentrates on what the land allows and invites — setbacks, height limits, shoreland or river constraints, access, neighbors, microclimates, and view corridors. We walk the ground together, take notes and photos, sketch diagrams, and leave you with a clear, site-first package you can act on.

This is not preliminary house design — it’s the step before. If preliminary design resolves rooms and circulation, the Story Session™ clarifies where a home could belong on this land — and why. You receive a brief written summary, annotated images, and diagrammatic sketches that capture constraints, opportunities, and the emotional cues we heard from the site.

Risk in homebuilding shows up as money — redesign, change orders, rework, delays, and carrying costs. The cheapest moment to make changes is before anything is built. A few hours outside with the survey and zoning chart can prevent five- and six-figure pivots later.

Two quick examples:

• Porch microclimate: Moving a screened porch 12 feet to dodge wind and catch sunset is a sketch during the session — after footings, it touches structure, wiring, finishes, and inspections.
• View vs. glare: Rotating a great room a few degrees to frame water without mirror-glare is a traced arrow on paper — in the field, it can mean reframing and new glazing lead times.

The Story Session™ blends code, climate, and Land Whispering™ so siting decisions feel right — and pencil out.

On site, we focus on these primary factors:

1. Regulations & boundaries — survey, buildable area, shoreland/river setbacks, height limits, easements, review boards.
2. Access & approach — sight distance, grades, snow storage, guest arrival vs. daily gear entry.
3. Sun, wind, water — sun path, prevailing winds, lake fetch vs. sheltered coves, river orientation and seasonal flow.
4. Views & privacy — primary/secondary view cones, borrowed landscape, neighbor windows to ignore gracefully.
5. Topography & drainage — slopes, swales, trees, ledge, bluff stability; planted stabilization where needed.
6. Utilities & systems zones — routes and service areas, mechanical rooms, condensers, EV charging, generator placement.
7. Outdoor rooms — screened porch, terraces, pool or hot tub, riverside seating, service courts.
8. Emotion of the site — how the land feels and looks to you: the quiet corners, the lively edges, the light and shadow you notice first, the textures and sounds that make the place feel like home.

Deliverable: a plain-English summary, annotated photos, and diagrammatic sketches — buildable envelope, approach sequence, view cones, wind/sun overlays, outdoor-room zones, and a few “if/then” siting options — plus a short next-steps to-do-list for surveys, geotech (if indicated), consultant needs, and timing.

We map rules and listen for feeling — at the same time. We stand where morning lands and dusk settles; we note glare off big water and shimmer on river current; we track breezes and pockets where conversation floats; we sense textures and scents that belong; we choreograph approach and reveal. Those impressions guide materials and siting so the home feels inevitable on its land.

Regional lenses

• Lake Michigan — Lake Country WI, North Shore IL, & Harbor Country IN and MI

Wind, glare, moisture, freeze–thaw; setbacks and height limits shape mass early. Outdoor rooms work best out of prevailing winds with overhangs that welcome low winter sun and ease summer glare.

• Walworth County, WI — Lake Geneva, Fontana, Delavan, Lauderdale Lakes, Twin Lakes

Shoreland rules shape siting, decks, docks, and terrace edges. We read wake patterns and golden-hour pockets.

• Indiana dunes & lakeshore — Beverly Shores, Michigan City, Empire, Glen Arbor

Corrosion resistance and minimal disturbance; dune paths that feel effortless; the sound of wind through grasses tells us where a porch wants to live.

• Riverfront — Durango, Pagosa Springs, St. George (Animas, San Juan and Virgin Rivers)

Setbacks, snow, and spring runoff influence floor levels and terraces; cottonwood shade and riffle noise cue outdoor seating.

• Mountain & high-desert — Pagosa Springs, Santa Fe, St. George

Shade geometry and thermal mass lead; courtyards create calm; night-sky lighting keeps glare down.

Families investing $2–15+M care about outcomes and timelines. The Story Session™ moves risk out of construction and into conversation. Even modest site-driven moves tend to pay back:

• A porch sited for shelter often needs lighter screens and smaller heaters.
• A great room rotated a few degrees can reduce glare and lower reliance on interior shading.
• An entry aligned with the land can trim grade work and make snow management simpler.

We meet at the property with your survey and any reports. We plan for a few hours. We listen to your goals, then walk — slowly — pausing at entry points and view spots, standing in shade and sun, and noting where conversation feels easy. If you’re weighing multiple sites, we repeat the cadence and provide a side-by-side comparison. We end with a quick recap of promising directions, cautions, confirmations, and next steps. Back at the studio, we assemble your summary, images, and diagrams.

The Story Session™ runs as a fixed-fee service scaled to location and scope (single site vs. multiple, travel, complexity). The on-site portion takes a few hours; the deliverable follows shortly after. Some families use it as a stand-alone decision tool before purchasing land; others treat it as the formal start to their Legacy Home™ journey.

You: latest survey if available; any past reports (geotech, wetlands, flood data); three goals and three worries; timing notes.

Us: base mapping, zoning references, tape/compass, camera, plan prints, a field-sketch kit, and questions. The best sessions feel like conversation — not a checklist.

We meet at the property with your survey and any reports. We plan for a few hours. We listen to your goals, then walk the land — slowly. We pause at entry points and probable view spots; we stand in shade and in sun; we notice where conversation feels easy and where wind tugs at clothes. We mark up surveys or aerials, take photos, and capture quick sketches.

If you’re weighing multiple sites, we repeat the cadence and produce a side-by-side comparison. A lot with a showy view can still lose on access or rules; a slightly subtler lot can win with calmer seasons and simpler infrastructure. The Story Session™ keeps those tradeoffs visible and grounded.