(Dec. 10, 2015) For the first time, Barb and Rick Stack are opening the doors of their Design Resources home office during Berlin’s monthly 2nd Friday art stroll, Dec. 10.
Both have more than 30 years of architectural experience and both have been residents of Berlin for more than two decades.
Rick graduated from the University of Mexico with an environmental design degree and worked for several years in New Jersey, his home state, before continuing his studies in West Virginia, and eventually moving the Berlin.
He is a LEED-AP-certified green designer, which helps to create improvements that are more energy efficient (LEED is the acronym for the U.S. Green Building Council’s “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” rating systems.
Barb apprenticed with a design firm in Salisbury in 1983 and has experience behind a desk and in the field.
“At one point, I got a little frustrated and burned out in architecture and I actually went into construction as a project manager,” she said. “It gave me a real hands-on version of how that whole process works.”
The design firm opened in 2009. Since then, the company has done renovation and new construction design for a number of residential and commercial buildings in the area, including the Burley Inn Tavern, Pitt Stop Beer and Wine, Baked Dessert Café, Decatur Investment, Art in the Fields, and the Bayside Gazette.
On Friday, the Stacks will show their home on 6 Washington Street as an example of their work. The evening will include live music as well as food and drinks.
“We wanted to open up the home office to the public and past and future clients,” Barb said. “We’ve done a lot of renovation to this house – when we bought it 12 years ago it needed a lot work.”
She said the home, built in 1932, had virtually no insulation or weather-stripping when they purchased it. The back half of the house was eventually gutted and the couple said they did much of the renovations themselves.
“We’ve really made this house very energy-efficient for an 83-year-old house,” Barb said.
“We call this our practicum for being architects,” Rick said. “There are a lot of architects who don’t have a lot of practical knowledge. We’ve both worked in contracting previously, so we like to try to get our hands in and do the stuff as much as possible.”
Both said they hope the gesture of opening their home business starts a trend of moving 2nd Friday away from being exclusive to Main Street.
“We’ve been to the arts night many times and a lot of the participating businesses are galleries and shops,” Rick said. “Since we have the home office, we want to get people a little off Main Street and bring them here. It’s an introduction to our business and it lets people see something different.”
“At some point in time, I think Berlin can also start promoting the professionals in town,” Barb said. “We all need a dentist, and we’ve got accountants and lawyers and doctors and architects. It would be nice to get everybody involved. Absolutely the retail and the restaurants are wonderful, but a whole, sustainable community needs everything and we all need each other.”
Berlin’s 2nd Friday festivities will also feature more than a dozen art displays in shops throughout the downtown area, along with sales and specials in area restaurants from 5-8 p.m.
Both have more than 30 years of architectural experience and both have been residents of Berlin for more than two decades.
Rick graduated from the University of Mexico with an environmental design degree and worked for several years in New Jersey, his home state, before continuing his studies in West Virginia, and eventually moving the Berlin.
He is a LEED-AP-certified green designer, which helps to create improvements that are more energy efficient (LEED is the acronym for the U.S. Green Building Council’s “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” rating systems.
Barb apprenticed with a design firm in Salisbury in 1983 and has experience behind a desk and in the field.
“At one point, I got a little frustrated and burned out in architecture and I actually went into construction as a project manager,” she said. “It gave me a real hands-on version of how that whole process works.”
The design firm opened in 2009. Since then, the company has done renovation and new construction design for a number of residential and commercial buildings in the area, including the Burley Inn Tavern, Pitt Stop Beer and Wine, Baked Dessert Café, Decatur Investment, Art in the Fields, and the Bayside Gazette.
On Friday, the Stacks will show their home on 6 Washington Street as an example of their work. The evening will include live music as well as food and drinks.
“We wanted to open up the home office to the public and past and future clients,” Barb said. “We’ve done a lot of renovation to this house – when we bought it 12 years ago it needed a lot work.”
She said the home, built in 1932, had virtually no insulation or weather-stripping when they purchased it. The back half of the house was eventually gutted and the couple said they did much of the renovations themselves.
“We’ve really made this house very energy-efficient for an 83-year-old house,” Barb said.
“We call this our practicum for being architects,” Rick said. “There are a lot of architects who don’t have a lot of practical knowledge. We’ve both worked in contracting previously, so we like to try to get our hands in and do the stuff as much as possible.”
Both said they hope the gesture of opening their home business starts a trend of moving 2nd Friday away from being exclusive to Main Street.
“We’ve been to the arts night many times and a lot of the participating businesses are galleries and shops,” Rick said. “Since we have the home office, we want to get people a little off Main Street and bring them here. It’s an introduction to our business and it lets people see something different.”
“At some point in time, I think Berlin can also start promoting the professionals in town,” Barb said. “We all need a dentist, and we’ve got accountants and lawyers and doctors and architects. It would be nice to get everybody involved. Absolutely the retail and the restaurants are wonderful, but a whole, sustainable community needs everything and we all need each other.”
Berlin’s 2nd Friday festivities will also feature more than a dozen art displays in shops throughout the downtown area, along with sales and specials in area restaurants from 5-8 p.m.