Ian Schwandt

Alt Job Title: The Wordsmith

“I bring a tradesperson’s perspective to understanding the myriad of costs associated with every construction project and a willingness to view my work from the perspective of others.”

Ian joined the TDS team in 2020. He is a Certified Passive House Institute Tradesperson and has completed the Net Zero Building Program at Yestermorrow School in Vermont. He and his wife built their own high performance home and was featured as the Fine Homebuilding House for that year. Read all about it here: FHB House 2021: Wisconsin

He brings a wealth of experience to his work at TDS—from his traditional carpentry apprenticeship, to his work leading large scale commercial construction projects in the health care sector to his historic preservation work as a self-employed tradesperson. Through all these experiences, he learned first hand what can be accomplished by talented tradespeople dedicated to lifelong learning.

Ian grew up as the sixth generation on his family’s farm, and then moved to the Hudson Valley region of New York where he lived for 13 years. Living and working in a densely populated area gave him the opportunity to build relationships with a diverse group of people from around the world.

He would not be who he is today, or living back on the farm where he grew up, without many of these relationships, which is why he values using his life experience to help others learn and succeed. “We all stand on the shoulders of someone who came before us,” he says. This is why Ian appreciates our TDS core values and the mutual respect we have for each other.

In his spare time he enjoys reading, woodworking, designing and building furniture, and traveling to interesting places.

Additionally, Ian is a Contributing Editor and Podcast host for Fine Homebuilding Magazine, as well as a tool reviewer for Journal of Light Construction (JLC). You can hear him on The FHB ProTalk Podcast and The Fine Homebuilding Podcast.

Favorite tool (power tool or otherwise): 

Hammer. It was the first tool I was given as a small child on the farm.