Beach business right at home with idea of new design center

The Virginian-Pilot
Saturday Homes edition
By Sandra Pennecke, Correspondent
June 6, 2009

Drive by the new VB Homes Design Center on Laskin Road and you may think you’ve passed a house.

That’s how the company’s partners- Chris Ettel, Todd Savage, and Chancey Walker- designed it to be.

“It looks like a home rather than an office building. We purposely did that to showcase what we do: custom homes and renovations,” Ettel said.

The 4,000-square-foot center, on a half acre about a mile from the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, looks like a traditional two-story brick house and opened in December.

The previous design center was in a 2,000-square-foot renovated home on Pacific Avenue.

Not only do clients feel like they’re walking into someone’s home, but they can see and experience all of the latest trends in building and design. The upstairs houses offices for production crew and architects.

The center features interior and exterior elements such as working kitchen, den area with built-ins and a fireplace, cabinetry displays, plumbing fixtures, faucet, sinks, appliances, flooring, tiling, crown molding, coffered ceiling, bluestone patio, working shutters, Brazilian cherry hardwood decking and more.

“All of our trade partners participated to showcase and promote their work. It’s pretty unique in our business to have it all under one roof,” Ettel said of the one-stop experience.

The conference room features a wide-screen TV to project three-dimensional drawings and plans, allowing clients to better visualize their ideas.

“It’s just about bringing it to life rather than just seeing it on paper,” Ettel said.

For Ron and Carolyn Foresta that was key to having their dream home built at the North End by VB Homes.

“A lot of people don’t have a good imagination. It helps to see it in place,” said Ron Foresta, who signed the contract on Christmas Eve day. “They are completely customer-centric.”

Kevin O’Brien of Alanton contracted VB Homes for renovations to his kitchen, family room, and bathroom.

“They have everything in one place to guide you through the myriad of decisions you have to make. It saved us a lot of time and heart-ache,” he said.

The new design center incorporates environmentally friendly products: high-efficiency heating and cooling, energy-saving windows, cellulose insulation, fluorescent lighting, low-VOC paint, stone flooring and prefinished hardwood flooring.

AN open house today will include cooking demonstrations and seminars such as how to get started on kitchen and bath design and how to choose remodelers.