At EntreArchitect, you’re encouraged to share your knowledge. When we share with other architects, we all benefit. We are able to learn from one another and the profession will grow. One of the goals of EntreArchitect is to provide a platform for other entrepreneur architects to share their stories.
Join us for our series called The Entrepreneur Architect, where each guest has the opportunity to share their story and answer some questions that will provide value to each of you.
This week on EntreArchitect Podcast, The Entrepreneur Architect Series featuring Chris Bailow.
Background
Chris is the Principal Architect at Bailow Architects, a custom residential design architecture firm that works in New England. The firm’s work consists of thoughtful, innovative design rooted in New England tradition. Chris works remotely
Chris felt fortunate to grow up on an island in Maine. It has a great culture and community, and it was also connected to the mainland by a bridge. When he was a kid, he spent a lot of time outdoors and would find the summer cottages of those who weren’t there any longer. He and his friends would go up on the porches and peek in the windows, and he thought about the layout and spaces of each home. That simplicity is a part of his design aesthetic to this day.
As he grew up, he was interested in how things were put together and how buildings were constructed. His dad wasn’t particularly handy, but he was encouraged to explore what he was interested in. One summer, he got a job building boats. In high school, he thought he may want to be an architect. His guidance counselor pointed out his low math scores, and Chris went to a liberal arts school to level things out.
Chris got a job as a carpenter and was hired by a contractor. He loved learning how to build houses, and that’s some of the most foundational learning he received. After hauling shingles for a while, he realized he did want to pursue architecture.
He earned his undergraduate degree from St. Laurence and an internship in Vermont at the Yestermorrow Design/Build School. Soon he found a graduate program at the Boston Architectural College in Boston where he could work in a firm during the day and go to school in the evenings.
Following school, he got a job as a mail person in a 100+ person firm. He was exposed to tons of different architects, none of whom were doing what he wanted to do. He soon got a call from a firm he’d given his resume to who was doing residential architecture in Massachusetts. After interviewing one-on-one, he got the job. There he learned to hand draft and was exposed to the elements of a small business. He was there for a few years before he hit his ceiling.
Next, he went to a high-end residential firm where he was exposed to 7-8 different architects using CAD software who he got to learn from. He was confident in his abilities to pick CAD up quickly and moved around to different projects helping with whatever they needed at the time. He quickly worked himself up to an associate and project manager. Within years, he felt he was doing the same thing day-to-day and needed a new challenge.
With his wife’s nudging and support, in 2014 he decided to jump out on his own. He stayed home with their son and worked on some projects, and they haven’t looked back since.
How did it work out for you raising a child and building a business?
Chris doesn’t know any other way. Raising a child is an amazing experience that taught him