Heart of the Home: A Year in Pictures 2021

Favorite Photos from a Santa Barbara Homebuilder

In Santa Barbara, custom homebuilding often becomes a sum much greater than its creative parts. To pull off something extraordinary — that is, the new construction or comprehensive remodel of a one-of-a-kind family home that fits its surroundings — it truly takes a team, from owners, architects, designers, and engineers to catskinners, masons, plumbers, painters, and many more essential tradespeople in between. Plus, there’s the general contractor’s core crew.

At Giffin & Crane, part of that crew’s job is to document project progress; such documentation helps keep everybody up to speed and on the same page. Along the way, some really cool images get posted to company partner/principal Derek Shue’s weekly Instagram updates (@giffinandcrane). Here’s a distillation of some of the best.

Looking up through the cupola of a Hope Ranch equestrian round pen. | Credit: Nick Pendleton
New stalls in a Hope Ranch barn. | Credit: Nick Pendleton
Water shot of a recently completed Santa Barbara home. | Credit: Derek Shue
The crew from Mike Kelley Concrete setting up to pour the foundation of a new home in Montecito. | Credit: Jake Lewis
Demo underway for the restoration of a George Washington Smith residence in Hope Ranch. | Credit: Hank Nicolais
The crew at Mac Brown Excavation working to expose stone formations alongside a new hilltop home in Montecito. | Credit: Jim Vaughan
Framing work underway to restore a home lost to the Thomas Fire. | Credit: Zach Roether
A framer from Thane Construction building arches and groin vaults in the entryway of a Montecito home. | Credit: Tom Stefl
Painters work outside as a home interior is prepped for move-in. | Credit: Dennis Derham
Stones placed skillfully by a mason from Steve Hanson Landscaping create a motor court medallion. | Credit: Dennis Derham
Landscaping filling in along the exterior of a recently completed home. | Credit: Britta Smith
Trellis shadows on an outdoor dining area. | Credit: Dennis Derham
A painter preps the millwork of an 1880s farmhouse restoration. | Credit: Dennis Derham
Finish carpenters from Solid Rock Construction using CAD technology to plan trim detail. | Credit: Dennis Derham
Newly built wet bar in a Montecito entertainment room. | Credit: Jake Lewis