Robert Lingo was proud to show off his latest custom building project. He was even more proud that it was at his parents' home near Georgetown.

Lingo – no relation to the real estate family – is an experienced designer with a vision to make it easier for people to build their dream home. 

He recently launched a new business called Studio Lingo.

"It's a single resource to take you through the whole process," Lingo said. "I take a more artistic approach by design. It's more organic, more stress-free and a more comprehensive approach."

Lingo uses words like sustainable, modern and craft when talking about what drives his vision.

The 700-square-foot addition to his parents' house is all that and more. A floating glass bridge, called a hyphen, connects the old house to the new addition.

"I'm really passionate about using natural materials as much as possible," he said. "I used a natural white oak floor, white pine walls and the primary exposed structures are Douglas fir heavy timber."

The walls are a little unusual, but they help save energy.

"You don't see many interior walls finished in concrete block these days," Lingo said. "In the winter, it cuts down on heating. In the summer, it absorbs cool from the air conditioning and radiates it back out."

The main house is named Hill House. His grandfather, John Floyd Lingo, was a farmer and raised chickens there before his parents bought the property.

"It might be on the only hill in Sussex County," Lingo said. "The house has been in the family for seven to eight generations. The current house was built in the early '70s, but there was a house there before that and another one before that." 

Lingo got a taste of his future career helping his uncle build houses in the summer.

"It was hands-on experience, basically doing everything to construct a home. That's where I fell in love with carpentry," Lingo said.

After he graduated from Cape Henlopen High School, Lingo attended Virginia Tech University, where he majored in architecture. He won several top awards for his designs in college. One project won best-in-the-state in Virginia.

Lingo cut his teeth in architecture at Lake Flato, a large firm in San Antonio, Texas. The company designed the original master plan for the Delaware Botanic Gardens in Dagsboro, which Lingo had the opportunity to work on.

After 10 years building houses big and small in the Lone Star State, Lingo said it was time to come home.

"Some of it was burnout, some missing family and missing home," he said.

So he and his wife moved to Sussex County to start a family and slow down.

Lingo is also a woodworker who builds furniture. He said he learned the trade from his grandfather on his mother's side. Lingo hopes to have a wood shop up and running in the near future.

For now, Lingo's goal is to make custom-home design more accessible.

"I want to be the go-to guy for passive, sustainable architectural design, a home design guru. I live it and breathe it," he said.

Long term, Lingo said he would like to build an entire sustainable community.

"I could partner with a local developer who has an interest and the vision, and work together. Yes, we would build a lot of houses; it's sad to lose land, but if we touch the land respectfully and build structures to last more than 20 to 30 years, we could improve the area," he said.