Portfolio Archive - Berneche2 Architecture

Spring Brook Marina Outdoor Pool

Timothy Berneche — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 10:09:32 +0000

This was an unfortunate situation where the facility owner had a concrete company construct an in-ground fiberglass pool. While local permits were apparently procured, one was not pursued with IDPH (Illinois Department of Public Health), who would had rejected the permit as fiberglass pools are not allowed for commercial application. This is because the fiberglass shell cannot provide satisfactory slip resistance. An IDPH inspector found the violation three years after it was constructed and was forced to shut down.

We were hired to develop a code compliant replacement. We also had to upgrade the equipment room and Bathing facilities to comply with the Illinois Swimming Facility Code. The owner had hired a different pool company to do the construction who unfortunately did part of the work and ran off, ripping off this client who was now burned by a second pool company. A THIRD company, Sunrise Pool Builders, was brought in and did outstanding work to finish the job.

Work to the existing pool building included proper air intake for the pool heater, correcting the bathing facility floors for proper slope and slop resistance, and adding deck drains for proper drainage.

The pool was out of commission for roughly a year but ready at the end of Summer 2024. We were also subpoenaed to serve as an expert witness on issues for the Illinois Swimming Facility Code in the owner’s lawsuit against the initial company who installed the fiberglass pool.

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McDowell Point Apartments Outdoor Pool and Spa

Timothy Berneche — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 09:37:56 +0000

We detailed the pool aquatics and engineering for this outdoor pool and spa in an apartment courtyard. The equipment room is located in the parking garage level below which created challenges with pool and spa autofill devices. This was one of our longer pool projects as there were lots of personnel changes on the construction management team, common in the post pandemic era. Courtyard and landscaping design were by others.

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Addition Connects a House and Garage to create a Family Duplex

Timothy Berneche — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 04:53:13 +0000

Owners of a local construction company approached us to design essentially a large duplex along the east side of a small local lake, the town’s prominent feature. We connected an existing house and a freestanding garage with several additions. The former garage became a laundry and mudroom with an addition featuring a common shared family and dining room. The Parents Wing was added to the north of the former garage as a two-story addition with a garage and bedrooms above. All spaces were designed to capitalize on lake views.

Another important design feature was to address the differing floor levels between the two structures, requiring careful placement of the stairs to work with the spaces and not against the intended flow.

We designed all roofs to be sloped so they could all be shingle type, which we also designed to have vaulted ceiling spaces. The owner elected to keep the connecting addition roof a low-slope flat roof to simplify construction.

In the 3d images you can see the existing structures as the masses with the roofs which are not green.

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Basement Remodel and Kitchen Window Removal

Timothy Berneche — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 04:14:41 +0000

We worked with a family to convert their basement into attractive family room space including a rec room and a new bathroom. The additional plumbing created the need to upsize the incoming water service. The finished basement areas created usable and attractive new spaces.

Another part of the project was the removal of a window over the kitchen range to replace it with a tiled wall. While the natural light and view the window provide was nice, the greasy glass surfaces from frequent frying meals created a maintenance nightmare.

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First United Church of Winamac Indiana Kitchen Rehabilitation

Timothy Berneche — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 03:57:26 +0000

We have a long and wonderful working relationship with David and Wanda Zahrt who owned a trucking business out of this small town in Northern Indiana. Twenty-Two years earlier we did a roofing feasibility study for this church and we were invited back to rehabilitate their basement kitchen.

We ran into several issues needing upgrades to comply with modern codes. The biggest challenge was getting a proper exhaust hood to serve the facility. These are usually placed on the roof but since this was a basement kitchen with rooms above and a sloped roof we have to find an alternative. We had to develop a mechanical courtyard adjacent to the church’s front entrance and screen the equipment to not distract from the entrance aesthetics. Another challenge was selecting and engineering equipment to stay within the available electric service supplied. A couple of high wattage coffee pots were pushing us close but some reworking of circuits kept us comfortably within code. We worked with the church committee to select finishes and materials.

In our past we worked with a school architecture firm where we developed a relationship with a food service consultant, who we brought on the project to assist. We brought on an mech/elec engineer to assist with those building systems.

The result was a modern kitchen well suited for events from church potlucks to fully prepared meals.

Vorndran and Associates of Fort Wayne, Indiana served as the food service consultant.

Yagla Engineering of Geneva, Illinois provided Plumbing, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering Services.

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Daikin Comfort Distribution Center Portage Indiana

Timothy Berneche — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 03:23:57 +0000

We worked with Hasse Construction and the Daikin project management team to successfully provide Daikin with a new Midwestern distribution center. Our responsibilities included working with the client on space planning, documenting the building and electrical systems, and construction observation. The new facility will allow Daikin to meet the growing demand for split system type HVAC units.

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Stonebridge Country Club Cabana Addition and Wading Pool Beach Entrance

Timothy Berneche — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 11:05:59 +0000

North Shore Pool and Spa hired us to modify an existing Wading Pool to have a beach entrance, allowing wheelchair and other abled users to now access this pool. The club’s main pool also needed new lights, replastering, and new tile lane markers.

Stonebridge had another architect initially design them a cabana addition to their existing Cantina Kitchen building, but with the number of permit comments that came back we were hired to address those and to completely detail the structure. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) saw enough development in the food service operation to require a fence to separate the dining area from the pool deck. The roof originally had four skylights but it was decided to eliminate these to keep out the summer sun.

The wading pool also has side jets making it more attractive and playful. The adjacent cabana provides a place to enjoy the short Midwest Summers out of the heat and within view of the pools and their activities.

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555 Cornelia Pool and Sundeck Rehabilitation

Timothy Berneche — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 03:32:30 +0000

The condo association approached us to rehabilitate their existing rooftop pool deck. It had a diving end which we raised with EPS foam blocks to create a three to five-foot deep pool. Perimeter gutters were removed and replaced with skimmers for a cleaner pool edge. With concern for leaks in the parking garage below, the owner selected a vinyl liner system. The DTE (Diatomaceous) filters were replaced with sand filters and all equipment was replaced. Berneche2 also coordinated the mechanical and electrical consultant for the deck architect’s Sundeck project.

Berneche2 Architecture provided construction administration services.

Pool Contractor: Maverick Pools

General Contractor: LS Contracting

Sundeck Architect: KGH Architects and Engineers

Plumbing and Electrical Engineering: Yagla Engineering Services

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Master Bedroom Renovation and Addition over a Screened Porch

Timothy Berneche — Sat, 25 May 2024 12:26:00 +0000

The client had us modify a screened porch to accommodate an addition above, and maintain six feet of roof deck. We had to structurally modify the screened porch by adding larger pier foundations and beams to accommodate the new structural loads. We worked with a structural engineer to help us address the thrusts created by cathedral framing over the exterior porch. A corner window visible in Image 5 required creative cantilevered double header framing to address.

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