Indy’s premier house experience returns to the southside
By Jon Shoulders // photography by Angela Jackson
Southsiders have multiple reasons to be excited about this year’s First Internet Bank Home-A-Rama. The annual event will be held in person — no doubt a welcome development for those eager to experience distinctive homes firsthand after what the world has gone through in the past year and a half. Additionally, it will be held right here in Johnson County, in Bargersville’s Aberdeen neighborhood, a wellness and lifestyle community developed by Duke Homes.
“We met with Mike Duke from Duke Homes and heard about what they were putting together in Aberdeen and were really blown away by the concept of the community,” says Kristen Bowen, director of communication and special events for the Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis. “Home-A-Rama really provides something for everyone, whether you are looking for decorating ideas for your own home or you’re interested in doing some kind of a remodel. And then of course we’re bringing some of the best of the best builders to the table.”
Six unique homes in the Aberdeen neighborhood will be open for participants to view from Sept. 16 through Oct. 3, Thursdays through Sundays, and food and drinks will be available on-site. Can’t make Home-A-Rama in person? Fear not: The event will also be offered and archived virtually.
Read on for more information on participating builders, and additional details for the event can be found at bagi.com/home-a-rama.
Duke Homes
(317) 422-9000, dukehomes.com
Dena Marietta, marketing and events manager for Bargersville-based Duke Homes, says the company is excited to introduce the neighborhood to those unfamiliar with Aberdeen.
“Aberdeen is Indiana’s first wellness lifestyle community, providing more than just another planned housing development and creating a true neighborhood community where residents have the opportunity to interact with each other and their surroundings,” she says.
“At Aberdeen we have set aside 90 acres of dedicated common space with scattered green spaces, lakes, woods, trails and a working farm featuring a farm store, community garden, orchard and vineyard.” The community will also feature programmed activities, communal buildings, sports courts and other amenities, allowing residents to connect with each other, nature and their community.
Founded in 1986 by Mike Duke, Duke Homes handles custom builds, renovations, planning and architecture.
“Everything Duke Homes does is focused on our vision to impact the communities we live, work and build in, to such a degree that they be recognized as places where residents love their neighbors as themselves better than anywhere else in the Midwest,” Marietta says.
Rick Campbell Builder
(317) 752-5469 rickcampbellbuilder.com
Greenwood-based Rick Campbell Builder turns 20 this year, having undertaken residential and commercial custom builds and remodels for the past two decades, with what owner Rick Campbell calls a personal touch.
“It’s exciting to have so many people come through at Home-A-Rama to see what we’ve done, not only to see ideas, but hopefully build with me in those neighborhoods,” Campbell says. “For the 100% custom home we’re showing, we worked very closely with the homeowner, and it’s nice to show something that shows the actual homeowner’s ideas as well as our ideas, rather than a home filled with a lot of detail and gingerbread that doesn’t make the home feel like a home. I think there are a lot of people out there that appreciate that.”
Old Town Design Group
(317) 816-3151, oldtowndesigngroup.com
Old Town Design Group, a Carmel-based custom home builder, recently expanded its presence outside of Hamilton County. As such, the staff feels the timing is perfect for inclusion in this year’s Home-A-Rama.
“This year we branched into the southside market, into a development called Hillview right off of Hillview Country Club, and as we expand our footprint, we were excited to be invited and allowed to build in Aberdeen,” says Liz Yust, director of sales and marketing for Old Town Design Group. “Because of that, it’s extra exciting for us this year to be a part of the show and get people inside our homes.”
Yust adds that it’s the outdoor appeal of her company’s home design, as well as the interiors, that attendees will likely be drawn to.
“For what we’re featuring in this year’s show, I think the thing people are going to fall in love with the most is all of our intentional outdoor living space plans that we’ve included,” Yust says. “The home is absolutely going to be for entertainment, and in the backdrop and setting of Aberdeen, which is a gorgeous community. I’m really excited about the outdoor space we’ve created.”
Gollner Homes
(317) 432-7364, gollnerhomes.com
The team at Gollner Homes first participated in Home-A-Rama in 2018. Co-owner Teri Gollner says the home the company will feature this year strikes a balance between style and comfort.
“I would call our home for Home-A-Rama a stone farmhouse,” Gollner says. “We try to put a lot of character in our homes and make them family-friendly, comfortable and visually pleasing. There are a lot of spaces in our home to gather or to be alone, so it’s a cool floor plan.”
The company was founded in Kokomo by the father of Gollner’s husband, Mike, in 1962, and Mike was driving equipment by age 12. He took over Gollner Homes in 1996, started building homes on the north side of Indianapolis and eventually began connecting with clients on the south side of the city.
“The Aberdeen neighborhood is so nice, and we’d been hearing more and more about Bargersville, so that was a big part of what drew us,” Gollner says. “We are super-custom, and we’re not a big company. We can really work with our customers closely, unlike a lot of other builders. My husband is involved from the get-go and is always on-site and on the phone working through the process with the customer.”
Custom Homes by Cory
(317) 859-8309, customhomesbycory.com
Ben vonBergen, sales director for Custom Homes by Cory, says those who walk through the house his company constructed in the Aberdeen community will get to see a prime example of a custom design with an abundance of practicality.
“It really had everything to do with the function of the main level, and things like a large pantry and little touches like a laundry room with a laundry chute next to the master closet,” vonBergen says of the home. “For Home-A-Rama, it worked out really nicely because we had this customer who wanted to build in Aberdeen, and we generally like people to see our houses when we’re talking to them about building.”
He adds that a prime element of what Custom Homes by Cory offers is flexibility for each client.
“When we say custom, we really mean it,” vonBergen says. “We work in a lot of different situations on a different type of land, and one of our specialties is building on undeveloped land. When somebody comes to us with a design that is maybe a little different than what we’ve done before, that’s what we love. It’s exciting to showcase what we’ve done in Aberdeen. It’s going to be a great neighborhood for many years to come.”
