A Major Upgrade

On a whim, I attended the WEDCO (Williams County Economic Development Corporation) Annual Meeting in December.  I don't believe in accidents.  I sat with a group from the Montpelier and Bryan Chambers of Commerce and, without any planning, a contractor from Wauseon.  Scott Mirtes owns The H L Frass Company which is a MEP contractor specializing in geo-thermal systems.  He recently purchased a former auto dealership for use as an office and showroom.  We struck up a conversation and, the beginning of January, I started work on his renovation project.

Existing Showroom - Vintage 1960's

The goal is to update and expand the office facilities, upgrading the building to a contemporary home-base for a growing residential and commercial contractor, an attractive sales space and showroom to impress new customers, and a comfortable working environment for Scott's staff.  The new design breaks up some of the open-showroom to create more intimate reception and sales spaces.  The move also reduces the size of the showroom - HVAC equipment needs a much smaller footprint than cars.

Proposed Plan (shaded walls are new)

We just completed Schematic Design and have moved into bid/construction documents.  A critical element of the design phase included the use of Revit to generate interior views of the new space.  Since a major concern was the view when entering the front door, this digitally generated view was the most critical.  We didn't go so far as to add entourage (people, furniture, plants, etc.) but it was more than enough information for Scott to make a very educated decision.

Thanks to Ben Kannel for his help with field measuring.