Neal A. Sullivan

Neal A. Sullivan joined the Bluffton residential team as a Senior Project Leader with over 35 years of custom residential design, administration, and construction management experience. With a diverse work history ranging from architectural design firm ownership on St. John, USVI, to serving as Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity in Martha's Vineyard, and most recently as a project manager with Spivey Architects of Charleston, SC, Neal delivers on experience. Having earned a bachelor's degree in environmental design from the University of Massachusetts, Neal started off as a residential journeyman carpenter in the coastal regions of Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard working with his hands toward his ultimate goal of custom residential design. “I learned that spatial concepts like massing, scale and proportion impact not only aesthetic but also how we experience and feel walking through a building.” It was this emotional tug that inspired Neal to pursue residential design. As an early adopter of design technology, Neal first began producing CAD drawings in the early 90s and has been using building information modeling software to design custom coastal homes for over 25 years. On the home front, Neal and his wife, Rosette, enjoy crafting their shared visions into reality with projects at the Lowcountry cottage and carriage house they designed and built in Port Royal. When not pushing a track-ball mouse at work or swinging a honey-do hammer at home, Neal relishes playing soccer in the Charleston Masters League and walking four dogs and a cat. Neal also serves his community as Architectural Control Committee Chair.

Describe your process:  Learn about the client's needs and challenges and help guide their journey toward the most thoughtful and beautiful design solution for their family.

Quote relevant to your work life:  “Character is the architect of achievements.” – Mark Twain

What is that life changing song or album:  Avalon – 1982 studio album by Roxy Music

Who is the best movie villain:  Ellsworth M. Toohey, the manipulative architecture critic in the 1949 film adaptation of The Fountainhead, written by Ayn Rand in 1943.

What is the next thing on your bucket list:  Build my own house design with my own hands

Where would you relocate if you were forced to leave the country:  Nice, the Côte d’Azur