David Foster’s love of construction began at age eight when he helped his father restore the family’s old log cabin in Northeastern Washington State. They lived 60 miles from the closest town so, instead of a trip to the lumber yard, construction began with felling and debarking trees by hand, using an adze and a broad ax.

The experience of working side by side with his father, a master builder, taught David a deep respect for the land and inspired him to pursue a career in building. His love for great design and architecture later drew him to the luxury homebuilding company, Cello & Maudru Construction, whose projects have appeared in such publications as Architectural Digest and Better Homes & Gardens. In 1995, David left Cello & Maudru to found his own company.

Initially, David Foster Design + Build worked exclusively on custom homes in the East Bay. But in 1999 David decided to return to his rural roots, moving the business to his hometown of Napa.  Now, with over 20 years of experience, David and his team focus primarily on custom remodels for luxury homes in the Napa Valley and Sonoma County.

In addition to skills designing stunning interiors for high-end modern homes, David’s team also specializes in period-correct Victorian and Craftsman restoration. As a certified Green Point -rated builder, the company uses sustainable building practices as the standard on all of its projects.

When not he’s not working with clients, David stays busy remodeling his own fixer-upper, volunteering, feeding his passion for art, architecture, and design, or surfing in Central America. Since 2012, he’s also been a practicing luthier — a builder of stringed instruments. “I used to think of myself as a fine woodworker,” he says, “but becoming a craftsman of ukuleles and acoustic guitars has refined my skills even further. In construction, we measure down to 1/32 of an inch; as a luthier, I need to measure down to 1/10,000 of an inch.”