About Us
Westerlies design build is a Colaboration of four independent General contractors, Each has the ability to run a project from foundation to finish and perform any task along the way.
Meet the Team
ALEX TURNER
Alex has lived in Whatcom county since his family moved here in 2004. He’s been building and creating his entire life. His path to becoming a Design/build contractor was solidified when he and his partner built a tiny home a decade ago as stepping stone on their own journey to home ownership. Ever since Alex has been dedicated to refining his skills as a carpenter and designer — seeing that as his best path to help those around him achieve healthy and sustainable housing.
When he’s not swinging at the jobsite, or designing on his computer you can find Alex Skiing through the trees of the North Cascades, flailing in the waves along the coast, or on his boat in the bay.
ANDREW ECKERT
started by happenstance in 2016 as a carpenter apprentice building homes in Ferndale, Washington— it was a right place, right time situation and the money was better than his other job. Eight years later, he has fallen in love with the art and science of building homes. Having worked for various custom home builders through the years, he has worked every phase of construction from concrete foundations to detailed finish work. He is passionate about building houses that will last, trying to employ the latest in building science developments in an effort to ensure that the valuable materials used in construction can be enjoyed by multiple generations.
When he is not building you can find him outside. Whether it’s playing in a river, looking for mushrooms in the cascades, or puttering in his garden or orchard Andrew loves getting after all that Whatcom county has to offer.
NICK TAVASIEFF
has grown up as a builder since he was knee high, helping his father with menial tasks at first, pounding nails and cleaning up, working his way as he grew up to performing more advanced feats of carpentry and construction. He earned his BS in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz, with a focus in Sustainable Construction, where his final project was a side-by-side comparison looking at embodied carbon, financial costs, and lifecycle sustainability of a house built with the preferred ICF at the time, to a conventionally constructed house. He interned with a green builder and transitioned into a full time position for 7 years, doing everything from carpentry to becoming the in-house designer and installer of solar-thermal and hydronics systems. After that he got his license and started his own company, California Sustainable Builders, which he ran for the next 10 years before recently moving to Bellingham.
In the building world his passions are design, project management, building envelope and energy efficiency studies, and of course something we all share, a love of trim and fine carpentry.
In the non-building world you can find him mountain biking, playing with his aging German Shepherd, and just generally doing anything outdoors while unsuccessfully saying no to cookies and/or ice cream.
GREG ROBINSON
was born to be a Finish Carpenter but he wouldn’t learn this until he had tried his hand at selling home mortgages and real estate. Though he held a real estate license at 18 years old, he found that very few people were willing to list their properties with a person of this age. Fortunately, the neighborhood handyman needed assistance building a deck across the street and asked Greg for help. Greg enjoyed building so much that he immediately quit real estate and began learning how to repair and remodel homes.
Eventually it became time to receive proper training and so Greg joined the Seattle Carpenters’ Union #131 where he worked and attended carpentry school in alternating shifts for 3 years. Just before the 2008 recession hit, Greg thought it would be a good idea to strike out on his own. He was wrong, but that didn’t stop him from learning and growing as a craftsperson.
When Seattle became too congested to think straight, Greg and his fiancee fled to beautiful Bellingham. Greg soon found a good fit for himself as an apprentice to a Master Craftsman in town. He also joined the NCWA woodworkers’ club in Mount Vernon, and learned how to build furniture at Terra Firma Design, the only furniture school.
When Greg’s not building homes, he’s either building something in his shop or studying for a Calculus exam as he pursues an Engineering Degree. In 2024, Greg celebrates his 20th year as a building professional.