When it comes to courting a new love, many a man is eager to win the heart of a young woman with impressive things. Good looks, charm and chivalry go a long way toward hearing the words "I do." Add money, possessions or a big house, and you have icing on the commitment cake.

So when Elijah Jordan took a romantic interest in former Ashland High schoolmate Lauren Wasserman, his intentions were clear — win her heart, but for all the right reasons.

"I wanted to make sure she liked me for me, not for my house," says the well-spoken 26-year-old Jacksonville resident.

Friends describe Jordan as friendly, likable and eager to lend a helping hand. Yet even with all these qualities, he downplayed one of his most remarkable, telling Wasserman he was living in a tiny travel trailer and skipping over the fact he was building what would eventually become an architectural marvel.

Today the 3,000-square-foot house sits on 3 acres between Jacksonville and Ruch, tucked seamlessly into a wooded hillside punctuated with sandstone outcroppings and groves of madrone.

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At first glance, the unadorned exterior, with horizontal roof lines and rooms jetting off at 30-degree angles, strikes an unusual if not curious pose. But walk into the tri-level home whose foundation steps smoothly downward with the topography and it becomes clear Jordan also has the ability to design a whole house as one.

Each room, hallway, fixture and the play of light and color is designed to function with and complement every other aspect of the four-bedroom, three-bath home. Rooms flow seamlessly both visually and physically, light and window placement is in direct response to the seasons and time of day, and the earthy colors are not only meant to soothe but to be in harmony with the surrounding forest.

Such a house would not be unexpected from a trained architect or from a seasoned designer who goes beyond the "cookie-cutter" norm.

What is unusual is that Jordan has no formal training or education in architecture and design, having first a vision, then the passion to follow through with something unique.

It was while he was a senior studying for a degree in business management from Southern Oregon University that Jordan's grandmother gave him a torn paper grocery bag laden with documents from his deceased grandfather. Among the most surprising, says Jordan, was the discovery of an architectural degree his great-grandfather earned from the University of Rome, along with intricate drafts of beautiful buildings. A further search revealed his great-grandfather then attended schools in the United States and documented a difficult but successful journey to acceptance as an architect in California.

"And that's when I realized what I wanted to do. That's where it clicked in my mind," Jordan says. "Even my grandfather was an engineer for Lockheed. So it's obviously in my blood."

Jordan's epiphany led him to seek out an unofficial internship and mentorship with longtime Ashland architect Richard Wagner. Wagner admits he was not eager to take on a student, but quickly changed his mind after seeing Jordan's enthusiasm and eagerness to learn.

"He and I clicked," says Wagner, who soon came to realize Jordan saw things the way he did — that houses are meant to be more than just structures. "He could see a lot of the things I saw. But Elijah didn't get it just from listening to me and watching what I did. My sense of him is that he actually 'saw' architecture."

For the next six months Wagner took him to client and site meetings and taught him to use the CADD, or computer-automated drafting and design program architects and engineers use in their work.

Following Wagner's training, Jordan's first project was an extensive remodel of his mother's kitchen in her Talent home, moving walls and putting in beams. Friends of the family then came over to see the kitchen.

"I loved it," said Jordan, and he was soon embarking on his next project.

Jerry and Deborah Quast, owners of Rogue Valley Roasting Company in Ashland, had purchased a 1970s-era farmhouse in need of repair in the Pompadour Bluff area near Ashland. Not only was the house falling down, but the interior had dry rot and mold.

"We couldn't believe anyone would live there, but we decided to make a go of it," said Jerry Quast.

The next six months found the Quasts and Jordan refining designs that eventually would lead to bulldozing much of the house.

"It couldn't have worked out any better," said Quast.

What they were left with was a 3,700-square-foot house with a new roof line, raised ceilings and some larger rooms, all accommodating Deborah Quast's love of Old World Tuscany style and design.

"Anybody in the (housing) industry that I show what it was and what it is now say 'Wow, I can't believe it's the same house,' " Jerry Quast says.

Strapped for cash, Jordan borrowed money from family and worked out a financing deal with a property owner in Jacksonville to purchase the 3 acres of land where his home now sits. With no money to commute, he spent $1,000 for a travel trailer, parked it on the property and began designing nonstop. With no room in the trailer to accommodate his computer equipment, Jordan found himself gutting the interior and plumping the shower to the outside of the trailer to make more room. At 24 he spent a "miserable" winter working long days, spending Christmas there and showering in freezing weather to design his dream home. It was at this time he became reacquainted with Wasserman and shared his discontent with her.

During their initial phone conversations, "I kind of told her I was miserable," he said, skipping over details about building the house and emphasizing his less-than-ideal circumstances to gauge her reaction and get a sense of who she was. "My quality of life was not good then."

During those lonely winter months, Jordan not only designed his present home but two others — one a "very sweet home" that was ultimately turned down by prospective clients, he says, and a second that he is building on adjacent property.

With plans complete, Jordan was ready to begin building. Wanting a garage space that would accommodate a recreational vehicle, he literally began from the ground up. He parked his trailer in the space that was to become the garage and built up around it in January 2005, eventually adding on the rest of the house. In 12 months, the project was nearly complete.

It was time to welcome Lauren in.

"I had a housewarming party that I planned just for the purpose of her coming over to see the house," he says. While Jordan has trouble speaking to her initial reaction, the two were engaged six months after they began dating. They plan to marry in June 2007.

Wagner, Jordan's mentor, was not shy about his reaction to first seeing the house.

"Driving up to the house I remembered thinking, 'Oh my God, he actually pulled it off." Wagner says with Jordan's lack of experience he expected something plain and even a little awkward. What he got instead was some mirroring of his own visions.

"What I saw, it was things he had seen me do in my own homes, and talk about doing. He just seemed to take it all in, and it was very heartwarming. ... It's amazing for a third project." And Jordan isn't finished. He's put together a four-man crew and is licensed as a designer under the title Elijah Jordan Construction and Design. In addition to the house being built next door, two more are planned which will become a private gated community with walking trails that lead to the Britt Gardens and connect to the city forestland trails. Jordan is also designing a home in east Medford.

"Each of the houses will be totally unique," he says. "God created no two hairs on a person's head the same, and I don't think houses should be made the same. Designing is all about you, the surroundings, how the house will fit into the site, what you like and what makes you feel good."

Denise Baratta is a freelance writer living in Talent. E-mail her at Baratta565@msn.com