General Info

We want your experience with us to be a remarkable one. Our commitment to you: a well-planned project, continual communication, and an aesthetically beautiful outcome. We Julie Vogel Birdwell and Jill Mulder began New Prairie Construction Company in 1988. Both of us wanted to make a living in the Champaign Urbana area doing quality work with an emphasis on customer service. Our hands-on carpentry and construction experience with Working Women Construction was the foundation of our young company. We worked on a wide range of home improvement projects, often in older or historic buildings. In 1997, New Prairie was awarded the inspiring job of remodeling the Old Town Champaign residence known as the Wilbur Mansion. Suddenly we needed our first employees. Year by year we have continued to grow, and now a dozen skilled staff make up the company. As our company grew, so did our interests in conservation and preservation. We began to seek out historical renovation projects, including the Orpheum Theatre ( now the Orpheum Children's Science Museum ) in Champaign, and the McDowell House, an 1870s Victorian Italianate in east Illinois. We are keenly interested in sustainable and green construction methods, a passion that led us to build Urbana's first straw bale house and studio. Today, our work encompasses additions of all sizes, kitchen and bathroom remodels, porches and decks, and numerous specialty projects. We integrate technically advanced products with traditional materials and techniques. Continuing education keeps our crew on top of lead safety methods, best practices in remodeling, and green building innovations.