The Pantone Color of the Year, Living Coral, is a bright color that energizes and brings warmth to a space. It is a rich color that builds on recent past colors such as Ultra Violet, Greenery, and Rose Quartz all drawing from nature. I think it ties nicely with our valley...

There are many cold weather problems in your home, or at least the typical home I see when doing energy audits. Comfort problems exist in almost every room. There are common issues in most homes that can easily be fixed. It just takes time to identify the places where you can...

There are many challenges as an architect I face when starting a new project. It may be a tight budget, swift deadline, or impossible site conditions, but there is always a challenge. This particular project, Parkside Towns Victoria, at Preston Lake just outside of Harrisonburg...

It is that time of year again, The Rock Rotary annual Car Raffle Party! Get your tickets for the Rock Rotary party supporting local non-profits today! This annual event is hosted at JMU’s Bridgeforth Stadium Club Level on February 23, 2019 from 7:00 pm – until. The...

This past year the Gaines Group designed a much needed addition to the Montessori School of Charlottesville Gordon Avenue campus.  Located in the Venable neighborhood of Charlottesville, the original building is a Victorian home built in 1894 by UVA professor Richard Dabney.  We...

The culinary arts classroom at Massanutten Technical Center was in need of a revamp. The existing classroom was built in 1972 and according to MTC Director Kevin Hutton “It just wasn’t up to date with where it needed to be.” He worked with his staff to develop a...

An energy-audit is a great “tune-up” for your existing home. I have been offering energy-audits for free for people in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County now for about four years. My goal is to help people reduce their monthly bills by identifying easy to correct...

I am working on a research project that looks at different wall types (2 x 4 wood, 2 x 6 wood, ICF, other) compared to annual energy usage. The more data I can collect for each wall type the closer I will get to scientific conclusion. If you have a moment, can you please fill out...

Well we finally have winter with snow! This makes some of us happy, and some of us who like warm weather. . . not so much. But it is cozy inside, and nice when you don’t need to go out. Have a cup of hot chocolate! I (Phyllis) have posted before about importance of not...

Congratulations to Judith Trumbo, Business Person of the Year, Welhelmina Johnson, Diversity Leadership award, the Thompsons for the Family Farm Steward award, and Rocktown Kitchen for Entrepreneur of the year at this year’s Harrisonburg Rockingham Chamber of Commerce...