Meet Our Judges

Our panel of judges includes recognized industry professionals who draw upon extensive experience in architectural design and home-building.

Ryan McDaniel

Partner/Director of Design
Brandon Architects, Newport Beach, CA

Ryan McDaniel is a partner and director of design at Brandon Architects, a leading architectural firm in the coastal Orange County area of Newport Beach. A member of the firm since 2012, McDaniel has received national recognition for this work on single-family custom homes, multi-family, mixed-use, commercial, and hospitality projects. He is interested in developing more sustainable residential and non-residential properties and designs with the understanding that every project is custom.

Spencer Sylvester

President
SLS Construction, Newport Beach, CA

SoCal native Spencer Sylvester is the president of SLS Construction, a Newport Beach, CA firm specializing in high-end custom homes. Sylvester has building in his blood: as a child, his father would take him on walkthroughs of build sites where he worked as a general contractor. He has been in the luxury home business since 2004, building relationships and working one-on-one with some of the area’s most respected interior designers and architects, and always prioritizing the needs of the homeowner.

Chip Wade

Designer, TV Personality
Wade Works Creative, Atlanta, GA

Celebrity designer and HGTV host Chip Wade is the lead designer at architecture, design, and real estate firm Wade Works Creative in Atlanta, GA. In 2007, Chip joined the Atlanta carpentry team of HGTV’s Designed to Sell, which led to appearances on HGTV’s Curb Appeal: The Block, Ellen’s Design Challenge, HGTV’s Showdown, HGTV’s Design Star, HGTV’s Wise Buys, Oprah, and CNN. He is also the host, designer and executive producer on the Emmy-winning series, Elbow Room.