About Us

Interra is led by partners Forrest and Danica, whose work is grounded in a clear understanding of how construction and design decisions influence both human health and the environment.

Forrest is a licensed general contractor with years of hands-on experience in renovation and remodeling. His work has revealed how building materials actually behave once they move beyond product labels and into lived-in spaces.

During demolition and installation, materials are cut, disturbed, and broken down, releasing fine dust that moves through HVAC systems, settles on surfaces, and lingers long after construction is complete—often while families are still living in the home. Many of these products require respirators, gloves, and full skin coverage for safe handling during installation.

This raises a fundamental question: what happens when these substances become airborne, circulate through living spaces, and remain sealed inside walls and surfaces for years?

Forrest has also seen the consequences of poor material selection and conventional assembly methods: moisture trapped behind sealed surfaces, hidden water intrusion, and conditions that allow mold and air-quality issues to develop over time. These failures are often invisible at first, but directly affect both the durability of the home and the health of those living in it.

Construction practices affect more than just the interior of a home; they have a substantial impact on the environment. Conventional paints, for example, rely on plastic polymers that are among the largest sources of microplastic pollution in the world. During cleanup, these materials are routinely washed from tools into yards and drains, sending microplastics directly into stormwater systems and local waterways. These particles do not disappear after application; they persist, fragment, and accumulate in both the environment and the human body.

These realities have revealed a consistent pattern—standard materials and practices tend to prioritize speed, cost, and convenience over long-term performance, human health, and environmental impact.

Working with these systems daily has shaped Forrest’s understanding of what responsible renovation truly requires—and his commitment to doing it differently. It is not only about the finished appearance, but about what is released during the process, what remains in the home afterward, and how the health of those who inhabit it is affected over time.

Danica brings a complementary perspective shaped by her work in health, environmentalism, and home design. She is an Ayurvedic practitioner with a Master of Science in Integrative Medicine, a certified Vastu Design Consultant, and a licensed real estate professional. Her background allows her to approach homes not only as structures, but as environments that directly influence physiology, behavior, and long-term health.

Her work examines the physiological effects of chronic environmental exposure on human health, with particular focus on how indoor air pollutants, volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, synthetic materials, artificial lighting, and excessive sensory input contribute to nervous system dysregulation and chronic disease.

With a background in environmental research, she understands how plastics and industrial chemicals behave across biological and ecological systems. Many of these compounds—used widely in building materials, finishes, furnishings, and household products—are biologically persistent, readily absorbed through inhalation and skin contact, and capable of disrupting endocrine, immune, and neurological function over time. Rather than causing acute toxicity, their impact is often cumulative, altering baseline physiological regulation through repeated low-level exposure.

Her work also addresses the role of the built environment in circadian disruption. Inconsistent light spectra, prolonged exposure to artificial lighting, and inadequate access to natural daylight interfere with circadian signaling, hormone regulation, sleep architecture, and autonomic nervous system balance. Over time, these disruptions contribute to chronic stress physiology and impaired resilience.

Taken together, her work views the home as a continuous exposure environment—one that can either compound physiological stress or support regulatory function. By addressing material selection, layout, air quality, light, and sensory inputs through a scientific lens, her approach focuses on reducing cumulative biological burden while supporting long-term human and environmental health.

Together, Forrest and Danica approach home design and construction not as a cosmetic exercise, but as an intervention within a living system. Each Interra project is guided by careful evaluation of what materials enter the home, how they behave over time, and what is ultimately released into the surrounding environment.

At Interra, homes are treated as a long-term investment in the health of both occupants and ecosystems—where decisions are measured not only by immediate performance, but by their cumulative impact.