Testimonials

We always cherish hearing feedback from our clients on how their experience was with the Visbeen Associates team. In the last couple of weeks, we received two glowing reviews from a past and present client and just thought we would share!
After a tough battle with a zoning board, one client left a voicemail that said, "I wanted to say thank you for sending Paul. He saved the day and secured the variance. He was like a one man show! I'm grateful that he is so multitalented and thinks on his feet, has a bit of showmanship and knows his stuff. [The zoning board] was concerned about everything. He stepped up and walked them through the variance that had already been approved by the DEQ. Paul did an amazing job so I just wanted to share his good work report."

When asked for a reference by a potential client, our client said, "In my opinion, Wayne is the perfect architect to select. We interviewed three, and hands down Wayne was the best we interviewed, but more importantly, he exceeded our expectations. Here are just a couple of the keys point for us:
a. Values … to us this was the most important. I needed to know that our architect was honest, ethical, and would do the right thing regardless if we were watching. Wayne was a man of his word.
 b. Good business operations … from Angela, to Paul, to David, to Wayne, the entire team was great to work with. They met their deadlines and promises, and I press hard at times. No billing issues at any time along the journey.
 c. Fun… working with Wayne was a blast. The chemistry between Wayne and myself was fantastic, and we did some very cool things together. His ability to interrupt our thoughts and napkin drawings was exceptional. There was not anything that we thought up that he was not able to create a solution for.
 d. Future project … if I had the additional capital, I would do another project with Wayne just for the fun. But seriously, he would be my only call for an architect for our next project.
Wayne is a very active listener. If you are honest with him in conveying your vision and dream with the appropriate guidelines, Wayne will deliver. He is a breeze to work with and as noted above a lot of fun. Wayne has a great sense of humor and is genuine in every dimension.
I had a very demanding schedule, so we planned our meetings 30 and 60 days out so I could protect and plan for that time. We would have 4 hour work session every 3-4 weeks depending on the need and how we were progressing. If you let Wayne know that you need 15 min or 30 min, he will respond in spite of his demanding schedule. I can honestly say that we never waited more than one business day for his response, and in most cases it was within the same business day.
Don’t settle for anything but the best. Call Wayne first thing and lock in your slot. I promise you, you will not be disappointed. You will be thrilled. We challenged Wayne with our request, and he responded beyond our expectations."

Perspectives on Design

Visbeen Associates has been featured in the book Perspectives on Design Great Lakes, published by Panache Partners. In addition to the feature, our project Sinclaire made the back cover! This is our third publication with Panache Partners and we are very happy to be included in this group of leading design professionals across the region. Please click here to view the full feature on our website.








Clareville Residence

We certainly were honored when the homeowners of the Clareville residence (built by Jeff Segard with interiors by Julie Holmes) had these kind words to share:

We had a great experience working with Wayne and the entire crew at Visbeen Associates. We had a very narrow lot to work with, so when we decided to tear down our small existing cottage and build a new lake home, we knew we needed professional help to make the most of our space. In our initial meeting, Wayne listened carefully to what we were trying to accomplish, and started drawing out ideas even as we spoke. At the end of a very interactive three hour session, we had an initial floor plan concept and renderings of both the front and back elevations. It was really exciting as we literally watched our vision becoming a reality right before our eyes.

With Wayne’s original drawings in hand, the team at Visbeen took it to the next level; creating the detailed drawings and engineering specifications needed to actually build our home. Once we had agreement on the floor plans and exterior elevations, we went back to Visbeen Associates with our builder for several sessions where we worked out the particulars of the interior architecture. Those sessions were also very interactive and Wayne’s drawings were extremely helpful to us, our builder and our interior designer. They helped us visualize what the interior spaces could end up looking like, and begin to see how we would actually live in the space.

I would highly recommend Visbeen Associates to anyone, and, in fact, I already have. We had an altogether wonderful experience working with Wayne and his team, and we couldn’t be happier with the end product. We simply love our new home. It’s everything we dared to hope it might be.





Living Down Under

Two of our homes, Whispering Sands and Stafford,
are featured projects in this article deeming
the lower level as great living space!



Jade Manuel Antonio

The Jade Manuel Antonio is a luxury resort and beach home development. The original design was drawn by Wayne on a trip down to Costa Rica last year. Since then, the plans have been developed into a virtual tour, for your viewing pleasure.

Wilcox Gardens: Chapter Four



We want YOU!

You've seen my blog postings featuring Wilcox Gardens and you've read Grand Rapids Magazine's editorial promoting Wilcox Gardens, now see the MLS listing here! Contact me if you're interested in seizing this fabulous opportunity to design & build on the last remaining undeveloped land in East Grand Rapids!



Cakes for Hospice of Michigan

Last week, one of Visbeen Associates' clients was host to an awareness event for Hospice of Michigan.

In mid-September, Duff Goldman of The Food Network will be in Grand Rapids to help celebrate the 30th birthday of Hospice. Goldman will be holding a book signing at Schuler Books downtown on the 14th, with all proceeds going to Hospice of Michgan's Open Access Program. On the 15th, Goldman will be speaking at DeVos Performance Hall, as well as unveiling a cake he is preparing in celebration of the anniversary.

In order to spread the word about this upcoming opportunity, Hospice organized a "Cake Party" and invited supporters to come enjoy themselves while touring a beautiful home full of creative pastries. "Old Woods Manor" was the chosen venue for eight fabulous cakes made by local chefs. Each cake was designed to match a room of the house.

Also featured was a dessert-making and decorating demonstration by the head pastry chef from the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in downtown Grand Rapids. The chef and his assistant wowed spectators with chocolate-covered strawberries, cheese cake, tiramisu and an exquisite layer cake. It is the hope of organizers that each attendee will invite 100 people to the Duff Goldman event in a couple of weeks. For more information or to get involved, visit Hospice of Michigan's Events Page.








Wilcox Gardens: Chapter Three




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