Jared Walker Dostie began building tree houses at age seven in the plentiful woods of Maine where he spent most of his childhood. His mother describes him as “a curious kid that was always building or dismantling something”. A family filled with carpenters and builders cultivated this curiosity. He spent his summers doing any kind of work that kept him outside, from construction, to bailing hay, even stacking rocks at a stone yard. At nineteen Jared, a self proclaimed “movie buff”, headed west to Los Angeles in search of warmer weather and a chance to study acting and audition for film and TV roles.

After what Jared calls, “a little work, and a lot of luck”, he landed modeling work as well as some small acting parts. With small town roots and a blue collar attitude it was an uncomfortable fit at first. Jared has said, “My greatest acting performance to date was playing a male model.” But with the new gig came what Jared calls “The greatest opportunity ever given to me”, a chance to see the world. He traveled to several countries including, Japan, Germany, and South Africa, where he appeared in catalogs, magazines, and TV commercials. During his travels he filled an insatiable craving for architecture and design while exploring every corner of each city he lived in.

Back in LA Jared still had to make ends meet. He fell back on his skills in the trades and a solid New England work ethic to find jobs. In the beginning it was painting, landscaping and handy man work, but his enthusiasm for woodworking drove him to hone his carpentry skills. His true passion lied in high end home renovations, so he teamed up with a contractor friend from back east and never looked back. Together they renovated and remodeled dozens of homes in some of LA’s priciest neighborhoods. Jared gained a reputation for doing construction projects with an emphasis on aesthetic and a willingness to involve the home owner in the process. Jared believes, “ You have to get people excited and involved in the project, give them some ownership and pride in the finished product”. Now he gets to do just that on the HGTV show “Rate My Space”!