About Us

History

Cubist Engineering began in 2015 when we looked around and couldn’t find anyone bringing thoughtful modern design and well-sourced materials to small pre-fab spaces and homes.

The “tiny home” movement seemed dominated by low-cost stick-framed structures that all looked like dollhouses. Modern pre-fab companies made gorgeous buildings, but seemed limited in choices and a nightmare to install.

As lifelong makers, the thing that gets us out of bed every morning is building new stuff and learning with every project we take on.

So Cubist grew out of an idea: That as builders, technology nerds and design obsessives, we could bring a unique set of skills to these projects. We can come up with stunning designs and one-of-a-kind features, but we also know exactly how those designs can be built, practically and efficiently. We structurally engineer all our creations. We create detailed construction documents and smart materials lists. We work through supply chains and onsite build logistics.

We specialize in small spaces and prefab construction, but have brought our design and consulting services to projects ranging from tiny-house resorts to Caribbean getaways to a 4,500 square foot dream house in Vermont. We just like solving unique challenges.

John B. Carnett, lead sherpa

A Philadelphia native, John has been building and restoring houses since he was a teenager, including his current passive solar house, made from steel and a graphite-based SIP system.

As staff photographer for Popular Science magazine for 24 years, John traveled the world shooting and befriending the world’s most innovative thinkers, from Richard Branson to James Dyson, as well as hundreds of garage inventors. When he wasn’t on the road, renovating a residential project, or sailing the 38-foot sailboat that he lived on for eight years, John was building his own crazy contraptions: dropping a new bio-diesel engine in an imported ’79 Land Rover, adding a jet turbine to an ATV and inventing an all-in-one beer machine.

Before Cubist, John was the founder of a wireless internet provider that brings low-cost, high-speed connectivity to rural areas. He lives on the Battenkill River with his wife, two sons and dog.

Mike Haney, design guy

Growing up in Austin, Minnesota (aka Spamtown, USA), Mike began tinkering early too, building birdhouses in the family woodshop and soldering AM radios.

He began his career as a graphic designer, then switched to journalism, earning a Master’s degree from Northwestern University. That landed him in New York, reporting on hackers and home inventors at Popular Science, where he and John quickly hit it off and started making weird projects for the magazine (like a motorized skateboard). In his spare time, he built furniture in his Brooklyn woodshop.

After PopSci, Mike became the founder and chief creative officer of a software company that built mobile apps for brands like Nike and Disney. He left that gig to become a corporate strategy and content consultant, and to team up with John again to launch Cubist. He lives in San Diego with his wife, son and two dogs.