Sally DeGan, Principal
Background
As a child, I was always building things. Tree forts, bicycles, furniture, and whatever else struck my fancy. When I wasn’t building, I could usually be found taking something apart, examining the pieces, and then re-arranging them into something new.
As I grew up, this “hands on” approach to life found its true calling working on houses. I painted and wallpapered my way through high school and college, gaining valuable experience in running my own business—and falling in love with old homes. Beyond simply making my next tuition payment, there was something deeply gratifying about injecting new life into structures with charm, tradition, and plenty of stories to tell.
A Natural Choice
Before deciding upon architecture as my career, I spent a year working for a home builder in New England. I loved the process of building, but wasn’t nearly as fond of the long hours outside during the cold, snowy winter. I knew I needed a way to be involved in the creation of homes…but have the majority of my involvement be inside!
Residential architecture was a natural choice for me. It is a vocation not a job and one that marries my talents and passions. After graduating from architecture school, I worked for a Boston-area firm for a number of years and then founded SpaceCraft. My vision was to have a small office with a limited number of projects so that every member of my team was intimately involved in the process of translating clients’ needs and dreams into structural realities.
Interests
- L’Arche – L’Arche is an organization that brings together people, some with developmental disabilities and some without, who choose to share their lives by living together in communities. Having two brothers with Down Syndrome, this is an organization with deep meaning for me. Between college and architecture school, I was a live-in assistant at L’Arche communities in Haverill, MA; Tacoma, WA; and Ontario, Canada. Today I volunteer in several capacities, including serving on committees and donating my professional services. To learn more about L’Arche, click here.
- Golf – I often describe myself as a golf “fanatic,” but that might be too weak a word! You’d never guess it from my handicap, but I’m the third generation of my family, joining my grandfather and mother, to record a hole-in-one.
Education
- Bates College – B.A. in American History and Literature
- Boston Architectural College – B.S. in Architecture
