Support local business, write an online review

This is very easy to do, support local business by writing an online review. This creates connections for that business with your friends. It solidifies their reputation in the community. It reinforces their efforts to serve you well – because you are writing a public thank you for the effort. It also reduces the burden all of us small business owners are facing right now – we need to continue to market our business to get new business, but our priority has to be keeping our staff employed.

larkin arts

Your simple online review, short and sweet, provides the same impact / exposure as me paying for an ad – say $100, maybe more depending on your friend circle. That savings could be the difference this week to a small business owner that is worried about paying rent, utilities, payroll, insurance, and taxes. Your effort to lift up locally owned business is huge right now as businesses are fighting to survive.

Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance Fourth of July Celebration

Do a huge service to your community, write an online review for every locally owned business you want to see survive!

Get your house ready for summer

Get your house ready for summer

It is time to get your house ready for summer. I see many of you working in your gardens, planting beautiful flowers, growing food, and mowing (one of my least favorite things to do). Are you also working on making your house healthy, comfortable, and energy efficient for this coming summer.

In a time that it looks like staycation is going to be the best thing to do for our economy, is your home ready for the summer heat? Here are some things to check and correct if they are not ready.

attic insulation

Attic insulation is on the top of my list. If you have blown-in or rolled in fiberglass / cellulose you need a minimum of 12″ to have a fighting chance of comfort and energy efficiency. Really you need 18″ or more of those options if your house is not air tight – and it probably is not based on all the energy audits I have been doing. The best attic insulation of course is sprayed foam which makes the attic to conditioned living area air tight. I did this in my own attic and it is making our house very comfortable.

HVAC

Second on my list is checking your heating and cooling system. Have the filters been changed? Is the unit efficient? Does it still have enough life to get your through the warm months? A performance maintenance contract with a locally owned HVAC company is a great investment. They will change you filters and optimize the performance of your system.

net zero house harrisonburg

Third thing to check off the list is doing a solar audit on your home. Could you be using these sunny days to help the environment and your pocket book? Based on the research Eric Beck, Jim Leaman, and (a very little portion) I did, you will cut your monthly expenses if you add solar to an unshaded south facing roof on your home. Really, you will pay less to the bank than you currently pay to the power company if you add solar (again if you have an unshaded and south facing roof).

Last think on my list to consider, do you need to do a renovation or addition? If so, give me a call and we can do a virtual meeting to discuss your options. Of course, this is a no cost to you meeting to figure out if there are viable solutions to your functional goals.

Other resources can be found on these blogs:

10 Things to make your summer more efficient and comfortable

https://www.thegainesgroup.com/top-10-things-to-do-this-summer-for-your-home-and-health/

Post Pandemic technology your business might want to add

I have been thinking through what the Post-Pandemic world will be like for businesses. I wrote about considerations you are probably making and door hardware solutions previously. So what Post-Pandemic technology might your business want to add? Well, it seems there are solutions emerging.

This Body Temperature Infrared Reader is expensive, but could help identify people that have symptoms so you can quickly isolate possible carriers. It also has a really cool name, so you should probably order one just because – who doesn’t need a Zortemp 1000!

There are other options of course at a lower cost. We use Flir technology to do our energy audits. They make a simple add on for smart phones that senses temperature on a surface. I have not tested the accuracy of use on humans, but I don’t know why it would not work. The plug in for your smart phone is only $200.

I wrote about HVAC systems and I think this is going to be an area of incredible concern. As I have read articles that show the air flow in a restaurant is a specific place where the virus is spread quickly (not in the unit for the study I read, but through air movement). I am very thankful for the added levels of protection we have in our home system.

What other technologies are you seeing emerge? What problems need a solutions?

Architectural Assignment – Home School 101 Architecture – Peter Eisenman

Now that life has changed and the girls are doing online school, I added an architectural class to their weekly work load. Hannah worked on finding an architect to write about for this assignment.

For my assignment, I chose the American architect Peter Eisenman. I specifically focused on the Aronoff Center for Design and Art at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. I like this building because it is colorful, has lots of levels, and is eye-catching and interesting. As Eisenman once said, “I don’t believe that classical architecture is enough to engage people anymore. They say: ‘So what else is new?’”

DAAP Building, east entrance, June 2015.jpg

The Aronoff Center is one of four buildings of the facility. It opened to the public in 1996. The Aronoff Center contains the college library, auditorium, cafeteria, photography lab, and art supply store. The name of the college, University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, is often shortened to DAAP. The DAAP is one of the most prestigious design schools in the world. In 2005, the architecture program was ranked second in the nation, and in 2008, the interior design program was ranked first in the nation for the ninth year in a row. In 2012, DAAP was ranked third Business Insider’s list of the world’s best twenty-five design schools.

Celebrated architect Peter Eisenman to 'star' at Cornell reunion ...

Peter Eisenman is an American architect born on August 11, 1932, in Newark, New Jersey. Eisenman got his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University. He received his Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture. He also received his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Cambridge. Finally, he received an honorary degree from Syracuse University School of Architecture in 2007. He founded the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in 1967 and served as the executive director until 1981. Some of Eisenman’s most well-known works are the recently completed Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, the new University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and the City of Culture of Galicia in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Eisenman currently teaches advanced design studios and theory seminars at the Yale School of Architecture. As Eisenman once said, “I am immersed in architecture all day, working in my office or teaching.”

Research bibliography

“Peter Eisenman.” En.wikipedia.org. N. p., 2010. Web. 17 Apr. 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Peter_Eisenman 

Re-thinkingthefuture.com. N. p., 2020. Web. 17 Apr. 2020. https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com  /top-architects/a278-15-works-of-peter-Eisenman-every-architect-should-visit/ 

“University Of Cincinnati College Of Design, Architecture, Art, And Planning.” En.wikipedia.org. N. p., 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_ of_Cincinnati_College_of_Design,_Architecture,_Art,_and_Planning 

Picture bibliography

“Celebrated Architect Peter Eisenman To ‘Star’ At Cornell Reunion, In Video, Gallery And In Person | Cornell Chronicle.” Cornell Chronicle. N. p., 2004. Web. 17 Apr. 2020. https://news .cornell.edu/stories/2004/06/architect-eisenman-star-reunion-video-and-person  

Re-thinkingthefuture.com. N. p., 2020. Web. 17 Apr. 2020. https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com  /top-architects/a278-15-works-of-peter-eisenman-every-architect-should-visit/ 

“University Of Cincinnati College Of Design, Architecture, Art, And Planning.” En.wikipedia.org. N. p., 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_ of_Cincinnati_College_of_Design,_Architecture,_Art,_and_Planning 

Bringing new life to a downtown jewel – plan now for your renovation / addition

Our downtown historic buildings make up the fabric of our community. A lot of work has been done to bring many of these structures back to life. Our firm was fortunate to have the opportunity to work on bringing new life to this downtown jewel a few years ago.

There had been a fire in the building and the first floor had already been renovated before we got started. Our task was to put back together a very rough structure that had not been loved in a long time. The renovation goal was to provide a variety of unit sizes to allow for a range of rents in our downtown. Each unit has a bit of a unique personality.

Renovation

As the contractor started taking the building apart, we found out that there were a lot of mistakes made in the past. In particular, a plumber many years ago had cut the joists out of a large section of the structure. There is honestly no reason why that building was still standing as we continued to uncover damage done by years of changes. The building was put back together safe and beautiful. The project celebrates some of the original materials exposing brick walls and wood floors. The apartments in this structure range from small to generous and all have the perfect location in the heart of downtown.

83 south main apartments harrisonburg

We love the finished project. If you have a historic building that needs some love and a new vision give us a call. We can help with that task and would love to be part of your solution.