by Darcie Duranceau | photos by Adam Grubb Media and Caitlin Sullivan
How Artisan Members Are Shaping This Year’s Home-A-Rama
Home-A-Rama is the premier showcase for Central Indiana’s design and construction community, but the true magic lies not in the final product alone, but in the partnerships that bring these homes together. The stunning show homes are a testament to what happens when a curated group of local artisans sets a single, elevated standard for craftsmanship and innovation. This collaboration is what makes the event an unforgettable experience for visitors and a vital proving ground for the industry.
The event’s power, as noted by Kathleen Cannon of Mont Surfaces, is that it provides an “amazing opportunity for builders in central Indiana to showcase their talents and share design trends with the community.” Sarah Zook of Drapery Street echoes this, calling the event a “living showcase” that strengthens the region’s reputation for quality, offering “exposure, education, and inspiration.” Beyond aesthetics, the event offers a direct boost to the local economy, as Tom Lazzara, President of Custom Living, notes, by boosting traffic to “restaurants, hotels, and other surrounding businesses.”
STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY: THE UNSEEN FOUNDATION
Behind every seamless finish is a foundation of rigorous engineering and discipline. Custom Living approached their Home-A-Rama home with the same expertise honed through high-end custom and historic projects. Tom Lazzara highlights the firm’s meticulous planning, explaining the time spent with structural engineers to ensure a “solid, uniform walking experience” throughout the home. This early collaboration also allowed the team to coordinate lighting placement before finalizing other utilities, strategically eliminating visible bulkheads and soffits to achieve clean, uninterrupted architecture.
This foundational integrity required deep partnership with specialty trades. Mackenzie Thorne of Custom Concrete emphasizes a major, unique challenge: “Finding a solution to build a courtyard in the middle of a basement, open to the elements, while also providing the necessary waterproofing for the foundation was imperative in the aaNovo show home.” The depth of this planning set the stage for the home’s long-term performance. Ryan Lee of McComb Pella noted their structural expertise was called upon to work directly with the steel company to meet the specific design pressures of the home. This willingness to “think outside the box” demonstrated an immediate commitment to the structural success of Custom Living’s vision.
THE INTERIOR & SURFACE: THE TOUCHPOINTS OF QUALITY
Jeremy Konechne notes Ferguson Home’s commitment to featuring the “most innovative product launched” every year, whether it’s Gaggenau appliances or cutting-edge lighting, ensuring the home showcases the latest in functional design. Cory Kroger of Stone Artisans anchored the AR Homes’ main living space with a technically demanding feature: a fireplace built from large-format porcelain slabs extending 18 feet high. The project required complex precision, using a “precision miter-cut and stepped back” technique to create an elegant architectural statement. This craftsmanship was matched by Mont Surfaces, who provided unique, durable natural stone and engineered quartz for the countertops in the Custom Living show home.
The final layer of detail came from Manny Navarrete of Priority Painting & Finishes, who handled the full interior and exterior paint and wallpaper installation in Custom Living’s show home. Navarrete emphasized the “seamless, single-piece look” achieved on the paneled woodwork by using expert spraying techniques and precise prep. This commitment to technical finesse extended to ACo, who acted as a trusted flooring vendor, showcasing the quality of their foundational installation work throughout the house.
THE LIFESTYLE & SYSTEMS: THE INTELLIGENT HOME
The home’s true “wow factor” and future-proofing ability come from the integration of technology, comfort, and lifestyle features. Ryan Geltz of Pro Security & Automation contributed a fully customized luxury golf simulator room, a signature offering that blends advanced technology with tailored fabrics and acoustic balance to look like a private, high-end club.
Equally focused on nonobtrusive technology, Jose Saavedra of Bravas highlights the invisible innovation throughout the home: “Mirror TVs and invisible speakers” throughout the main level, and an automation platform that controls complex lighting schemes from a single, elegant keypad. Saavedra notes that the success of these systems relies heavily on coordinating with other trades, such as the electricians and drywallers.
The exterior innovations are just as dynamic. Cecilia Heard of TRESSS® introduced the Midwest’s first-of-its-kind Smart Plunge Pool with a Moving Pool Floor. This feature offers safety and space saving design, as the pool surface becomes a patio when closed. Similarly, Claudio Bertolini of The Smart Pergola contributed its motorized, low-maintenance, powder coated extruded aluminum system, blending technology into the architecture to maximize comfortable outdoor living. Finally, Drapery Street, in collaboration with McComb Pella, brought innovation to light control with Smart Film on shower windows, allowing the glass to shift instantly from transparent to opaque for on-demand privacy—a feature that preserves the home’s open architecture.
COLLABORATION: THE CENTRAL INDIANA WAY
The result of this expansive collaboration is a home show that inspires homeowners to dream bigger. Tom Lazzara of Custom Living expressed pride in every partner, noting that the ability of the teams to overcome hurdles and meet tight timelines elevates the entire industry. The commitment to excellence went beyond structural finishes and into essential logistics. James Coppola of The Porta Palace embodies this commitment, stating that the event shows it truly “takes a village” of first-class builders and subcontractors to construct the homes—a statement backed by his firm providing crucial, high-quality amenities for the thousands of guests and workers on the job site. This fundamental support, alongside the creative talent, is what enables the high-level showcase to succeed. As Pro Security’s Ryan Geltz states, this collaboration is a “living example of how craftsmanship, innovation, and teamwork elevate the entire industry.”
Home-A-Rama is an inspiration and motivator that encourages creative thinking among colleagues, making the entire industry better as a whole. This celebration of local collaboration culminates in an event for the whole of the Central Indiana community to enjoy, raising the bar for what homeowners can expect and what builders can achieve.
