Contracting & Remodeling Background
Squareroot, Inc. was started in February of 2003 by Mark O’Brian and Andrew Gibson. Mark and Andrew were classic refugees from the corporate world. They had been working as consultants in planning and engineering for 10 years and needed a change of pace. One of the unique aspects of Squareroot is our rare combination of practical construction knowledge, and complex project management experience. Often times even the best craftsman may have a hard time keeping a large project running smoothly. On the other end of the spectrum is the general contractor with very little practical building experience. We think the combination of hands on experience, and professional project management is a really effective set of skills that results in high quality projects being built on time, and on budget.
Mark has a degree in Civil Engineering from CU, is a licensed Professional Engineer, and a licensed General Contractor. He has designed a number of additions and remodels including all of the framing and structural recommendations required for building permits and construction. Mark has a strong knowledge of electrical systems, paint, and carpentry. Mark grew up in Greeley, CO and worked every summer in high school and college as a painter and carpenter with his father. He has a tremendous eye for detail and comprehensive knowledge of all phases of residential construction.
In his consulting life he worked on a number of large transportation and real estate development projects. Mark was a project engineer and project manager and gained a tremendous amount of experience managing complex projects with multiple sub-consultants. Mark has not only led teams of designers in the office, but then took the plan set out into the field to supervise construction for large scale infrastructure projects.
Andrew holds bachelors degrees in Business Administration and English, and a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from the CU School of Architecture and Planning. Andrew has an eye for design, and particularly enjoys seeing ideas transform into reality. He will frequently draw conceptual sketch ideas for clients so they can get a better idea of the options available to them. Andrew has strong carpentry skills, has built several custom pieces for clients, and has a good grasp of plumbing and tile work. Andrew’s uncle, a fine woodworker, gave him an English dovetail saw when he was sixteen, and he has been practicing carpentry and remodeling either as a hobby or profession for the past 20 years.
In his professional life, Andrew gained a broad range of experience in environmental, transportation, and land use planning. He has managed large scale, multi-use development projects from sketch plan to construction.
