Get To Know Gilbert + Burke: A Conversation with Peter Groza

Introduce yourself! Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Peter Groza. I’m a Senior Designer with Gilbert + Burke with more than 30 years of experience designing and building homes sustainably with a unique understanding of the environment, natural materials and modern architecture.

What do you like most about working with Gilbert + Burke?

I love that I can wholly trust the entire team at Gilbert + Burke. It’s important to me that the whole team is showing up with their best efforts towards creating impeccable homes for our clients, and I know I can trust everyone on the team. Both in office and in the field, I believe in the competency of our staff and feel confident in everyone’s level of expertise and accuracy. When it comes to communication between the design, construction and management teams, I am proud of the excellent level of communication and commitment everyone brings to the table.

What’s been the most rewarding project you’ve worked on recently?

This is very hard to say because every single project has been rewarding in their own way, and each presents its own set of unique challenges that I’ve enjoyed learning from.

Tell us about your home in Georgian Bay- what makes it unique?

I designed my home Georgian Bay for two people and three dogs, mainly, but it also supports large influxes of family and friends regularly. It can support up to 25 additional people! Each group of guests can be accommodated in areas with privacy or not. It’s very customizable, and there are lots of spaces to spread out on and enjoy alone time or together time.

Design wise, it follows the topography of the bedrock, so no blasting was needed. I have a deep respect for the land, but we were also able to accommodate storage areas and cold storage underneath some cottage levels.

When I asked my wife about the project, she said I was admittedly “challenging to please,” but said: “I wouldn’t change a thing!”

Read the story: Georgian Bay Lakeside Cottage

View the full gallery: Georgian Bay

Ready to meet more of our team? Read our chat with Brian Gilbert!