Passive houses en Portland, MI

“Visbeen Associates have great vision and unique perspectives that bring a challenging project to a beautiful end. We are very pleased with what Visbeen has accomplished for us!”

“When we decided to build our home, we were pretty naive to the process. We are blessed to have met Ryan and 42º North to help educate us on the process, and point out specific things we never thought of. Ryan has been the single most important asset in our home-build process – not only designing us a house we absolutely love, but also looking out for our best interests when dealing with other parties, such as builders, vendors, etc. The integrity that the guys at 42º North have is rare, and something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. They are swift to hold your hand through the process, and the design work is top-notch. Ryan’s communication is also amazing, making the process with him stress-free and easy going. 42º North is the only architecture firm we will ever recommend and use should we decide to build again. We’re happy to take a friendship out of this year-long process as well, and that is something that you can never put a price on.” Steve & Ashley E, Ada MI”

“Gifted home designer. Understands the role of sustainability in affordability and personalized function. Eric has set a new standard in home design, delivering LEED-Platinum certification at entry level through custom price points. My role as a third-party auditor for a variety of national performance building programs affords me a unique opportunity to see hundreds of architects, designers and builders. Eric Hughes stands out in a very crowded field.”

“I was thrilled with the final results of my kitchen remodel after working with Arens Architecture! Mr. Arens was so helpful and thorough and spent a great deal of time with me going over every detail to be sure I was getting my dream kitchen! All of this work was done while he was on the other side of the country, still living in Seattle Washington while I was in Michigan! I would highly recommend him for any job!”

“Sears Architect designed a 3100 sq house for us in East Grand Rapids, MI. We have never built a home previously. We found the design process to be very efficient which resulted in a home that matches our needs and wants. The Sears project manager was very responsive and Rob Sears seemed to be full informed and involved at all times. Having said this there were many heartaches that occurred that could in part be mitigated with up front client education. In talking with another friend who build a house with Sears last year, our experience was similar to theirs. 1. Architectural costs - designing a custom build house is more expensive and has more components than one would expect. Multiple site surveys, structural engineers, each set of more detailed plans add to the final cost. We spent $xxxxx for plans - which were the refinement of a plan presented to us in a design build proposal by the builder. In addition we used an interior designer recommended by the architect another $xxxx. We would have been happier if we had a fixed predefined budget as the builder led us to believe the costs would be about $25,000. Having said this, Rob Sears was very responsive to financial questions and happily and promptly provided the billing records that justified their billings. In addition I felt Rob made a strong effort to follow the project to completion and did quite a bit after delivery of the plans, uncompensated, to finish the job. In the end we are very happy with Sears Architects - but wiser for the experience. 2. Cost of building. We learned that there was essentially no communication between our builder and the architect regarding the building allowances and the costs of the developed plan. Our home ended up xx% over budget, despite most components falling within allowances - the builder just underbid to get the work. What I learned from the process is that is not the architects job, rather the home owners sole responsibility, to verify all components are accuately costed prior to contracting a builder. 3. Interior designer. We did not expect how important the interior designer would be in implementing the design of the home - guiding interior and exterior materials, designing lighting schemes, plumbing, etc as well as planning for furniture layout. Sears recommended Christine DiMaria. We separately retained her. My wife and I thought she did a great job - design, providing perspective from other project, helping sort priorities, communicating with the architect and in general holding our hands through the up and downs of the 10 month process. We were glad we used a designer who had worked with the architect before. 4. Landscape design. This was a separate contract and budget through a landscape architect. Sears coordinated well re the placement of the house on the lot, grade decisions needed so proper retention walls could be planned and built by the Landscape team. So overall, I feel that Sears Architecture is a terrific firm that does good work. We are very happy with the completed product of our home. We would recommend them to other home buyers.”

“I have worked with Via Design as an Owner Representative and have referred them to multiple shared clients who have had very good experiences with Via Design.”

“MMA designed our home - and it couldn't function better! Evan and the team were creative, listened to our needs, and made great use of a narrow lake lot. They were involved in every detail of the home, making the selection of the final finishes a breeze, and remained involved during the building process to ensure our dream became a reality.”

“east arbor architecture helped us every step of the way to create a new kitchen and first floor layout. Our home was built in 1947 and an addition was added in 1980. The kitchen was original to when the home was built. Dan came up with many options to change our layout to be both more functional & beautiful. His plans were all in keeping with the historical age of the home. He created room layout plans from the least invasive and least expensive to build all the way to a complete rework and very different layout than what we could have ever imagined. Once we selected a plan, east arbor architecture bid out the project to three different contractors. We also had Dan continue to work for us through the entire build so that when surprises occurred, he was right there to help the builder problem-solve to come up with the best solutions. Having east arbor architecture work with us throughout the entire project - planning to finished construction - gave us the extra support to handle issues and confidence that the right solutions were being made. We truly appreciate the quality of work and definitely recommend east arbor architecture!”

“Corri is a professional on every level. I hired her to design a small home using principles of sustainability, functionality and feng shui design. With a small budget and big ideas I needed someone who understood me and could deliver in an organized and manageable way. I was not disappointed at any point in our process. I have not yet built the house but she has created my dream.”

“We are the owners of the Lowell Barn House depicted in the drawings and photos. Jeff was fabulous on our project and we couldn't be happier with the outcome. Jeff has a great deal of talent, has a perfect eye for the completed project and works to forge a relationship with his client where respect travels in both directions - architect to client and vice versa. Jeff was able to work quickly through the concept phase, was most adept at working with us in Sketchup and then on to drawings. We ended up with a fabulous product and a lifelong friend who couldn't have been easier to work with. Take a look at the drawings and the photos and I think you will agree that we have a unique but most comfortable place we call home. Thanks Jeff.”