A build-design duo in the Iowa Great Lakes area, Mike and Susan Hoien, have created an ubiquitous brand with a huge presence in the region.
No two homes built by Hoien Const. Services, LLC are remotely the same, as they rely on inspiration from their homeowners, showcasing their personalities, interests and how they intend to use the home.
“A home takes on a personality of its own, showcasing the family or individuals,” Susan Hoien said. “We build relationships and really get to know a homeowner as we go through the building process. The end product is a composition – a direct reflection of them. We want to build a house that they love and is so innately their own.”
A new build-design project Hoien Const. Services, LLC recently finished was a guesthouse for clients to use as “overflow” accommodations when they have a large group of guests or family visiting. Being the builder of the complete remodel of the main house the year before, they knew the style the clients wanted to carry over into the guesthouse and bunkroom.
“Families want to share their history and memories of Okoboji with their kids and all of them want to visit during the summer months. This creates a need for additional sleeping and living quarters,” Susan said.
In the past, a utilitarian approach to this need would be a large room or sleeping porch filled with a hodge-podge of miss-matched rows of beds and furniture. There is now a demand to update these spaces used for guest sleeping quarters.
“This is why we wanted to create a functional and creative space that could be enjoyed by guests, while keeping with the style of the main house.” Susan said. “We chose fun nautical elements, back lighting, shapes and forms, as well as materials and textiles which play off one another, creating synergy.”
This particular guest area sleeps eight comfortably, has a laundry room, full bath, and a kitchenette. There is a place for a large group to watch games or movies and has room darkening blinds, as well as a comfy custom-made couch which spans the length of the room. Susan added colored option backlighting to a wood wall hanging, creating a fun element for the kids to use while watching a movie or relaxing.
Creation of Hoien Const. Services, LLC
Mike started dabbling in carpentry in the 1970’s, as a dock builder and later a home builder. At the same time, Susan spent the summers as a child at Lake Okoboji with her family, who owned properties on West Lake. Throughout the years, the two developed their skills individually. Years later, Susan relocated to Okoboji from CA and worked with Mike together, collaborating on several projects in the area. Eventually, the two joined forces in 2007, forming their own corporation Hoien Const. Services, LLC and also joined together in marriage.
As a new “brand,” the couple’s goal was to create unique, original, functional, and timeless spaces that included top-notch craftsmanship. They spend an insane amount of attention towards details, while seamlessly incorporating technology.
A build-design duo in the Iowa Great Lakes area, Mike and Susan Hoien, have created an ubiquitous brand with a huge presence in the region.
No two homes built by Hoien Const. Services, LLC are remotely the same, as they rely on inspiration from their homeowners, showcasing their personalities, interests and how they intend to use the home.
“A home takes on a personality of its own, showcasing the family or individuals,” Susan Hoien said. “We build relationships and really get to know a homeowner as we go through the building process. The end product is a composition – a direct reflection of them. We want to build a house that they love and is so innately their own.”
A new build-design project Hoien Const. Services, LLC recently finished was a guesthouse for clients to use as “overflow” accommodations when they have a large group of guests or family visiting. Being the builder of the complete remodel of the main house the year before, they knew the style the clients wanted to carry over into the guesthouse and bunkroom.
“Families want to share their history and memories of Okoboji with their kids and all of them want to visit during the summer months. This creates a need for additional sleeping and living quarters,” Susan said.
In the past, a utilitarian approach to this need would be a large room or sleeping porch filled with a hodge-podge of miss-matched rows of beds and furniture. There is now a demand to update these spaces used for guest sleeping quarters.
“This is why we wanted to create a functional and creative space that could be enjoyed by guests, while keeping with the style of the main house.” Susan said. “We chose fun nautical elements, back lighting, shapes and forms, as well as materials and textiles which play off one another, creating synergy.”
This particular guest area sleeps eight comfortably, has a laundry room, full bath, and a kitchenette. There is a place for a large group to watch games or movies and has room darkening blinds, as well as a comfy custom-made couch which spans the length of the room. Susan added colored option backlighting to a wood wall hanging, creating a fun element for the kids to use while watching a movie or relaxing.
Creation of Hoien Const. Services, LLC
Mike started dabbling in carpentry in the 1970’s, as a dock builder and later a home builder. At the same time, Susan spent the summers as a child at Lake Okoboji with her family, who owned properties on West Lake. Throughout the years, the two developed their skills individually. Years later, Susan relocated to Okoboji from CA and worked with Mike together, collaborating on several projects in the area. Eventually, the two joined forces in 2007, forming their own corporation Hoien Const. Services, LLC and also joined together in marriage.
As a new “brand,” the couple’s goal was to create unique, original, functional, and timeless spaces that included top-notch craftsmanship. They spend an insane amount of attention towards details, while seamlessly incorporating technology.
“We are a relevant business, now with a social media presence, coverage in national magazines and a reputation as one of the premier builders in the area,” Susan said.
Mike and Susan work together as a team. They put a great amount of their focus and consideration in working through the details. As a build-design firm, Susan has the opportunity to be able to incorporate design elements and unique building materials into a project at the blueprint stage, and with Mike’s considerable experience and talent, this allows them to do it cohesively.
“We have found that when we visit homes we’ve built five to ten years ago, we still enjoy them as much as the day we built them” Susan said. “Our desire is to build a home for our clients, which evokes an emotional connection for years to come.”
When the Hoien’s approach a new project, they see the whole space from the start. The team enjoys being part of the evolving project, as designs and choices become a reality. One of their favorite things to do is to determine and create the one area or find an object that will be the focal point, the piece people notice first.
“It’s where the juxtaposition of material and object come to life,” Susan said. “However, we couldn’t do what we do without our crew and the people we work with on a regular basis. The attitude within our company is all of us rely on each other and all of us working together are a greater effect than the individual parts are alone.”
Mike and Susan are also not reluctant to do whatever’s needed to get the job done right, including painting trim in the shop or helping out at a job site themselves.
“Sure, we run into bumps in the road but many times, the solutions or changes in the process end up being better designs in the end,” she said.
She went onto say, “Mike and I have a similar eye for things. We notice the same architectural elements, pieces of artwork and details of things when looking through a magazine, visiting a museum or traveling. We often think about how these things can be incorporated into projects we are working on.”
Susan has always been a wanderlust. Her travels to the far reaches of the globe, the people she meets, what she sees, touches and smells always seem to inspire her and find their way into her designs. The connections she has made on her travels has allowed her to bring home finds from worlds far away. These elements are not your typical items but unique pieces that grab people’s attention.
Recognition for Quality Custom Craftsmanship and Design
A number of homes Mike and Susan have built together have been featured in national magazines, including Art and Crafts Homes, Summas Casas and Metropolitan Home.
Currently, they are working on several projects, with one being a new house on a lot where The Inn used to be located.
No matter what, every Hoien project is going to be different.
To learn more about Mike and Susan, visit www.hoienconst.com or contact them at 712-336-4431. They always welcome new clients and love building relationships while crafting the perfect home – for YOU.