Paul Fikse is a licensed residential builder and the Vice President of Visbeen Associates. Raised in Illinois, Fikse studied architecture at Iowa State before attaining a degree in Business from Hope College in Holland, Michigan. He made West Michigan his permanent home after college, and has been an integral part of VAI’s development since 1993. As Vice President, Fikse’s responsibilities are widespread, but he spends the majority of his time focused on Design Development and Project Management. He and the staff complete precise drawings for each design job, and Fikse personally reviews all construction...
Introducing...Wayne Visbeen
Tuesday's post this week was all about our Visbeen Associates Staff Christmas party, but have you met all of our stellar staff? If not, stay tuned to this blog! Over the next month or so I will introduce you to each of our talented staff members. Although most of you may know him, our introductions will start with our fearless leader - Wayne Visbeen:Architect Wayne Visbeen attributes his passion for design to a childhood spent on construction sites. Visbeen’s father owned a construction company in his hometown of Wyckoff, New Jersey, and his grandfather was a self-taught architect and builder....
Christmas, the VAI Staff Style
Over the weekend, Visbeen Associates staff had our annual Christmas party. We enjoyed a very relaxing weekend up at a lodge in Bitely, Michigan. It was a time full of great food made by Chef Oliver Hale, great fun playing games and great fellowship with our staff members and their spouses!The Visbeen Associates family(front row, left to right) LeeAnn Lorenz, Jonathan and little Emmaus Lorenz, Marcia Visbeen, Angela Mulder, Marcy Stellin, Lori Potter, Megan TerVeen & Chris TerVeen(back row, left to right) Emily Lorenz, David Lorenz, Wayne Visbeen, Jon Mulder, Dave Stellin & Jay PotterOur...
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In case you missed it on our facebook fan page, check out this special holiday challenge...It is the middle of December already and a blanket of crisp, white snow has transformed the landscape of Grand Rapids into a winter wonderland. It is putting all of us here at Visbeen Associates into the Christmas spirit and we want to see how you are spreading cheer around your home for the holidays! Send us your photos! Whether it is a photo of the lights on the exterior of your home, the glow of your Christmas tree, the creative way you hang your family's stockings, or any other ways you decorate for...
Where in the World is Wayne Visbeen?
Wayne Visbeen often travels for work and pleasure to areas around the world that have an abundance of interesting, innovative and eye-catching architecture. Can you guess where he is in these photos? Please post your guesses on our facebook fan page wall or email them directly to our office (megan@visbeen.biz).Hint #1 - It is a retail store.Hint #2 - It is located in a city with a population of over 8 million people where President Theodore Roosevelt was born.Hint #3 - The store has an edible na...
Architectural Tutorial: Ceilings
“Aim for the sky and you'll reach the ceiling. Aim for the ceiling and you'll stay on the floor.”- Billy Shankly (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/ceiling.html)Maybe it isn't all that bad to stay on the floor if your ceiling is at least something interesting to look at. Visbeen Associates designs include many ceilings that make for grand statements in the home, so today, our architectural tutorial will focus on several types:1. Barrel vault: A simple continuous vault, typically semicircular in cross section. (http://www.yourdictionary.com/barrel-vault)2. Coffered: A grid-work of beams...
ABC Construction Award Winners
We are pleased to announce that Visbeen Associates and Elzinga & Volkers Construction Professionals won an Award of Excellence in Commercial Construction in the 2010 ABC Western Michigan Chapter Construction Awards Program for StoneWater Country Club in Caledonia, MI!This project was designed by Visbeen Associates, built by Elzinga & Volkers Construction Professionals with interiors by Lorene Roskamp from Lauren James Studio. To view more photos of this project, visit our website: www.visbeen.biz > gallery > master planning > country clubs > StoneWater ...
eightWest Condo Design Challenge: Finale
On eightWest's show this morning, the winner for the Condo Design Challenge at River House Condominiums was announced by the judges, Wayne Visbeen, Peter Baldwin and Mary Witte. This challenge gave teams of interior design students from area schools the chance to design the interiors of a condo at The River House in downtown Grand Rapids. Congratulations to Julie Christopherson & Cat O'Brien from Michigan State University for a fabulous winning design! If you missed this morning's show, you can view the segment below to see the presentations of the participants as well as the final winning...
HGTV House Wars: Let the Battle Begin!
As a part of their TV show, House Hunters, HGTV has created a game on their website called "House Wars," where homes of all types go head-to-head for America's votes. Four of our homes have been included in this competition - the Ingleside, Ellsworth, Winhurst and Rylestone. The Ingleside has become one of the top fourteen most popular homes with over 5,000 votes so far!To play the game, click here to visit HGTV's website. You will be shown a photo of two homes that are battling it out. Just click on the photo of the one you like best to cast your vote. When you see our homes come up, please vote...
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Great Lake Story: Final Chapter
Here is the final chapter of Michigan Blue Magazine's Great Lake Story in their winter issue, on newsstands now. Blue Magazine is chronicling Jim & Susan Buda's experience with Visbeen Associates and Bos Homes and their journey designing and building in South Haven's Boardwalk. In order to easily read the article, click he...
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