Obtain several references from the builder. These references may be from other homeowners for whom they have built, educational facilities from which they have graduated, and/or professional organizations of which they might be a member. You may wish to contact laborers they’ve hired or subcontractors who have done work with them.

When arranging interview appointments, request that the builder–not a supervisor–tour you through at least two homes they have recently built: a completed home and one which is presently under construction. Homes which are complete should be occupied. This will give you an idea of what a typical finished home should look like. Try to ignore poor interior decorating when it occurs, which is not the builder’s fault.

If the builder states that they build homes far smaller or larger than your needs, they may find it difficult working with extremely different proportions. A word here about the size of home you dream of...and it may be just a dream. Visions of owning and living in a 40,000 square foot castle will probably not become a reality.

Phone each of the builders on your list. It will be rare that the builder answers, as most builders keep odd office hours due to the demands of their job. Log the date and time you phoned them. Note how long it takes them to return your call. This detail should alert you to the builder’s efficiency and availability.

The statement made most by discouraged custom homeowners is “If I’d only known this (or that), I would have done it differently!" LGA Studios is dedicated to educating our clients and helping them achieve reasonable expectations. The more facts you have, the easier the custom home process becomes.

As people get older, I think we all begin to reflect on our lives and wonder where the time has gone. This year at LGA Studios, we’re celebrating 40 years in business (and 41 years in marriage between Larry and me). As I look back, I can’t believe how quickly those years have passed, while at the same time I can’t forget all the hard work, perseverance, and ingenuity that has gone into maintaining a business for this long. In reflecting, I of course think about all the incredible homes and projects that kept us creatively challenged and pushed us forward, as well as the truly wonderful clients who shared their visions with us and entrusted LGA Studios with the remarkable task of designing their dream home.

Larry Gilland & Associates, Inc – doing business as LGA Studios – was established in 1982 in Colorado Springs, making this our 40th year in business as a custom home design firm! Where did the time go?! It’s not every day that a small business reaches such a milestone, and we owe it all to the incredible clients we’ve had the honor of working with over the years, as well as the peers and colleagues we’ve been privileged to collaborate with, and, of course, our dedicated team. Today, we wanted to take a look back at where we came from and highlight some of the steps that tell our story along the way.

In early June, we were thrilled to attend a groundbreaking ceremony with our fantastic clients and their builders – the awesome Solid Rock Custom Home team! The lot, nestled into the woods and hillside, is located in the stunning Stratton Pines neighborhood in the foothills of Cheyenne Mountain. The home will feature prominent trusses and stone for a Mountain Modern appearance, and will include fabulous outdoor living space.

Our office has been located on E. Las Animas Street for many years now, and we love being in this creative district of Colorado Springs, filled with new museums, restaurants, and art. Now, we have the city’s largest mural directly across from our parking lot, giving us even more beauty to fill our view!

A few weeks ago, the Colorado Chapter of the International Code Council held their 37th Annual Educational Institute – back in-person again! LGA Studios sent most of our team members up to Loveland, CO to attend courses for continuing education in matters related to code. We take these classes in order to keep ourselves sharp and up-to-date on current Colorado building codes. These conferences also provide an opportunity to learn new technologies and become better, more well-rounded designers.

The past couple years have led to a lot of adjustments and reevaluations about priorities in life and how we all choose to spend our time. With so many dramatic changes to everything, from how we travel and see friends and family to how and where we work over the course of the pandemic, most of us have been home a lot more than perhaps we had before. Our homes have had to become our offices, our theaters, our restaurants, and our hobby and play areas, and that’s led to a more thoughtful approach to home design.

Our weekly team meeting gives us a chance to track and update each other on every project our office is working on. This week, our meeting fell on Valentine’s Day, so we decided to dress it up by making it a tea-m meeting – complete with fancy tea and treats.

Happy Holidays from LGA Studios! We had an office potluck this week where everyone brought some fantastic goodies and holiday specialities to share. We always love spending time with our team and being able to celebrate and be grateful for one another and for what we get to do for a living.

Seeing a custom design we’ve created with our clients take shape on-site is one of the best parts of our job. This project—a six-bedroom custom residence in Kissing Camels—has been a privilege and a pleasure to work on, and our clients have generously granted us permission to share a few construction updates as it comes together!

Remodeling a home can be a daunting yet rewarding challenge for homeowners, and we were honored to be part of the process for this custom home remodel in the Sunset Mesa neighborhood of Colorado Springs! Our clients worked with Pregio Homes to turn a house that had good bones but was a bit dark and dated into a stunning light-filled home that shines with contemporary warmth and personal touches.

Building an eco friendly home can help you save energy, save money, and save the environment. A net zero home is capable of generating as much energy as it consumes. Here are some best practices to keep in mind when building your eco friendly home.

We love sharing a workspace with TDG Architecture—especially on days like this! As you can see, the members of LGA Studios and TDG Architecture got into the spooky spirit of Halloween with a little team-building costume contest.

There’s nothing we love more than seeing our clients moved in and enjoying their new home. Our team loved designing and working on this custom Modern Farmhouse that sits on twenty acres of land, and when our clients invited us out to their open house (and blackberry picking!), we were thrilled to see the final results!

The American Institute of Building Design (AIBD) Conference was hosted in Colorado Springs this year, and this summer’s theme was “Defining Your Architectural Style.” The AIBD always puts together a great conference and often includes local tours as well, and this year Larry Gilland was delighted to help put together a tour of some of the historic architecture of his hometown!