When Dustin and Amanda Tripp first started talking about their plans to build a preschool in Knightdale, N.C., they knew they wanted a design-build company that could handle the project from start to finish. Knightdale Station Preschool was their first project, and they didn’t know what to expect. The couple soon reached out to Bobbitt Design Build because of its well-known reputation for daycare facility design and construction.

“Bobbitt has a great name in the community,” said owner Dustin Tripp. “We felt really comfortable when we met with the estimators, and they were very understanding of our needs. That’s who we were looking for – someone who made us comfortable and was looking out for our interests – and that’s what we got.”

Dustin and Amanda requested the Bobbitt team incorporate a train station-like design into their facility, while also keeping the style of its surrounding Preston Development subdivision. Jeff Ford, a Bobbitt A&E architect, designed one of the initial designs that later became their 11,500-square-foot dream. The owners and some Knightdale officials were blown away by the ease of the design-build process.

“The Town of Knightdale’s development services staff, which are the people that do the plans and permitting review, commented on how professional Bobbitt was. They said they wish that every project that came through was a Bobbitt project because they made it so smooth and easy for them. For us, it was amazing, and it just was nice that we went from concept to reality that smoothly and easily.”

Knightdale Station Preschool, located at 710 Lightrail Drive, features old elements of a train station but with a modern twist. The façade is a combination of brick and hardy board with white brackets all around the building. The lobby displays a luxury vinyl tile that resembles a ticket booth area, and multiple rooms are designed for specific age groups. The building also includes a kitchen, multipurpose room, nursing room, staff lounge and playground.