In mid-July of this year, RemWhirl LLC welcomed licensed architect, Eric Larson, to their team of professionals. Eric and his wife Kathy moved to the Brainerd area in 2005 after Eric received his Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from North Dakota State University.

Eric, interned as part of a design team that included some of the area’s most respected architects. In his years in his intern position, he gained valuable experience and was able to obtain his State Architect License in 2009.

As a licensed architect, Eric enjoyed the process of assisting his clients in developing their initial basic concepts into home designs that were complimentary to both their aesthetic tastes and their lifestyle needs.

Eric is as committed to serving at home and in the community, as he is to serving his clients. Eric includes serving as a volunteer with the local Habitat for Humanity among his areas of community involvement. However, serving in his home, as a father to his young son and a devoted husband to his wife Kathy, is a high priority to him.

Eric’s creative design skills, strong character and commitment to the values that have made RemWhirl a company that our clients can trust, made him the perfect addition to our already talented team. We are proud to welcome him aboard.

If you haven’t already, stop by or make an appointment, to meet RemWhirl’s new architect, Eric Larson.

The grass is green, the sun is shining and the sky is blue. All of that adds up to a perfect day on the golf course. And, even though the Brainerd area has many fine golf courses, wouldn’t it be nice to just step out of your front door and walk down to the putting green to get in a few swings when you don’t have time for a full round of golf?

That’s what one of our client’s had in mind when we began designing their lakehome. They had the enough space on their property, so our landscape design team went to work on it. The picture above is a view of their private golf course laid out in front of their home.

That is one of the advantages of having a landscape design team in-house that can work hand-in-hand with our architectural staff. We can incorporate a client’s entire lifestyle into the design of their home, both inside and out.

These same clients also wanted to include a space for relaxing around a campfire. The patio you see here has a built-in fire pit, and sits on top of the hill overlooking the lake. Natural stone slabs create a walkway down the slope from the paver patio.

Summer is all about enjoying the outdoors in the Brainerd Lakes Area. At RemWhirl, we enjoy helping our clients develop a design that meets the needs for both their indoor, and outdoor, living styles.

Spring has been slow to arrive in Minnesota, but things are finally beginning to turn green. That means that summer is just around the corner and people will be heading to their lake homes. They’ll be getting their docks and boat lifts set in the water. You’ll see boats and jet skis being hauled up the highways. Summer in Minnesota is all about getting out on the lake.

Unfortunately, for some people, getting down the slope from the cabin or lake home to the shoreline can be a little treacherous.

The banks can be steep and slippery. Even with a few stepping stones, navigation can be a bit difficult.

Stone steps can make your traverse down to the beach much easier.



With some creative landscape design, they can be a beautiful addition to your property.

Another option, for creating that staircase down the slope, is to use landscape pavers and treated timbers, as shown here.

A landscape designer will be able to see possibilities that you may never of thought of, in regard to improving your trip down to the shoreline. Function and beauty can easily go hand in hand, when working with the right materials and a creative mind.

Often when individuals think of doing a remodel they have simple changes in mind such as new cabinets and flooring.

With some creative input from an architect and landscape designer, a remodel can be so much more. Below are the stories of two very unique remodel projects. We’ve included before and after pictures of these projects to provide you with a full appreciation for the significances of the changes made.

Lake Home Upgrade

The lake cabin was in need of an upgrade.

More space was needed and a total remodel of interior and exterior to transform this recreational cabin into a year round home of comfort and beauty.

With the strict codes regarding improvements to lake property, this seemed like an almost impossible task.  But achieving this dream for the home owners was simply an exciting challenge for the RemWhirl team.

The before pictures show you that this home started out as a modest rambler style with a walkout basement that leads to the beach area.

A second story was added to provide the extra living space and the entire interior refinished to meet current needs.

New siding and stone accents, along with the new varied roof lines have transformed this simple cabin into a warm and welcoming lake home.

Landscaping details and upgrades, such as the paver patio on the lakeside create the finishing touches to this property, increasing its value and curb appeal.

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Boat House Transformation

The owner’s saw their empty boathouse with its unfinished interior as an opportunity rather than an eye-sore. 

By removing the overhead roll-up door and adding windows with colored trim they creating an eye-catching addition to their lakeshore. 

The paved patio and boulder shoreline finish it off with a natural blend into the surroundings.

After: Waterfront appeal

Lake and Home Magazine has become a popular magazine in the Brainerd Lakes area for its showcase articles on local lake homes. In addition to the main feature articles, the magazine also provides informational articles geared towards improving and maintaining lake home properties.

In the October/November issue of Lake and Home, the RemWhirl landscape design team of Jamie Lipke and Joe Hall provided professional insights into the designing of an outdoor living space. You can find the article on page 50 of the magazine, along with full color pictures of one of the outdoor living spaces designed by RemWhirl’s landscape design team.

If you don’t currently receive a subscription to this bi-monthly magazine, a current copy can be ordered from their website at: http://www.lakeandhomeweb.com/currentissue.cfm

Pick up a copy and see what Joe and Jamie have to say about what goes into making a truly livable outdoor space.

Please be patient as we continue to make updates to the blog and improve the blog performance.

In the meanwhile, check out the galleries!

The phrase ‘value added’ has become very popular during the last few years. Generally speaking, the phrase would be equivalent to the colloquial  saying, “Getting the most bang for your buck.”

So how does this relate to architectural design? Can hiring an architect truly ‘add value’ to a construction project? The answer to the second question is an unequivocal ‘Yes!’ but the answer to the first question of how that value is ‘added’ will require a few more words.

Hiring an architecture to design a building project, whether residential or commercial, can add to the value of the project in a number of ways.

1. Aesthetic appeal translates into dollars via the marketability of the building. Whether it is in the eventual sale of the home or business space, or rental of commercial space, the visual appeal of the exterior and interior of the space makes a huge impact on the perceived value of the building. The key to making architectural design details ‘value added’ is understanding how to add those attractive design features which are also cost effective (increasing the value without significantly increasing the cost).
2. Functional use of space is another way that architectural design can add value to a floor plan. Although a simple rectangular building or room may often seem to be the most economical use of space, that is not always true. A design professional is trained to take lifestyle and the intended function of the rooms into consideration as they formulate their design.
3. Proper use of space is also a consideration in determining the footprint and positioning of a building on the selected real estate property. An architects experience with site layout can assist the owner in making the best use of their property.
4. The reputation of the architect himself can add value to a building project. This factor alone is a powerful incentive for your architect to provide you with a design which meets his client’s needs in all the aspects of importance, from functionality to budget considerations.

As you can see, value added architecture is not simply about cutting costs. It is about ‘adding’ value while keeping that value in the proper ratio to the costs. The costs associated with hiring a design professional have every potential of providing a relative increase in value to your project.

The plans are done. The contractors on your bidders list have submitted their bids. Now how do you make that final decision regarding the contractor that will build your project?

Obviously, you will start by the comparing total prices on the bids, but is the lowest price necessarily the best deal? From experience with other purchases, you probably know that there other factors to look at. Let’s look at what they might be in the arena of construction.

• Were all the bids based off a written set of specifications? This is a critical necessity to assure that all the contractors are bidding the same items and that the quality of construction materials you expect are what they have priced in your bid. Working with your architect to develop detailed specifications prior to releasing the plans for bidding is well worth the time and effort necessary.
• Are there allowance amounts included for some of the products? Are the amounts the same in every bid and are the amounts adequate to cover the quality of materials you intend to use in your project?
• What are the contractor’s peramiters for change orders? Is there a fee for each change? Is your written approval of changes prior to completion included in the contract?
• What about quality of work and performance reliability? Can they provide appropriate references from past customers? Are they able and willing to provide insurance and bonding certificates that provide protection for their clients?  Will they include a completion date as part of their contract?

Whether the project is the building of a new home or a small remodel, a true comparison between bids and contractors can make a big difference on the final cost of the project. Take the time to prepare and to ask the questions needed before making that decision with your architect.

It’s here once again, that final hurrah of summer, Labor Day weekend. The highways of Minnesota will be packed with travelers trying to fit in the last big weekend before school starts. Lake home owner’s in the Brainerd and Crosslake area will be praying for sunshine to make the most of the holiday weekend.

As summer winds down and we head into the fall season, preparations need to be made for the cold months of winter. Docks and lifts will need to pulled from the lakes and placed in storage for spring. Irrigation systems will need to be properly blown out and shut down. Perrenial plants and trees may require some additional protection from the weather and animals. Lawns will need to be raked and cleared of debris before they are covered with snow.

We all know these things will need to be done. Sometimes, however, we forget that they need to be done by almost everyone at the same time. If you haven’t done so yet, make those phone calls necessary to get on the schedules for these maintenance items. The first snow fall and the first night of below freezing weather are never predictable. Don’t let them catch you by surprise. Put it on your to do list and get to it RIGHT AFTER you’ve enjoyed your last weekend at the cabin.

A big thank you to our clients who opened their homes this past weekend for the Inspiration Tour. Your willingness to share the final results of your project was greatly appreciated, not only by the RemWhirl staff, but more importantly, by those who viewed your lovely homes during the tour (over a thousand people).

Since our architectural and landscape designs are created to fit the lifestyle and vision of our clients, you deserve much of the credit for the unique features that were exclaimed over by those who had the privilege of walking through and around your homes during the tour.

Your homes did accomplish the goal listed in the title, “Inspiration”. The full functionality of the homes, regardless of size, was commented on often. Your homes demonstrated perfectly how to combine aesthetic appeal with the practical needs of an individual family’s lifestyle.

Again, thank you.