Hi there! We’re Christian & Mary!

We are a husband-wife team passionate about building cool spaces!
I’m Mary!
‍I'm the designer and show representative for A Place to Grow and my passion is connecting with people and turning their backyard dreams into a reality. I’ve taken over the business from Dana O'Brien and have had the pleasure of working with the most amazing clients that allow me to translate their unique personalities into one-of-a-kind structures where they feel they can truly be themselves and grow in their passions.
I find that our clients are such creative and artistic souls that are bursting at the seams with wonderful ideas but struggle to capture them into an all-inclusive piece of art. It’s been the greatest joy to use my design skills and experience to translate those dreams and ideas into a physical reality.
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And I’m Christian!
I’ve been working in construction my whole life and have experience in a number of different trades including framing, drywall, electric, concrete, plumbing, and more. I formerly built sets in Hollywood for movies and TV shows for Netflix and Disney as part of the Local 44 union which gave me a unique skillset to create structures that are artistic, unique, and modular. I'm the head carpenter at A Place to Grow and am proud to lead our crew of creative carpenters every day to brainstorm and build together.
We are licensed General Contractors! CSLB #1114079

Why A Place to Grow?

Your unique style :)

Each one of our structures is custom designed and built to fit the owner! We have the most inspiring clients that let their personalities shine in the design process and allow us the opportunity to translate their quirks, hobbies, tastes, and preferences into wonderful functional pieces of art.

We’ve even used doors and windows from a client’s childhood home that was being torn down! We refurbished them and gave them a second life in her adorable potting shed!

A Great Investment!

One huge benefit of our sheds is that they increase the value and character of our clients’ homes and properties. A couple of years ago we had a client that needed to move out of state and put her house on the market using a picture of her she-shed as the first image on the Zillow gallery.

Not only did the house sell in less than a month, but the buyers actually told her that they wanted that house because of our shed! It brought so much personality to the property and really made it stand out among all of the other homes listed.

Open Opportunities!

Another inspiring way that our sheds have been used is for running small businesses! As a small family-run business ourselves, we love seeing the entrepreneurial spirit grow through our work. We’ve had clients run a jewelry workshop/store, art showing, clothing boutique, scrapbooking session, yoga class, and more out of these beautiful structures and we’re so happy to see how they evolve over the years!

Our insulated sheds often get used for spare bedrooms during the holidays when extended family come to visit and have even opened up opportunities for hosting others to include afternoon tea, book clubs, Bible studies, girls nights, and summer bbq's! 

Check us out on Santa Barbara's local news!