Before Kurtz Group: What Living in a Shed, a Bus, and a Camper Taught Me About Building a Home

In 1999, we bought a piece of land on Kauai no house on it — just dirt, a plan, and a lot of optimism.

We went to Home Depot and bought one of those metal tool sheds and outfitted it with a bed, a dresser and all of our personal belongings. 

It wasn't glamorous. It was what we could afford to do. We were young, creative and resourceful. It definitely had its ups and downs, yet, it turned out to be the best real estate decision we could’ve made. And, it was our first home, a home that Justin built one piece of wood at a time. 

Since then, we’ve found ourselves in a few more living scenarios such as a converted school bus and a camper (with a toddler!). Looking back, we wouldn’t take back any of these experiences because it taught us to see the bigger picture and not get caught up in our current living situation. 

What You Learn When You're Living in the Job Site

Anyone can tell a client what a renovation "should" cost or how long a build "typically" takes. We’ve lived inside the gap between what's supposed to happen and what actually happens — the permitting delays, the subcontractor no-shows, the moment you realize the foundation work is going to take three more weeks than anyone budgeted for.

Each living situation and project taught us things that don't show up in a real estate license course:

• What a home is worth, structurally, has very little to do with what it looks like finished. We know how  to see the bones of a house — the parts buyers never think to ask about.

• Budgets and timelines are guesses until they're not. Every construction project runs into the unexpected. Knowing that going in changes how you plan, and how you advise someone else who's about to go through it.

• Discomfort is temporary; decisions about a home are not. Living rough for a year made us patient about getting the big calls right — the ones that matter for decades.

From Building One Home to Building Kurtz Group

That project eventually became a home. It also became the start of 25 years spent designing, building, developing, and investing in properties.

We're not agents who learned construction secondhand from clients or contractors. We've been the ones living on the job site, making the calls, and absorbing the consequences when things didn't go to plan. That's the lens we bring to every client relationship now — whether we're helping someone figure out which repairs are actually worth making before a sale, or helping a buyer see past cosmetic flaws to what a property could really become.

Why This Still Matters for You

If you're buying, selling, or trying to decide what a property in Encinitas or North County San Diego is really worth, you're not just getting a real estate agent's opinion. You're getting the perspective of a couple who has personally lived through the build — the shed, the bus, the camper, and everything in between.

That's the difference we try to bring to every transaction at Kurtz Group.