Architect Jeff Echols moved to Irvington from Chicago in 1995. He works on Massachusetts Avenue for HAUS Architecture and WERK Construction Managers and also owns his own home-based business, Renovation Resources. He and his wife Alicia live on East 9th Street with their 5-year-old son Collin and their 2-year-old daughter Madeline.

Why did you decide to move to Irvington?

My wife is from Indianapolis and Irvington was her parents' stomping grounds so to speak. Both of her parents went to Howe High School. Both of her grandmothers live within a few blocks of us. When we moved from Chicago to Indianapolis, I didn't know the first thing about Irvington, or any other neighborhood for that matter, so it was Alicia's suggestion that we look at homes around here.

Are you happy you moved here?

We're very happy here. Shortly after we became parents, we were faced with the reality that decisions about school weren't that far off and our house was getting more crowded. We decided that rather than move out to the suburbs somewhere, we would invest in our home and neighborhood and explore local school options. I'm very comfortable here. The scale and character of Irvington is very similar to much of what I was used to in the Chicago area and I would much rather be close to the city than out in the suburbs.

What do you like most and least about Irvington?

I like the scale, the diversity, the fact that we live in a friendly, walkable community with great parks and beautiful streets and the character, quality and uniqueness of the housing stock. The things that I like least are fairly typical and they're at least Indianapolis-wide if not society-wide issues. We need to do something about the crime. I don't like being a statistic and I don't like having my home photographed by a news crew doing a story on the 300 robberies in three months within a 1-mile radius (true story). We need to do something about the combined sewer problem. We have beautiful Pleasant Run that could be exponentially more beautiful if it didn't have raw sewage in it. We need to get a handle on property taxes. We still pay relatively small amounts of property taxes relative to other major cities, but doubling (or more) people's taxes in one fell swoop is an excellent example of fiscal and governmental irresponsibility.

What made you decide to become an architect and construction manager?

Both of my parents are from Southern, farming families so I grew up around wonderful examples of rural architecture as well as the stereotypical "Scarlett O'Hara" antebellum architecture. One set of grandparents lived in one of the oldest homes in their county. There's a refreshing honesty in agrarian architecture.

When my dad was transferred to Chicago, we moved to the land of Frank Lloyd Wright. My mom has always been an active and curious learner so, as a kid, we went on all of the Wright tours. At one point, I lived five blocks from Unity Temple in Oak Park. I suppose building is in my blood. I have five cousins, aunts and uncles who are or were engineers. Another two of my uncles have owned construction companies. Another uncle was a national officer in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and several more have also been in the industry in various roles. With the exception of a short stint in a sporting goods store and nights with UPS during college, every job I've ever held has been creative- or construction-related.

Tell me about your home-based business, Renovation Resources?

I describe the work that I do with Renovation Resources as being a renovation consultant. I provide hourly consulting for homeowners and potential home buyers who are contemplating or may be in the midst of a renovation project. I also write a blog (renovation-resources.blogspot.com) about renovating. I say that its purpose is to educate, inspire, inform and motivate homeowners wherever they are in the renovation process.

Whether the client's goals revolve around green building, being budget-minded, or having the latest-and-greatest, I help them reach a level of comfort by providing the product research and helping them weigh the pros-and-cons to each product that they consider. I can do any or all of these things, at the client's request, for an hourly rate of $95. I know some people will read this and think that's crazy, but if you can spend a few hundred dollars to find out that the house you're thinking of buying for $200,000 won't support the master suite you wanted to add on, it seems like a pretty good investment. Any projects that need true "architectural" services, I propose that the client works with me through HAUS Architecture.

Can you talk also about your involvement with IDO's Irvington Green Initiative and their Green Recognition Program?

I've begun working with the Irvington Green Initiative on the Green Recognition Program. I'm trying to help out there by bringing my experience with two of the major green or sustainability guideline programs (the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED and the National Association of Home Builders Green Home Building Guidelines) to the process of creating Irvington's own recognition program for homes, blocks, businesses, schools and congregations that put forth a concerted effort and are dedicated to being "green." The Green Recognition Program Committee is just beginning the process of rolling out the criteria for recognition. Like the national programs, the Irvington program will consist of a system that awards points for meeting certain criteria. The total number of points in a number of categories will score towards being recognized at one of three graduated levels.

Can you talk a little bit about your interest in designing and building green, and how you incorporate that into the projects you do?

Green, in this context, means a lot of different things. At the heart of it all though is the fact that if we design and build using common sense and proper strategy to maximize the efficient use of materials (especially meaning reducing the amount of waste), maximize the effective use of our natural environment (sunlight, shade, wind, water), invest in quality materials and efficient systems and properly maintain our physical environment, we can all enjoy, less expensive, less invasive, healthier lives. "Green" is not a new concept. It is a buzzword who's perpetuation has been made necessary by the development of thoughtless, placeless, commodity designing and building over the past 65 years. Many people are scared or put off by the use of the words "green" and "sustainability." I've written a couple of posts on my blog about this recently (see "Movement, Politics or Religion," "Do I Scare You?," "Green But Not New"). Green is not a cult, it shouldn't be about political views, it shouldn't be about marketing, although all of these things are inevitable in our culture today. Green is very much a return to our roots. It's the realization that a home built in Alaska should not be the same as a home built in Arizona. It's the acceptance of the fact that we are using up the resources of our planet faster than they can be replenished. The bottom line that people should understand is that through quality design and construction, we can enjoy more energy efficiency and healthier indoor and outdoor environments for ourselves and our families.

Do you have a favorite house in Irvington?

My favorite house in Irvington, though I don't know anything about it, is at 75 Audubon Road, across from Irvington United Methodist Church on the north circle. It is the one with the stone and shingles. I think that I like the mix of materials, the setting, the massing, the scale. It's a big home but it feels very connected to the site and the mix of materials breaks the massing down to a very comfortable scale. Sorry, that was a very "architect" reply.

Can you tell me about one of your favorite Irvington businesses?

Well, in the interest of full disclosure, [Indy Cycle Specialist owner] Scott Irons sponsors our cycling team, but I probably spend more money in his shop than any other business in the city. I'm also a big fan of Jockamo [Upper Crust Pizza]. I'm working my way down the menu. My objective is to try every pizza on the menu except for the Maui and the Luau. I don't do pineapple — I inherited that from my Dad — but Alicia likes those two. I think I have four more to try and I haven't found one that I dislike.

What do you think is the key to Irvington's positive development?

I think the keys are a strong, cohesive community effort. I think that the Irvington Development Organization is beginning to do a good job of promoting local businesses through publicity and securing grant money for renovation and redevelopment. I think that many of the efforts of IDO and IGI are extremely important and should be heavily publicized. I know that it's not just my own perception that Irvington and the East Side of Indianapolis get little respect and support from the news media and from government. In fact, I don't think that it's a stretch to say that there is a bias against the area. Anything that we can do to reach the tipping point where we have enough positive news coming from Irvington is going to help. We are still the most affordable community of our type this close to the city. Those of us that live here realize the value and benefits of Irvington, but helping others to this realization is important. The more investment there is in the quality of life, property values, local businesses and community in general, the better. I also think the development of the Pennsy Trail is important not only for the expansion of an already impressive greenways system but particularly for Irvington. When the Pennsy is opened, Irvington will be the key. If you're traveling from the east, Irvington will be a destination. If you're traveling towards the east, Irvington will be your starting point. Both ways, the visibility that it brings the community and the potential commerce that it brings area businesses will be important.

Can you tell me something about yourself that few readers will know?

I'm passionate about cycling. Although I haven't been doing it as much lately, I've commuted to work by bike for more than five years. Five years ago, a friend and I started a small, sponsored mountain biking team. This year, we've grown to five riders and we're sponsored by ICS in Irvington.