Josh Wynne is a maker; a true craftsman.
Josh was born in a small, cracker-style beach bungalow to a family of fine artists and engineers on Siesta Key, FL. Josh loved growing up in the quaint town of Sarasota. He spent much of his time fishing the bays, beaches and flats around Sarasota and building forts in, and exploring, the many undeveloped lands and swamps that were common in the area.
Josh’s artistic talents did not take long to surface. He spent many evenings on Siesta Beach with his uncle, painting watercolor sunsets for sale to tourists passing by. Still, his mind belonged to problem solving. As a teenager, Josh’s friends called him “MacGyver,” a reference to the TV character who could fix anything with a stick of gum and some string.
Josh received an honorable discharge after serving in the US Navy. This experience exposed him to art and architecture, as well as a deeper understanding of global issues on the many continents he visited. He decided to attend college and study engineering. Josh took a job as a carpenter’s assistant while waiting to attend class. He was a natural carpenter. In carpentry, Josh could be an artist and an engineer. Josh started Josh Wynne Construction, a carpentry contracting company, in 1998 and received his class A license as a Certified General Contractor in 2000.
Generally, Josh was dismayed at the direction of home design and environmental trespass in his home town. The vernacular icon of the area, The Florida Cracker Home, was extinct by now. Midcentury Ranches were being torn down or bastardized. Swamps and pasture lands were consumed by sterile, homogenous homes with no personality or vernacular design qualities. “McMansions” were the rule in affluent areas.
Fed up, Josh made his first effort to change the course of housing in the area. Leaving carpentry behind, Josh produced Florida’s first LEED Platinum v.1 certified home, and the highest scoring LEED Platinum Home in the world (Codding Cottage 2008.) He was just getting started.
He has since received hundreds of awards recognizing his efforts, including winning the Department of Energy’s Builder’s Challenge, Outstanding Home of the Year by USGBC, (11) BALA Awards at the International Builder’s Show, over (100) Aurora Awards from the Southeastern Building Conference, and many more local and regional awards. Josh is recognized as a leader in the advancement of better construction technique.
Josh describes himself as a collaborative problem solver. He uses good communication to help understand his clients’ intentions and convey those ideas to the design team, and ultimately to the build team. He is known among his peers for his unwavering commitment to craftsmanship, impeccable detailing, straightforward process, and for his eye for design detailing. Josh is a true craftsman.
Josh lives on a small farm in Sarasota. He is married to his wife since 1998, Michelle. They have (3) children.
