Twenty years ago, Collins Bruer and his wife began a photography business out of their Washington, IL home. Over the years they built a solid reputation as one of the best photographer pairs in the Central Illinois area. In 2003, after four more members of the family had joined the team, Collins saw the need for a larger studio and office. "Our business was growing fast and we realized that we needed a lot more space."

As photographers, the Bruer family has always had an eye for beauty. According to Collins, the Bruers wanted their place of business to represent the work they do - vissualy captivating and full of character. Their search led them to an old church building just one block east of the Washington Town Square. "We loved the building's character and natural light that came through the windows."

The Bruer's purchased the building in 2006 and immediately hired Eichelkraut Construction to begin renovations. Major updates included new front steps, new windows, new siding and a lot of interior remodeling.

While visual appearance was a main concern for the Bruer's, energy-efficiency ranked high on the list as well. "We wanted to make the structure as efficient to heat and cool as possible. Kent (Eichelkraut) helped steer us in the right direction in terms of products and systems that would contribute to an energy efficient building."

Wraptor Plus™ Reflective House Wrap was the house wrap chosen to serve as an air and moisture infiltration barrier behind the fiber-cement siding. The exterior walls of the building were repaired with OSB sheathing and then covered with Wraptor Plus™. Wraptor™ Flash was used to seal around windows, and Wraptor™ Tape was used to seal overlapping portions of the house wrap. Installers were impressed by the ability of Wraptor Plus™ to resist tearing and hold on to the sheathing during windy conditions.

Bruer Photography is expected to begin working in their new facility in mid June of 2007.