Movie Theater

This is the latest update to our movie theater room
addition. This room started out as a fishing garage and spent most of its life like that. When we took this room over we started by building the floor than followed by the drywall and trim work. The fiber optic lighting was the next step and was one of the coolest processes, which we have blogged previously about. This step took the longest and was way worth it in the long run. After the construction and the mess, Impressive Home theater came in and did what they do best…..audio and video. Impressive installed a 135 inch 3D projection screen TV, than we installed chairs that seat eight people. These chairs themselves are very neat, They have a blue LED lights under the chairs and they recline with the push of a button. The last thing that we did was install a blue LED rope light that’s surrounds the ceiling. All the time and hard work we put into this room paid off, it looks great and was a great project to be on.

BJA Custom Homes Begins Exciting Renovation

BJ Armstrong Custom Homes recently began renovating a historical Bloomington home. The home, built in 1900, is the childhood home to former Illinois Governor and presidential candidate, Adlai Stevenson II.

Of course, it has been quite some time since the Stevenson family has occupied the home. Through all these years, the home has started to show it's age. That is why the new homeowners came to us. They wanted to renovate (not remodel) a few rooms in the house while maintaining the historical integrity and character of the home.

This created a unique and exciting opportunity for us. One where the tiniest details make a world of difference. We collaborated with the homeowners and devised a plan that would suit them as well as the historic home. This plan included renovating the kitchen as well as the home's three bathrooms.

Here is a photo of the existing kitchen alongside a rendering I developed of what the kitchen will look like:


Part of the design plans included items the homeowners were able to salvage from local buildings: cabinets that will be revamped as the kitchen island and a marble sink that will be go in one of the bathrooms. Other items to be considered were repairing damaged plaster, refurbishing the existing trim moldings, even refinishing the 100 year old service bells in the kitchen, bringing them back to their original shine!

I must say that this has been a fun, exhilarating project for me to work on. I feel like we have risen to the occasion and can't wait to see the house once the renovation is complete! Look out for future blog posts with final pictures!

Happy Holidays!

We are grateful for the trust and support you have given us.
We are thankful for your business.
We look forward to the new year and the opportunities it will present.
We hope you can take some time to slow down and enjoy the holidays with family and friends.

From all of our families to yours, Merry Christmas and all the best in 2012!
-The team at BJ Armstrong Custom Homes

Holiday Decorating Contest

Made In America

Here is an interesting news story about homes built in the USA:



This story certainly got me thinking. My immediate thought was that we already do a fairly good job at this. However, I know that if I explored this further that I might be shocked by what I found.

This whole idea is very intriguing to us. The positive impact that this would have on our nation's economy is extremely appealing. Therefore, we at BJ Armstrong Custom Homes are going to do our part to strive to make our homes as American made as we can. So....are you in?

Thank You

Tis the season to give thanks, and at BJ Armstrong Custom Homes, we have plenty to be thankful for.

We would like to thank our past, current and future customers, our vendors, and our supporters. We are extremely blessed to have you in our lives and are grateful that you have allowed us to be part of yours.

We wish you and your families a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

The Theater Room

Here is the latest update on our theater room. When this project first started, the new theater room was transformed from a boat garage. It took many hours and hard work to make it look the way it is now. The fiber optic ceiling was a project within itself. We first had to start by drilling 300 tiny holes through the drywall for the fiber optic lights to go through. Next, it was time for the drywall. It was difficult for the drywall crew to mud, tape, and sand around the many small holes. The final step was painting the drywall. The paint crew had a lot of patience working around the fiber optic strands. The giant 135 inch projection 3D TV sets off the room.

Impressive Home Theater is responsible for all the audio and video in this theater room and sounds great with a really sharp picture. There were many projects to overcome in this room and was all worth it in the end.