New Utopia Launches Home Detox Program with Carley M Design Studio by Carley Montgomery

Home styled and staged by Carley Montgomery

New Utopia, the women-owned design-build construction firm, is proud to announce the launch of its newest program in partnership with Carley M Design Studio. This program focuses on turning homes into wellness refuges through Carley's expertise as an interior designer, stylist, health food chef, nutrition investigator, herbal and natural medicine enthusiast, practitioner of permaculture, natural home cleaning consultant, and more.

At New Utopia, we believe that our clients' homes should be more than just a place to live - they should be sanctuaries that promote health and wellness. That's why we're excited to partner with Carley M Design Studio, whose holistic approach to design aligns perfectly with our mission.

Through the Home Detox Program, Carley and her team will work with clients to declutter their spaces, replace unhealthy food with fresh options tailored to their dietary needs, create outdoor sanctuaries, style homes using feng shui principles, source new furniture and decor including energy-amplifying stones and crystals, and more.

With a focus on natural and sustainable materials, the program also includes water and air filtration, natural lighting, and plant and floral design. Carley and her team will work closely with clients to create a personalized plan that meets their specific needs and promotes overall wellness.

As a design-build firm, New Utopia has the expertise to not only create beautiful spaces but also ensure they are structurally sound and meet all building codes and regulations. With Carley M Design Studio, we're now able to offer clients a complete wellness experience that combines the best of design, construction, and holistic wellness.

We're excited to offer this new program to our clients and look forward to creating more wellness refuges in homes throughout California. For more information on the Home Detox Program and how it can benefit your home, please visit Carley M Design Studio's website or contact us at New Utopia today.

Beware of Construction Scams by Carley Montgomery

In my years in the construction industry I have witnesses my fair share of negligence and unethical behavior but nothing came close to what I have witnessed recently working as a consultant for an Utah Solar contractor entering the home improvement space. Lucky for me I was able to see what was happening and got out before I found myself in the position of the numerous subcontractors and vendors that are out 10’s of thousands of dollars each or the home owners who have been scammed out of their money, mostly through loans procured on their behalf.

After I realized that I had been being played myself by this contractor I contacted a private investigation firm to help me recover the money I was owed. In the background investigation it was revealed that the key members of the company has a lengthy criminal history both with jail time and numerous liens and judgements each. Furthermore their companies were all tangled up in DBA’s and shell corporations with license holders and spouses that were listed and not active in the actual day to day operations. What was shocking about this to me was that these guys were able to obtain a contractors license and were working with a finance company that they were using to defraud numerous homeowners by way of taking home improvement loans out for work they were unable to complete.

Something that I realized about this type of criminal mind is that they either just don’t care about the people they are taking advantage of or have lied to themselves to justify their actions. For 3 weeks while I worked 16 hour days trying to unravel the mess they had created I truly believed they were good people with bad business sense. I too was in the trance of a con artist.

I am compelled here today to write out my experience and my lessons so that others can learn from this and protect themselves from these types of characters. Trust no one as my private investigator reminded me. There are many things I have identified that could have been done by both the subcontractors and Vendors as well as the home owners to have protected themselves from the situation they currently find themselves in.

Lien Rights

All subcontractors and vendors have 20 days from when they start a job for a contractor to place a pre lien on a project. This notifies the homeowner that there is materials and labor on their project that needs to be paid by the contractor. Homeowners have the ability to write joint checks to the subcontractors and vendors to make sure they are satisfying 3rd party debts and should receive from their contractor a release upon payment from all subcontractors and vendors who have filed pre-liens on their project. I still had my rights to file pre liens on all the projects I worked on since I had a signed contract with and had documented my work. Many of the subcontractors and vendors I was working with did not do their due diligence and will struggle to recover their money. The home owners that will be receiving liens from my work will be obligated to pay even though they had already paid for the services to the contractor.

Funds Control

I was shocked by the predatory lending practices I witnessed. In my decades of general contracting I never experienced a finance company like the one with this contractor. Funds control is usually required by a finance company when money is lended for construction. This is a standard practice to make sure that the work contracted is completed before payment is released to the contractor. If your lending company is not requiring this I would recommend hiring a 3rd party funds control or construction manager to help in this process. From a construction management position I use the power of the purse to make sure that the quality and completion of each trade is complete before a payment is released to any contractor on a project.

Payment and Performance Bonds

When researching the State of Utah’s code there is a specific provision that all projects over $50,000 the homeowner has the right to require from the contractor a payment and performance bond for the project. This is a cost that the contractor can charge the homeowner for and protects the homeowner from liens to their property by making sure there is insurance in place to pay for repairing poor workmanship and ensuring that the subs and vendors are paid. Even though this mandatory clause was in the contracts written between the contractor and homeowners not one of them had asked for the contractor to secure this insurance.

Review your contracts

Upon a more in depth review of the contracts signed by the homeowners many red flags came up for me. Specifically when it came to the scope of work in the contract. Homeowners were promised verbally a home improvement for $100,000 + and signed a solar only contract for the amount. The solar they would require for the project would only cost around $35,000 so essentially they were signing a contract for a really expensive solar installation and nothing else. When there was actually a scope of work for home improvements it was so vague that it didn’t even describe what the work to performed would entail. Instead of quantifying what the homeowner would receive in a true scope of work it would say Bathroom Remodel $10,000 with no other description. The contract is your bible in construction and the contact documents are the only thing you have to guarantee the work agreed is the work that will be performed for the price specified.

If it smells bad it likely is

In other situations the company would install panels on roofs, take a picture to receive the financing and then remove the panels. I was shocked that the homeowners would go along with this type of fraudulent behavior. Many that I talked to were suspect but it is our human nature to want to trust people. It is the con artists game to play on trust.

Hire a Construction Manager

No one expects a homeowner to be familiar with all the ends and outs of construction and the local laws but many homeowners embark on this journey without proper support. A construction manager is a common practice in commercial contracting as larger companies rely on the knowledge and professionalism that construction managers provide. There are laws and procedures to protect the homeowner but they need to be deployed properly so that it is effective. Furthermore it is a large undertaking and worthy of a role in your construction team. The construction manager is hired by the client to oversee all the construction process from design through completion making sure the client is protected.

I have officially launched my new project Carley M Design Studio to offer design and construction management for homeowners. I bring decades of construction experience from commercial, public works and residential construction to support homeowners on an otherwise risky journey through construction. I also have identified the emotional toll that having your personal space ripped apart and do everything I can to support the client in this journey. I am available for consultations for design, construction management and construction claims management.

Planting Food is the Peaceful Revolution by Carley Montgomery

Ever since the world started shutting down I’ve been on a mission to plant food. In fact at no time in my life have I been more focused and motivated to perform just one simple and profound task. It is by far the most important thing we can be doing for ourselves and our communities. In the uncertainty of today with widespread government lockdowns on an unprecedented global scale food security is more critical than ever. In communities like the one I live in, food security is something that has been a concern for years that could be the key to fight poverty, malnutrition, hunger and raise the quality of life for all.

And it’s deeper than just this. Planting food is the peaceful revolution.

I am a guest in the country where I reside and it pains me to see, like in many parts of the world, people take the narrative dictated to them by the government and media about what is going on in the world. Here like many countries people are starting to question the narrative as the true numbers are being released about how deadly this virus actually is and the facts around how it spreads and the measures that are being employed are to further our consent for control by the government and the corporations that are funding the government to keep their products selling during the lockdowns. It isn’t hard to see who are getting richer and who are suffering through these times and see that this Plandemic is lining the pockets of the big multinational corporations while small businesses are taking a major fall. In the USA small ma’ and pa’ business remain closed while the big box stores are open. Here in Guatemala alcohol, Coca Cola and other big processed food brands are being delivered while the small farmers are restricted to distribute their harvests. I find myself daily thinking that if this were my country and I was not a guest I’d be rising up and protesting. If I were in the United States you bet I’d be holding a picket sign in front of city hall and working every angle I could to educate the population and local government as to what is really happening.

While many of my spiritual friends that see the inequalities and biases of this time choose to take a peaceful route and just wait this out as their freedoms are being stripped away I choose now to be an activist.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” — Edmund Burke

This quote rings in the back of my head like the liberty bell being struck on a crisp spring morning. The people who see through the lies and conspiracy of the elite and controlling parties are seemingly sitting back and watching everything unfolding, holding global meditations and abiding by the draconian rules bestowed upon them. I’m shocked that we all haven’t taken to the streets to demand our freedoms to gather and move about freely. I’m amazed at how easy it was for the governments to turn populations into prisoners on house arrest due to no fault of our own and no real evidence that these measures are actually effective or necessary.

But I digress. I am a guest in this country and out of respect, like visiting a dear friend’s family home, I will be mindful of the local customs, albeit newly enacted. I don’t want to ruffle any feathers or make people uncomfortable since they believe that a mask is going to help them stay safe from this not so deadly and totally curable virus. But it’s not to say I’m not revolting against the true enemy, Fear. Ultimately what this war is about is the fear of death, one I let go of years ago embracing it as a part of this beautiful journey here on this planet and only pray that I do not suffer as suffering is the hell in our religious texts but death is merely the peaceful transition home. What I feel is on the brink now is more suffering for the people. The President here is threatening a 15 day complete shutdown to stop the spread of the virus. This would be 15 days of total isolation in our homes, no farmers can plant food, no businesses can open and no one can go to the store to buy food. What this effect would have on the population is unimaginable misery and suffering. What happens in a couple months when there is no food to harvest because for 2 weeks, nothing got planted? Oh, that’s right, we will have an unlimited supply of processed and packaged foods ready to perpetuate the problem of malnourishment, hunger and poverty here in Guatemala. Afterall who will have any money to buy this food when no one has been allowed to continue their livelihoods for weeks? Here, where there has been a longstanding prejudice against the indigenous nation by the ruling elite, it doesn’t seem to bother them that the underserved and impoverished will suffer even greater tragedy, hunger and loss of life and deeper poverty, while the ones making the policies will be getting takeout and groceries delivered to their comfortable homes while they continue to work online. In a sense this is another attempt at genocide by the ruling elite against the Mayan people.

So here is where I am stepping into action. Now, more than anytime before, is the topic of food security on a local level more pressing. All over the world in big cities and small rural towns we need to be planting our own food to fight these inequalities and disruptions in our economies. The future of what this can mean is ultimate freedom independent of any monetary system or government control.

We stand in the midst of the greatest transition in our recent history on this planet. We as a species are at a crossroads with many paths ahead of us to choose from. The powerful elites are pushing us towards one world government control with a single currency to enslave the masses while the answer I believe is small connected communities and decentralized currencies like the tribal instinct that survives deep in our DNA. This is the ancient future for humanity. We need to go back to our past and seek out civilizations’ innate drive to form into tribes, create communities on a local level to band against one world governance, surveillance capitalism and technocracy. The answer to all of this is providing basic needs for our independent tribes, the most vital is that of our food and medicine.

For this reason I am supporting the efforts of projects like Huertos Para Todos, a grassroots organization here in San Marcos la Laguna, to provide family and community gardens throughout our community. We are an army of peaceful warriors in action. Supported by small businesses, national and local government and community leaders we are doing the most important role in our community, providing food security. This is the teach a man to fish model over the give a man a fish model. In many countries there is talk of handing out a minimum wage to all citizens, this inevitably will come with mandatory compliance into vaccinations and microchipping and other compliance to government regulations. Providing basic necessities is at the community level to care for our neighbor for we have seen that it is not the priority of the federal governments during these times. Our basic freedoms are contingent on our own sovereignty.

The best part about this revolution is that no one can question the validity of it’s intent. Whether you believe the mainstream narrative or the “conspiracy theories” everyone can agree that our food security is the most important to human life. For a government to deny our right to grow food would clearly expose an agenda of outright cruelty to humankind and I don’t believe any government can justify such an agenda. So the peaceful revolution is one of our collective coming together to provide basic needs for all and to be sovereign from our government structures and FIAT currencies that are the current means of global control.

If you would like to learn more about the Huertos Para Todos (Orchards for All) project and how to get organized to provide food security for your community please follow us on Facebook and Instagram @huertosparatodosgt and join the Facebook Group to get involved.

Wellness Residencies are the Future of Healthcare by Carley Montgomery

As the travel industry has come screeching to a halt around the globe I am seeing that at this time more than ever to see the emergence of wellness residencies. It is a concept I’ve fostered for years that in order to heal oneself of the emotional, physical and mental imbalances so prevalent today that we must remove ourselves from our environments and place ourselves in long term care of an environment that is conducive to healing. For some this environment is as simple as a place in nature, for most it would include a community of similar people and guides such as health coaches and wellness practitioners. For all ailments I believe as a species we are realizing that our current western system of medical doctors and hospitals are not the end all answer for healthcare and oftentimes quite the opposite. I’ve heard numerous times that one shouldn’t go to the hospital unless they want to die, thus meaning that oftentimes the treatment will kill more than the ailment. Like in the case of cancer I know more people now who have cured themselves naturally with no side effects than with chemo and radiation and as many that have spent years treating the damage done by the chemo and radiation with natural medicine to only be a fraction of their previous health.

This being said I often look to ancient wisdom like that of the Vedics in India who have developed a healthcare system of Ayurveda that resembles more a modern day retreat center than a western medicine hospital. In these health centers there are resident practitioners of natural medicine, therapists and hospitality staff all creating a peaceful environment to heal in. For the majority of the Ayurvedic “Hospitals” I researched they offered accommodations from rooms that looked like high end suites to a shared simple cabin. It gave the client the option to choose what level of comfort they can pay while still receiving the same access to treatments.

Now I believe there are so many healing modalities and practitioners out there that everyone of these modern natural healing centers would have a personality as unique as the management that runs the place. I see these health centers specialized in different imbalances or unique life situations such as elderly homes and cancer treatment centers. Each one encompasses a holistic complete system addressing mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health in an environment infused with positive energy and peacefulness.

Currently in the US and many other 1st world countries these types of “alternative” therapies are currently outlawed or highly scrutinized which is why these centers will likely operate in 3rd world developing nations not yet controlled by big pharma or will be operating illegally through word of mouth referrals. In countries such as the US the government agencies are operating as police for the corporations to squash any threats to the cut, burn and poison agendas of western medicine. At no time has the business landscape been more fertile to blossom these healthcare centers of the future as so many travel based accommodations are going to be suffering through this crisis and hotels and retreat centers all over the world will be either sold as distressed assets or looking for programs to supplement their business models.

New Utopia specializes in designing and implementing wellness residency programs. As property activation experts we aid in the holistic design of your business including logos, branding, marketing, programming, operations, and environmental design all with a focus on wellness. Blending our signature modern California style with natural building techniques, regenerative landscapes, energetic land activation and rich Guatemalan handwoven textiles our environmental design services create highly transformative spaces conducive to wellness and regeneration. We work closely with the stewards of the land to design and implement a complete program taking into consideration the local community, art, environmental impact, holistic wellness modalities including diet, cleansing and treatments. We have a community of wellness practitioners to tap into their knowledge base and work with a myriad of products and equipment designed for natural human regeneration.

What is clear these days is that as the world reemerges from these times there is more people awake to what true health is, that our only real defense to a virus or other biological threat is a strong immune system and for that people will be looking for spaces to find their optimum health. It is my personal mission to make sure that these places exist for all walks of life in all parts of the world.

Growing Communities with New Utopia by Carley Montgomery

For some time New Utopia has dabbled in the business of building brands and only recently found it’s passion to create communities during our most recent project, Hona Wellness, in Dominical, Costa Rica.  Hona organically became a community hub for the local ex-pat community in the greater area.  We’ve hosted numerous events including sound baths, ecstatic dance and cacao ceremonies.  We had charity concerts, farm to table dinners and numerous different workshops in wellness all creating an atmosphere of like minded people coming together and connecting.  The results were more than we could have imagined and it spoke volumes to how important it is to provide a space for the community to gather and grow together.

From this launch pad New Utopia is now involved with multiple sustainable and regenerative community projects around the globe with Om Sat Community in Costa Rica and the Conscious Gems project with locations in France, Sweden and Sri Lanka.  We have recently partnered up with a tech development firm, EntermediaDB, to build a community platform linking projects and people worldwide.  This platform, Open Institute, is currently in the beta test mode but is quickly becoming a powerful tool to help community centered projects organize and find resources in collaborators and funding.  Recently we have come on board with Entermedia as their in house marketing team and community manager to help grow their community of clients, partners and developers. 

We never thought we would be in the tech sector but this new direction is exciting for our team.  As the world changes our communities in which we are individually a part of are becoming as or more important than money in the bank.  During this time of COVID the economy has screeched to a halt and it’s out online and local communities that have provided for us whether it be comfort, resources, or information.  It’s what we call social capital and it's a core value of our organization.  In each of these projects we are working on from the tech to the land we are exploring the gift economies and time banks.  EntermediaDB for over a year has billed and paid their developers and now their marketing team with a points system.  We are working to incorporate this into the online platform to create a cashless trade economy for use in the individual communities and projects.  

We are excited to be on the cutting edge of the future of online and on the ground communities.  At no time ever in history have we seen the importance of this social capital than now.  If you would like to learn more about our platform or get involved with your project please visit www.openinstitute.org.

Must-Try Bedroom Idea by Guest User

One of our beautiful Waterloo homes was featured in an article by Mitchell Parker from Houzz.com. The article titled, 3 Must-Try Ideas for Your Bedroom Project, explores bedroom design tips and tricks. Check out Carley's #1 tip for keeping a bedroom design modern, bright and easy to work with in this excerpt from the article. 

Homeowner's Request:
This home was built on spec for a future owner. Carley Montgomery acted as the architectural designer, interior designer, general contractor and developer. She envisioned modern clean lines and flexible living space for this house, which could be used as a guest house, an office or an artist's studio.

Designer secret:
Plain white walls. "Everyone gets all crazy trying to pick the perfect white," Montgomery says. "While in many circumstances this is vital to match the furniture or warm a space with a hint of color, I find off-the-shelf white is the most universal, easy and safe color for modern homes." 

Plan of Attack:
Montgomery designed the home from the ground up, positioning it to capitalize on unobstructed views. Large floor-to-ceiling windows bring in light and views of downtown Los Angeles, which Montgomery wanted to highlight by keeping the interior design minimal. "It's incredible at night," she says. "The desk behind the sofa allows you to work and also enjoy the view."

Photography by Eric Charles Photography.

Photography by Eric Charles Photography.

Why the design works: 
"This entire space is only 560 square feet and feels so much larger," Montgomery says. "The ceilings are vaulted, creating a loft-like feel. But the flow of the space is what really works. We fit a full kitchen, full bath, dining area, living area, desk and bed in the space, and it doesn't feel crowded. This has everything to do with the placement of the entry door, kitchen and bathroom inside the space. It is vital to place your furniture on your plan when in design so that you maintain flow through the finished space."

"Uh-oh" Moment:
"If this were a project being built for a homeowner, there would have been numerous 'uh-oh' moments. There always are," Montgomery says. "Being that this is my business and I'm acting as owner representative, designer and contractor, decisions are quite simple. The only issue is trying to anticipate what the buyer of the property is going to want. It's like working for a mystery client."

Take-away:
The value of well-planned and thought-out design.
 

Photography by Eric Charles Photography.

Photography by Eric Charles Photography.

Team Involved:
Jordan Christian (artist); Corbin Poorboy of The Here Co. (styling); Eric Charles (photographer)

Our home was only one of three beautiful homes featured in this article!
To see full article click here.

Sleek Kitchen with a View by Guest User

Our Silverlake Residence was just recently featured in an article by Becky Harris from Houzz.com. The article explores this modern kitchen design in Los Angeles featuring sleek lines and black and white contrasting details. We hope you enjoy it!


"Everything was about this amazing view of the downtown L.A. skyline," Montgomery says. "I wanted everything to face it and keep the open feeling." In fact, she would have skipped the higher bar top on the peninsula, but she needed a good spot to install electrical outlets in an inconspicuous way. Installing them on the wall between the two countertops worked out well.

Because the kitchen is so visible from the living room and family room, it needed to fit in with the other spaces. The large windows and doors are 8 feet high. "Rather than taking away from the views, we wanted to accentuate them," Montgomery says. She found alternatives to upper cabinets to keep the open feeling.

Photography by Eric Charles Photography.

Photography by Eric Charles Photography.

On one side, the peninsula contains the sink, the dishwasher, pullout trash and recycling bins, and drawers. "We used drawers instead of cabinet doors as much as possible. They are much more convenient and are a one-step operation," Montgomery says. The other side (see previous photo) has additional cabinet storage for pieces that are not used daily, like platters, vases and a fondue pot.

Montgomery used beautiful walnut wood to warm things up throughout the house. This countertop is unstained walnut with a clear sealant.

On the plan, you can see how the main living spaces relate to one another and that the refrigerator is tucked just around the corner in front of the pantry. This helped keep the kitchen from looking like a typical kitchen, making the entire living room, dining room and kitchen space more pleasing. At the same time, the refrigerator is within work-triangle range.

This house is part of a small development Montgomery completed that includes three main houses and two back houses on three lots. 
 

She sourced the geometric encaustic tile on the range backsplash from Nicaragua. It makes one big statement and fits in with the contemporary art that Montgomery likes to display and plans to exhibit when she uses the house for a pop-up gallery.

In fact, the backsplash came out so beautifully that it inspired her to become a vendor for the tiles herself, a side project she is working on.

This is a view from the sofa in the living room area. "We placed the living room, dining room and kitchen all within one large, open space. It's a tight plan, but there is ample room for everything," Montgomery says. You can see how the custom walnut cabinets flanking the range resemble chests, giving them the look of free standing furniture.

The dining room side of the peninsula has custom walnut built-in shelves that nod to midcentury modern style. Again, they help the kitchen elements fit into the large, open plan. The walnut shelves break up the long expanse and provide a place to display favorite items and plants.

The large sliding doors provide big openings to the terrace. A big part of the home's program is indoor-outdoor living. The lower patio (back-left side of this photo) doubles as a required parking area for the other dwelling on the lot; a back house. The grid of concrete squares is an attractive solution to this zoning requirement.

While Montgomery knows they'll eventually sell the house, she's in no particular hurry to vacate. After all, she designed it in the style she loves.

To see the full article click here.

Gorgeous Homes Around the World by Guest User

It was an honor to have our Modern Silverlake Residence hand-picked and featured in the beautiful compilation “144 Gorgeous Homes Around the Globe” on Houzz.com. The video features a variety of picture-perfect living spaces and expert photography. From jaw-dropping homes in Spain to Hong Kong, take a global look into the beautiful world of innovation and architecture. Check out the awe-inspiring collection of homes for yourself, and keep an eye out for the beautiful views from our Silverlake residence around 6:47!

To see the full video click here.