ABOUT RUSTEE DESIGN
My mother still tells the story of when I was younger and used graph paper to perfectly scale out my bedroom and all of the furniture in it. I would move the furniture around within the confines of the room until I decided on a final layout. Only then would I call my dad and brother in to physically move everything for me. I haven’t stop designing since, I’ve just evolved.
I completed the Architectural Technician program (2 years) in 2009 at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Ontario. From there I started work for a modular home manufacturer south of the City of Ottawa, and met my favourite manager. To this day I haven’t met someone with that amount of construction knowledge and willingness to teach it. He took me under his wing and I will forever be grateful for him.
In the nearly 5 years that I worked in the design department I had a radio sitting on my desk, turned to channel 2. There was nothing scarier than hearing the words, “Mandie, you got a copy?” crackle through the radio. Most of the time a detail clarification was all they wanted, but on occasion the issue required immediate and uninterrupted problem solving in order to not hold up the assembly line. I appreciate everything I was able to absorb from the on-staff framers, electricians, insulators, drywallers, window installers, finishers, etc.
Mid-2014 I took a leap of faith and moved to Saskatoon, alone, with two checked suitcases and my car loaded onto a car hauler. I was hired on by Nu-Fab Building Products as a truss designer. For the first year I worked at Nu-Fab while also contracting myself back to the company I had just left in Ontario. Eventually the contract work in Ontario dried up and that was when Rustee Design was born. When I started the business, it was just a side gig to keep my AutoCad skills up to scratch. I never imagined it could turn into the full-time business I operate today!
​
In April 2022, Rustee Design (and I) moved back to Ottawa, Ontario. I am now licensed to draft in Ontario (Amanda Scrivens - BCIN# 38914), and accepting both Eastern and Western design work.
While in Saskatchewan, I became proficient in the Mitek software suite designing roof trusses, floor trusses, wall panels, and EWP. I’m also a whiz at both iStruct and Forte for single member design of EWP. I’ve drafted plans of both site-frame and modular construction projects as well as designed the wood structure for those projects from the sill plate all the way up to the peak of the ridge cap. I know what is cost effective because I understand material wastage and how Engineered wood products perform. I know where the dropped beam in the basement should be located to have the least amount of I-joist cut off waste. I know that if you build your house 36’-0” long instead of 35’-0” long it’s the exact same cost of lumber (or at least it should be…!).
When I draft, I try to put myself in the shoes of my clients both physically and also financially. Sometimes the small things like making sure you have enough upper cabinet space for glasses and plates isn’t at the top of everyone’s list, but it is something that I will make sure you are aware of! I don’t hesitate to point out cost-efficient alternatives while also ensuring you’ve allowed for enough closet space to store Christmas decorations if you’re building a house with a slab on grade. I want to know more about you and your needs, and make sure the house design we come up with together is perfectly tailored to those needs!