Together with our sister company, Kaplan Thompson Architects, we are proud to announce that the 2024 Jury of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has elevated Principal Jesse Thompson, FAIA, LEED AP, CPHC to its prestigious College of Fellows!

The world of architectural design is exciting, rewarding, and filled with creative people adept at finding solutions. So when we were approached by the team behind HGTV’s Celebrity IOU, we had a feeling that although we had no idea what to expect, we would be up for the challenge!

We are delighted to welcome Alex to the BrightBuilt Home team, where he will be bringing his expertise in client communications and account management to the Project Pilot role. As a way to get to know him better, and to introduce him to our BrightBuilt family, we thought we'd ask Alex some of our signature pointed questions.

...Just kidding. Her name is Parlin Meyer, and she's been part of the BrightBuilt squad since back when the origin story was still being written. Our office-everything-extraordinaire, Rachel, took a few minutes to sit down with Parlin for a fun and informal Q&A.

This particular home is a custom cape, not too dissimilar from our Drisko or Frenchboro designs, and full of hand-crafted interior finishwork and historically accurate details (for the era that it evokes, that is!). Paired with BrightBuilt Home's high-performance systems, this home is the perfect marriage of past and future.

For the past three years, we’ve taken a day out of our regular work schedule to show up at the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland build site in Scarborough, where eight of thirteen homes are part of the Habitat program. These homes are designated for people who have a need for safe, affordable housing and have applied to be a Habitat homeowner. Once approved, Habitat homeowners partner with the organization throughout the process by helping with the building process and enrolling in home ownership classes. For most people, it isn’t only about having a stable and secure structure to protect them, but also represents a step toward building generational wealth.

Foxbird gets it all on one floor with an open-plan living-dining-kitchen plus large walk-in pantry, mudroom entry, 3 large bedrooms including a master suite, plus a cozy office and same floor laundry. Indeed, empty-nesters and ranch-lovers gravitate toward this design that makes the best use of an efficient layout, and offers a substantial amount of added square footage for any family seeking to expand into a daylight or walkout basement, which is great ‘bang-for-your-buck” space that nearly doubles the size of the home.

With expansive views out to the gorgeous surroundings, the first floor features an open concept living-dining-kitchen, mudroom and powder room, and a cozy away room for quiet movie nights. Upstairs, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, and a laundry room make for both good living and good functionality. With the addition of a partially finished basement, there will be much to explore, and many ways to envision different options for a possible future version of your own BrightBuilt Home!

Every year, we mark our calendars for a few key events that we make the most of with our in-house creative genius(es). This year, Adrienne (always up to something) and Ben (our new volunteer-in-chief) led the charge to pull together the annual Halloween ridiculousness. Everyone of course was willing to oblige.

The cooler temperatures have arrived, so it seemed like the perfect time to have an entire house go up in a day. The photos above show a custom BrightBuilt Home that was just set this week in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

In 2005, Keith Collins, a visionary entrepreneur (that's him on the left, below) hired Kaplan Thompson Architects (and that's Phil Kaplan there on the right, below) to help assemble a team to design and build him a revolutionary, forward-thinking moonshot of a project disguised as a barn, on his property in Rockport, Maine. It was to have ambitious goals of environmental responsibility, adaptability over time, replicability, attainability, and education potential inside what had to be a beautiful, liveable, timeless structure that looked like it had always been there.

Have you been watching the latest developments on accessory dwelling units? You might be interested in an exciting new offering that we’re rolling out here at BrightBuilt Home. We are officially announcing our new In-Law Flat and Guesthouse, as a featured addition to our current zero energy homes portfolio. With this home, we aim to meet new demands for accessory housing, and help current homeowners expand their options for housing family members, creating rental income, and creating opportunities for aging in place.

This particular Cushing comprises of 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, an open concept living-dining-kitchen area bathed in sunlight all day long, a walk-in pantry, and a generous mudroom for a total of 2300 square feet of finished living area, plus a full basement, a spacious heated workshop, and generous 2 car garage!

Tucked into a wooded site, this variation on our popular Appledore design features a southerly orientation, a first-floor master suite, and a wide open floor plan perfect for entertaining.

If you've been wishing for some added living space, we're cooking up the perfect solution for you!

Located on a generous wooded lot, this Cumberland home has been built to our demanding performance criteria and designed with a rural lifestyle in mind.

Featuring cutting-edge design and energy-efficient construction, the Great Diamond is capable of producing as much energy as it will consume in one year, achieving Net Zero Energy status. Reminiscent of Maine’s iconic barns, the Great Diamond blends comfortable spaces with an efficient form.