Thomas Jefferson, our third President and the author of the Declaration of Independence, was also recognized for his work as an architect. Initially a lawyer, Thomas Jefferson believed when writing a law that it should be examined closely to remove any possible negative effects in an effort to preserve liberties and freedom.

Though regarded as the author, or chief architect, of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson actually wrote only a draft copy and requested the assistance of others for the final design and draft before it was ratified. This collaborative effort brought forth the final design for the Declaration of Independence.

Later, in Jefferson’s professional service as an architect, he made the correlation between the legal writing of laws and architectural design, inferring that design should also be tested and examined with great care in pursuit of efficiency.

According to Jefferson, the creation of laws and architectural design were developed by the thoughts of men and he believed that in both cases one should aim for the preservation of freedom and rights, since both the writing of a law and architectural design can unknowingly lead to unfortunate circumstances.

Liberties and freedoms are Divine orders given to us by God and found in the sacred scriptures. The job of the founding fathers was to design a plan to help secure and preserve our divine rights through written law, for the new government that they helped to build.

This is the premise and philosophy for “Building on Budget by Design”® written by J.R.N. Design Associates, LLC and the subsequent AIA approved Certified Training Institute continuing education course for architects, builders, and home owners.