LGA STUDIOS BLOG
Designing a Dream ADU in Colorado Springs: Custom Design with Net-Zero Goals
Building a custom ADU in downtown Colorado Springs takes creativity, smart design, and sustainable solutions. See how LGA Studios helped clients bring their unique vision to life with a net-zero design featuring Faswall Blocks, a rooftop gazebo, and space for a baby grand piano. This project blends personal style with thoughtful energy efficiency — perfect for those seeking eco-friendly living solutions.
Breaking Ground: LGA Studios Ventures into Commercial Design with Farmers State Bank Branch
We’re delighted to share a project that’s been on our drafting table – the design of a new branch of Farmers State Bank, which will be breaking ground soon in Kiowa, Colorado! While residential projects will always be our bread and butter, designing a bank brought its own set of welcome challenges and opportunities. We approached this project with the same passion and attention to detail that define LGA Studios, and it’s been a fun one to collaborate on.
Designing Dreams: A Few Recent Examples of our Visualization Services in Action
Architecture is a visual language, and in order to fully express how our clients’ dreams start coming to life, we prioritize keeping ourselves up to date with the latest advances in drafting technology that can help us do just that. In addition to 3D rendered views that can better show scale and massing, we can also create 360-degree virtual flyaround tours for our clients.
Surveying the Green
A day out on the golf course is one of Larry’s favorite ways to unwind. Here, he describes how this relaxing pastime also helps hone critical skills he uses on the job too, such as surveying sites and thinking about home orientation.
How to Select a Home Builder, Part 5
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.
How to Select a Home Builder, Part 4
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.
How to Select a Home Builder, Part 3
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.
How to Select a Home Builder, Part 2
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.
How to Select a Home Builder, Part 1
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.
Groundbreaking in Stratton Pines
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.
Site Visit: Kissing Camels, Part 1
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!
Hillside Home: Building Site Progress
Stunning progress shots from a custom home we loved working on! What a view! Still, after all these years in business, it's a thrilling feeling to see our clients' visions come to life.
Finding Home Design Inspiration During Your Quarantine
We all need to be taking excellent care of our mental health right now, and one of the best ways we’ve found to unwind while stuck at home is to give our creativity some time to play throughout each day. Try letting yourself have a little white space on your daily schedule to explore new and fresh ideas that you may not have had time for otherwise and to get to know yourself a little better. In this post are two of our favorite methods that we use regularly to brainstorm custom home designs and that we invite you to try during this time of self-quarantining and social distancing!
What To Expect When Working With A Building Designer - Phase 5: Construction Documents
Our five-part blog series concludes today with this post about the construction document phase. This includes the blueprints and drawings that are created by your building designer for actual construction and permits, and can include more detailed computer generated models of your future home as well.
What To Expect When Working With A Building Designer - Phase 4: Design Development
Ready for a virtual walkthrough of your home? Or do you just want to see a clearer breakdown what all this is going to cost you to build? All of the nitty gritty details will start to come together in this phase.
Once you’ve reviewed your initial home concept, you’ll meet with your designer to discuss any changes you’d like to see. You may go through several rounds of adjustments, and as the design and the project evolve, these initial concepts/schematic designs are what will turn into your design development drawings.
What to Expect When Working With a Building Designer - Phase 3: Conceptual Drawings
Here’s where things get exciting! From the information you provided in the initial consultation, you’ll now start to see the first visual representation of what will be your home. After meeting with you to understand what you’re looking for, many designers will start by creating a bubble or block diagram of the potential home. Your designer will get to flex their training and creativity here, establishing spatial relationships, living zones, and considering site topography to take advantage of any views, slopes, or driveway preferences. This will also allow the designer to roughly formulate the square footage.
What to Expect When Working With A Building Designer - Phase 2: Initial Consultation
You’ve gathered your ideas, maybe you’ve purchased a site. Now it’s time to start turning that dream home of yours into a reality. Phase 2 is all about finding a building designer you can communicate with, one who understands your vision.
What to Expect When Working With A Building Designer - Phase 1: Gathering Ideas
The new year is a great time to set big goals and resolutions—like finding the right building designer to help you create your custom dream home. But this process can too often seem overwhelming when you don’t know what to expect. This week, we’re breaking down the five phases of taking a home from the spark of an idea in your head to a fully developed set of construction documents.
2018 AIBD ARDA Awards - Best Conceptual Design
LGA Studios was honored to receive an award for Best Conceptual Design at the American Institute of Building Design's Annual Meeting in Philadelphia last week! The American Residential Design Awards (ARDA) is the AIBD’s premier award program exhibiting design excellence in the residential building industry. It spotlights the most creative and innovative residential designers, builders, remodelers, architects, developers, land planners and interior designers in the nation and recognizes exceptional design.
LGA Studios Interview with Springs Magazine
LGA Studios was proud to be featured in the Spring issue of SPRINGS Magazine in an article by Cameron Moix all about current home style trends and how to make your space more inspired. We were also excited that the magazine chose to photograph a fabulous custom home LGA Studios designed in the Broadmoor Bluffs area to feature in the pages of the article, a stunning contemporary home that was a joy to design.