The Ultimate Checklist: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Designing Your Custom Home
Here are 5 questions to ask yourself before designing your custom home!
My Visit to Warroad – Part Three
Destination Marvin: My Visit to Warroad
Part Three: People
By: Adrienne Stronge
While the primary objective of my trip was to learn about Marvin, the added benefit was meeting and growing relationships with two of our favorite Harrisonburg teams. RS Monger & Sons sponsored my trip, and I was accompanied by three people from their team. Also on the trip were people from Herr and Company, contractors we work with often.
Our team photo. L-R Laurie Gabriel (Herr & Co), Ralph Viafora (Herr & Co), Dakota Higgs (Mongers), Brad Nicholson (Mongers), Abigail Welsh (Mongers), Adrienne Stronge, Tim Conklin (Marvin)
Networking with the teams we work with is always important, but there is something to be said about travelling together. Before this trip, because I’m based in the Charlottesville office, I knew none of these people. I was travelling with strangers. Now that we are home, I consider every one of the people I travelled with friends.
Dinner on our last night. L-R: Laurie Gabriel (Herr & Co), Abigail Welsh (Mongers), Adrienne Stronge, Brad Nicholson (Mongers), Dakota Higgs (Mongers)
We bonded over last minute travel cancellations that resulted in the team driving to Dulles at 5am on travel day. We enjoyed visiting local Warroad bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and breweries. We all stepped out on a frozen lake and braved -20-degree temperatures. We capped our trip with the insanity that is the Mall of America and an amazing dinner at the steakhouse across the street.
Standing on a frozen lake that was frozen to 42” thick.
Standing on the frozen lake.
The forecast on one of our mornings in Warroad
The Lego Store at Mall of America.
Friendships in this industry are important. I now know that I can call up any one of these people with a question and they would be happy to help point me in the right direction. This not only makes my job easier, but when we work together as a team, it results in a better project for our clients.
Team photo in front of the Marvin plane.
On the trip, I mentioned one solution that I had recently used in a project, and Abigail with Monger & Sons knew exactly which job I was talking about and mentioned some solutions for the doors that were slightly different thanks to a recent change in the product line. These are the kind of discussions that help us all to create the best product possible for our clients, and I am so happy to have more close contacts in the industry with whom to discuss solutions.
My Visit to Warroad – Part Two
Destination Marvin: My Visit to Warroad
Part Two: Community
By: Adrienne Stronge
Our company mission has always been to serve our community, which is a mission shared by Marvin. It was great to see how a deep community commitment can play out at a larger scale.
Warroad and Marvin are inextricably linked. The company was founded in 1912 as a family run lumber company, and now the fourth and fifth generations are still mostly in Warroad, leading the growth and expansion of the business that now employs over 8,000 people across 16 cities, including Roanoke, VA.
Standing in front of the Marvin plane that flew us to and from Warroad.
Just by employing most of the town’s population, the company has an enormous impact on the community, but the company and its founding family have contributed so much more. Any time they have seen a need in the community, the company or Marvin family members have helped to fill that need. The library, hockey rink and heritage center were contributed by the family. There is a performing arts center slated to open soon that was developed by a huge donation by a family member. Even things like the retirement community and daycare were family contributions.
The town library.
An impressive window in the Cultural Center.
One of our favorite stops was a place called “The Shed”. Bob Marvin was a serious collector of classic cars, and instead of hoarding his personal collection, he created a museum of sorts where all his cars are displayed and open to the public for free.
Row of cars in “The Shed”
Row of cars in “The Shed”
Row of cars in “The Shed”
During our tour of the town, we were shown where many of the current family members live, and they all live in modest houses and send their children to the local public schools. The current CEO, Paul Marvin, even made time to meet with our groups and introduce himself, speaking volumes about his approachability.
While our contributions may differ in scale, we share Marvin’s dedication to our local communities. We strive to make a positive impact through sponsorships, volunteering, and ensuring that the work we do helps our neighbors and our community.
My Visit to Warroad – Part One
Destination Marvin: My Visit to Warroad
Part One: Products
By: Adrienne Stronge
As architects, we are trusted to ensure the products that we recommend to our clients are of the best quality and efficiency that is offered at their price point. We spend a lot of time during the year learning about manufacturing details and testing procedures for many of the products that go into construction. It’s why, when offered the opportunity to travel to Warroad, MN to tour the Marvin Windows facilities, I jumped at the chance to get this in-depth look at their products and the factories where they are produced.
A group of kids playing hockey on the frozen river in Warroad.
Marvin Windows and Doors was founded in Warroad, and their window factory occupies a sprawling industrial facility of over 2 million square feet. The factory in Warroad produces the Ultimate line, which is an extruded aluminum exterior and wood interior.
The Marvin headquarters stair that uses window pieces for the railings.
Image of the product showcase at the Marvin Headquarters.
We started our tour at the very beginning, where raw lumber entered the facility to be sorted and processed into the individual window parts. The wood is continuously inspected for flaws and defects that might lead to weakness in the window frame before and after each step in the process. The number of people involved in visually inspecting each component as it works its way through the facility is impressive. As the wood is further processed into the necessary part, there is always a human presence guiding the process and inspecting the piece.
Ready to go into the factory, wearing a headset so we can hear our guide, and eye protection.
Wood cut and sorted by size and ready to be processed.
Window parts stacked and sorted.
A stack of window parts.
A window mock-up that was brought in to address questions and concerns from our team.
A divided light frame ready for glass.
A frame being bent into a custom shape.
In the round top and custom division, there is even more human skill and craftsmanship involved. So much of the process here is done by hand, with a select force of expert craftsmen who intricately work the wood into any design imaginable. It was especially exciting to see one of the employees there working on a window for a new UVA facility, carefully laying out the SDL bars that were dictated by a design in a historic existing building.
SDLs being cut and positioned by hand.
A window for UVA coming down the line.
Aluminum SDL lights being placed by hand.
In addition to factory tours, we were treated to some educational sessions and given the opportunity to give feedback to the team. The feedback from our team wasn’t just noted and forgotten. Our guide pulled people in from Marvin headquarters to directly address our questions and concerns. It was amazing to get a direct response and then to receive contact information for people to follow up with in case we have additional questions.
All of the individual pieces that go into a clad double-hung window.
Window corner sections used to discuss differences in Marvin window lines.
The new Marvin skyview window.
Having worked in this industry for nearly 20 years, I thought I had a good understanding of windows, but I learned so much more than I expected and will never look at a window the same way again.
Dementia Friendly Design Guide
Over the years, we have been grateful to learn more about dementia and dementia-friendly design through our clients, personal experiences, and dementia-friendly business trainings with Valley Program for Aging Services (VPAS) – we would highly recommend their Dementia Friends Training! Through this training, we are proud to have received the certification of “Dementia Friendly Business.” We are motivated to create a business that is dementia-friendly, continue learning, and integrate these important design considerations into our projects.
If you or your loved ones are interested in learning more about dementia-friendly design, don’t hesitate to reach out to us and we would love to talk with you.
Below, check out the Dementia Friendly Design Guide that we have developed (resource design by Annie Frazier). Download this guide for free at the button below.
Dementia Friendly Design Guide Download
Further explanation from VPAS’s Dementia Education Page:
“There is a national movement underway to ensure that people living with dementia have the resources and support they need to live independently and well for as long as possible.
VPAS offers many educational opportunities regarding dementia, and those who participate, help their localities achieve the official designation of a Dementia Friendly Community.
We also offer activities for persons with dementia and those that care for them.”
Renovating your existing home into a lifetime home
When doing a renovation, it is important to take a holistic view of what is possible. Most of the renovation and addition projects we receive start with a challenge such as – we want to add a primary bedroom on the first floor to make our home a lifetime home. This is a great place to start and we love taking on that challenge.
As a full-service design firm, we can evaluate the existing home for structural systems, aesthetics, function, aging-in-place, and efficiency. We look at how the existing home is built and how to most efficiently add the desired space. We offer aesthetic solutions coupled with building science and efficiency expertise. We think through aging-in-place standards to make the home as adaptable as possible over time.
For many additions or renovations, there is an opportunity to add the right insulation in the right places and upgrade the mechanical systems, while making the space functional and beautiful. We don’t stop at picking out just the right tile and cabinets, we make sure the renovation addresses monthly utility bills and the durability of the structure. This holistic approach provides the highest value to our clients for their investment.
If you are thinking about doing a renovation or addition, consider adding durability, indoor air quality, and comfort to your list of priorities. This brings your investment into a long-lasting value-added proposition.