Ackerman-Estvold’s residential market is a growing field for the design and civil engineering firm

By Andrew Weeks

MINOT, N.D. • A popular commercial architecture and design firm branched into the residential market this past year and is finding success in that segment of the industry.

Ackerman-Estvold kept getting inquiries about residential work but because the company didn’t specialize in that area it had to turn projects away, referring them to other companies.

“We got tired of turning projects away,” said Paul Breiner, senior architect at the firm. He and colleagues Jessica Egge and Kimberly Keller, both project designers, were the brainchildren behind the effort.

So far it has been paying off.

The company has completed a number of residential properties in North Dakota, mostly within a two-hour drive of Minot, but Breiner said the company hopes to branch out farther with residential work as demand grows. If things keep trending the way it did in 2020, that might not be too long of a wait.

Breiner has an idea why the residential market has taken off the way it has during the pandemic, when for many people household budgets were tighter. He believes part of the reason is because more people are now working remotely, and they want their homespace setup for that kind of work. They want the amenities, extra rooms or designated private space, to make the environment more conducive to remote work.

Egge, one of the project designers, said some of the things trending now is that people are asking for more smart technology in their homes, as well as space to meet their obligations, whether that be a home office for remote work or a learning room designated for children who are being home-schooled.

Those trends likely will continue in the new year and into the foreseeable future.

Egge also said people are seeking more contemporary colors and basic designs, not homes that are flashy or pretentious. They want functionality and eye appeal without being pretentious. Black and white are popular colors for homes, she said.