The Estates by StoneHenge Builders

The vision behind The Estates at Desert Mountain is architect, James Conrad.

James Conrad was educated at California Polytechnic University, Pomona in the School of Environmental Design. He is also a licensed General Building Contractor and Real Estate Developer. His design experience includes restaurants, hotels and art galleries but focus has always been on the design and construction of exceptional residences.

Conrad discovered the community of Desert Mountain in 2005. He was so taken with the physical beauty of the landscape and the design of Desert Mountain that he decided to use his talents to create these extraordinary estates. Conrad teamed up with master builder, Richard Morealle and two financial partners to form a development partnership to build The Estates at Desert Mountain by Stonehenge Builders.

The selection of building sites was an extremely important step in the process. Each building site was selected because of its unique physical potential. Privacy, topography, solar orientation, the building envelope, design potential and views were considered. In designing the homes, Conrad drew on his considerable wealth of experience in designing and building high-end homes, restaurants and hotels on the California coast. The homes are all very different as each one is designed to maximize each building site’s unique potential. It is truly a labor of love for Conrad to translate his vision for each site into a built reality for the future residents to enjoy for generations.

An interior designer in the Valley for 20 years, Claire Granbery founded her own business, Claire Granbery Designs (CGD), specializing in custom home design and furnishings. The majority of projects are in Arizona but CGD has successfully completed projects in Boca Raton, Florida, Portland, Oregon and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

It is difficult to associate a single style with the projects of CGD. Claire has an appreciation of most styles when done properly: there must always be function and a consistent but interesting interplay of materials and style. The Southwest desert provides the backdrop for most of her projects. But as Claire is approached by each new client, and their individual vision, the term "Southwest" takes on new meaning. The Southwest has many interpretations: from Southwest contemporary to traditional Southwest; Santa Fe territorial to "Tuscan"; from western with a "cowboy" flair to an eclectic mix of several of these styles—Claire enjoys the challenge of creating a unique interior for each of her clients.

Although making use of regional design centers, CGD utilizes talented local craftsmen to create custom pieces reflecting her client’s needs. Clients enjoy their involvement with local artisans in realizing a truly one of a kind piece of furniture: an idea is conceptualized and translated to a computer rendering: whether a custom rug for a "hard-to-fit" space, or a chair with its dimensions scaled for the comfort of the individual client.

CGD has selected all the interior finishes for the "StoneHenge Builders" homes. CGD is ready to work with the ultimate homeowner to custom tailor their furnishings and accessories.