White Stone Community Church understands patience and commitment to a vision. While the congregation invested in remodeling projects to address evolving needs over the years, they continued to raise support and funding for a larger expansion project. The intent was to create a fully integrated worship and gathering space to deepen the connections between members of their faith community.

The project presented numerous construction challenges, including a flat site with significant parking requirements, stormwater demands, and a tremendous amount of poor soil. In addition, the project required material and structural transitions between differing building types, ranging from a 1800s barn and 1980s CMU and brick structure to the new precast expansion. Moreover, the Ford team needed to address meshing the buildings together while maintaining church operations. This process required thoughtful phasing to navigate complicated life safety issues, such as providing a temporary set of stairs to support occupancy permits. Phase I of the project focused on the 25,000-sq.-ft. addition, and Phase II addressed a 14,200-sq.-ft. two-story renovation. In the spirit of community and as a means to lower project costs, church volunteers contributed labor. Under Ford’s guidance, the dedicated members helped with interior demolition, carpentry, and installing the wood floor.

The new expansion provides a welcoming entry and gathering space that unifies the congregation with areas to meet, talk, and pray. From the inviting café and enhanced worship space to a commercial kitchen to support outreach, the expansion enriches the community experience for members of White Stone Community Church.

LifeStriders, a non-profit organization focused on providing integrative and nature-based therapies to those with physical, emotional, and cognitive special needs, sought a partner to support important capital improvement projects. Since 2022, Ford has worked with the organization to construct a new multi-use hay barn while planning for an office facelift and expansion, and discussing future additions to the property.

For people who like to build, invent, tinker and learn new skills, Milwaukee Makerspace is an environment with all the equipment needed to make things 24/7. From electronics and woodworking to metal work, art, sewing and more, this is a place to tackle that project you have always wanted to—without having to buy all of the tools yourself. The concept has been so successful that the group is expanding by opening a second location.

White Stone is a liturgical community in the midst of growth. While they have plans for a major expansion in the future, a church interior remodel is necessary to address immediate needs while additional funds are raised for the more comprehensive project. Ford has played a key role in developing the plan for the interim remodel and recommending a phased schedule for the renovations with minimal disruption to the congregation.

As the congregation of North Avenue Baptist Church grew, it needed its space to grow with it. The Ford team collaborated with the building committee to create a church construction plan to add Sunday school classrooms and remodel the Fellowship Hall while working around the existing utilities. And they did so without interruptions to daily operations.

Retreats offer a great opportunity for spiritual growth and time to reconnect with yourself and others. The right accommodations provide a sense of comfort for self-reflection and space to encourage camaraderie and community building. In the case of Pallottine Fathers and Brothers, a 2,000-sq.ft. kitchen addition and remodel provided the extra room needed to enhance storage areas and improve the kitchen and dining facilities—enhancements that support the success of the retreat experience. The project required expert knowledge and craftsmanship to connect the foundation of an existing 1930’s building with a new foundation and seamlessly blend the exterior finishes. The Ford team was able to develop a schedule to align with the needs of the busy retreat center calendar in order to successfully complete the challenging project with minimal disruptions to daily activities.

Every construction project, no matter the size and scale, deserves attention to detail, effective communication and strict adherence to schedule. The City of Waukesha hired Ford to construct a new 200-foot concrete retaining wall along the third base line at Frame Park. The project features a ten-foot wide sidewalk adjacent to the parking lot which provides an elevated viewing area. To add depth and visual interest to the retaining wall, baseball bat and ball motifs were cast into the concrete structure.

As the city’s largest park, the Frame Park baseball diamond and surrounding areas are continuously rented and used by various community groups. Noise control and maintaining a strict project schedule were critical in order to minimize disruptions to the daily park activities. Despite the park schedule, intense summer heat and the challenge of poor soil conditions and high water levels, Ford completed this park enhancement ahead of schedule with minimal disruptions to the park users. The result is a refreshed baseball diamond area that can be enjoyed by the entire community.