Michigan Winter 2014

With temperatures on the rise I cannot help but look back on the winter that I am happy to leave behind. This has been one of the worst winters for Michigan in recent memory. As of February 24th we have seen an estimated total of 102.9 inches of snow in Grand Rapids and 125.5 inches in Holland. Some cities have seen over 20 feet of snow this winter! With all of this snowfall and the sub zero temperatures the great lakes have been setting records for the amount of ice coverage with roughly 90% coverage. 

With all of that snow it is a surprise that we were able to take pictures of these homes while Wayne was on a building site. These photos give a good idea of just how much snow we have had this winter.  Lets hope with this warmer weather it will melt the snow and we can start to see see more of these homes soon!

Tupelo:  Overlooking the frozen Lake Michigan

 Statistics were found on the WOOD TV 8 Blog and Climate.gov. 

Taking home the ARDAs!

The American Institute of Building Design's (AIBD) National Convention was held last week in Pasadena, California, where Visbeen Architects attended the American Residential Design Awards (ARDA) banquet celebrating the best and brightest in today's residential designs.  We were honored to receive 11 awards, including the prestigious Global Choice Award that we had implored you to cast votes for us over the last few weeks.  The Hasserton received nearly 1/3 of the total votes cast, so from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for the support!

Ten of our other projects were awarded for excellence in a variety of categories - here is the full list of our award-winners:

Hasserton

1st Place - Global Choice Award

Built by Scott Christopher Homes

Interiors by Jeffery Roberts Design

Tupelo

1st Place - Model Home (2,501 - 4,000sf)

Built by Mike Schaap Builders

Interiors by Benchmark Wood Studio

Andover

1st Place - Model Home (4,001sf & above)

Built by Tim Schollaart Builder

Interiors by Dwellings

Barron

1st Place - Published Design (2,501 - 4,000sf)

Built by Myers Builders, Inc

Highfield

2nd Place - Published Design (4,001sf & above)

Built by Falcon Custom Homes

Interiors by Ashley Cole Design

Shelburne

1st Place - Conceptual Design (2,500sf & under)

Tamlane

2nd Place - Conceptual Design (2,500sf & under)

Kismet

1st Place - Conceptual Design (2,500 - 4,000sf)

Dandridge

1st Place - Conceptual Design (4,001sf & above)

Multi-unit complex

2nd Place - Conceptual Design (any size)

Essex, Lennox & Brooklyn (River House Condominiums)

1st Place - Multi-family Design

Built by Falcon Custom Homes

Congratulations to the teams involved in making these projects award-worthy.  And thanks to everyone again for the votes!

Tupelo

This four-story cottage bungalow is designed to perch on a steep shoreline, allowing homeowners to get the most out of their space.  The main level of the home accommodates gatherings with easy flow between the living room, dining area, kitchen, and outdoor deck.  The midlevel offers a lounge, bedroom suite and the master bedroom, complete with access to a private deck.  The family room, kitchenette, and beach bath on the lower level open to an expansive backyard patio.  At the top of the nest is the loft area, which provides a bunk room and extra guest bedroom suite.

This beautiful home is currently for sale, so please visit the listing page for more information if you or someone you know is interested!

Project Team --
Designed by: Visbeen Architects
Built by: Mike Schaap Builders
Interiors by: Benchmark Wood Studio

Lakeshore Spring Parade of Homes

The Lakeshore Spring Parade of Homes kicks off tonight at 6:00pm!  Don't miss your chance to tour the Tupelo, a one-of-a-kind waterfront home in South Haven with stunning views of the pier, beautiful sandy beach frontage on Lake Michigan and an unmatched level of craftsmanship by Mike Schaap Builders.  It's really a showstopper!

The hours of the parade are as follows:
June 13-22
Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays: 6pm-9pm
Wednesday & Saturdays: 1pm-9pm
(Closed Sundays & Mondays)

We hope to see you there!