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Gina founded FRIENDS in 1998 to support adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and nearly three decades later, demand for her programming has outgrown the walls around it. Bunn & Sons partnered with her team to convert unused basement square footage into a vibrant programming space and add new offices upstairs for a growing staff.
"Bunn and Sons Custom Builders did an incredible job transforming the basement at FRIENDS into beautiful, functional program space for our Friends. From start to finish, their team was professional, communicative, and truly invested in getting every detail right. They took the time to understand our needs and delivered a space that is welcoming, safe, and perfectly suited for our programming. The impact of this renovation will be felt every single day by the individuals we serve. We are so grateful for their partnership and highly recommend them to anyone looking for quality craftsmanship and a team you can trust."
Outgrown Square Footage: Steady growth in day programming participants meant the existing 2013 building could no longer comfortably hold everyone it served.
Underused Basement: A large portion of the basement sat unfinished, waiting for the right plan to turn it into usable, code-compliant programming space.
Cramped Offices Upstairs: As the staff expanded, several department heads were working without dedicated, functional offices of their own.
Commercial Code Complexity: Because the building serves a high occupancy of participants and staff, even a “basic” finish required careful coordination with city permitting and trade partners.
Our team coordinated architects, trade partners, and city permitting officials to land on a design that was budget-conscious, code-compliant, and genuinely useful for the people who would spend their days inside it. Every decision was filtered through what FRIENDS needed today, leaving budget room for the bigger plans still ahead, and the full build meets the tighter requirements that come with a commercial space serving a large number of participants and staff.
The new lower level gives participants a dedicated zone for arcade games and friendly competition that simply didn't exist before.
Custom built-in cabinetry, a beverage fridge, and a wall-mounted TV turn one corner into a true hangout spot for snacks, movies, and game days.
A flexible open floor area gives participants room to move, stretch, and celebrate together as a group.
A bar stool and dining table setup pulls everyone together for the activities that make FRIENDS feel like, well, friends.
Additional office space gives several department heads a more functional place to lead from.
A dedicated lounge area means program leaders can hand someone a microphone whenever the moment calls for it.
The finished basement flexes for activities throughout the day instead of being locked into a single purpose.
The full build meets the more stringent requirements for a building serving a large number of participants and staff.
The finished basement now hums with arcade sounds, karaoke verses, and the easy chatter of a group enjoying the space. Upstairs, a growing leadership team has the workspace to keep building on Gina’s vision at FRIENDS, while the organization continues planning for bigger and better things ahead.
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