Designer’s Notes

ADU’s in Bloomington
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ADU’s in Bloomington

In the past few years, as Bloomington has started allowing ADUs by right, we have seen an increase in inquiries and requests for these projects. We have had the opportunity to take part in a couple of ADU projects. One was designing and renovating the original (but distressed) limestone garage that existed on our client’s property and turning it into an ADU. The project consisted of taking what was a very small and very rough garage and repurposing it as a small overflow space for the home.  Also, we are currently building ADUs on a few lots in our Bloomington Cohousing neighborhood. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are an emerging trend in the housing landscape in Bloomington and across the rest of the country. ADUs, also known as granny flats, in-law suites, or backyard cottages, are small, self-contained residential units built on the same property as an existing home. 

Introducing our Client-Centric Design Studio
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Introducing our Client-Centric Design Studio

We recently acquired our neighboring building which was formerly a travel agency to expand our office workspace. This client-centric space, now known as the Design Studio, serves as an extension of our creative team’s domain and plays an integral part in our overall design process.

The design studio provides designers and clients with a resource for comprehensive support throughout the entire design process – from schematic design all the way to construction. Our well-stocked studio allows us to show clients design and style options in a timely manner. This allows us to maintain our strong commitment to the aesthetics of the project and provide a highly positive client experience. 

Teaching Architecture and Design at the Project School
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Teaching Architecture and Design at the Project School

We are excited to be a part of a new program with the Project School and The Habitat for Humanity to design and build outdoor sheds for Habitat homeowners. Our design team, Alex Minor, Tucker Jaroll, and Ernesto Castaneda visit the students of the Project School every Friday for an hour-long instruction on architecture and the whole world of design. They can be found presenting topics like the design phases, design elements, scale, and measurement, how to interact with a client, how to come up with new architecture concepts and even model making. 

Reclaimed Urban Timber

Reclaimed Urban Timber

We have had the pleasure of working closely with Bluestone Tree for years and are very excited about their recent expansions in offering reclaimed urban timber. This is a hyper-local rescue of diseased and dying trees that would otherwise turn into landfill products or be burned for fuel. Both burning and mulching will ultimately release the carbon stored in these trees into the atmosphere. Keeping in line with one of our core principles, which is a commitment to lowering the environmental impact in our construction process, we can use these products that Bluestone brings to the market and salvage these beautiful wood slabs and other byproducts of these trees for use in our projects.