We believe design can build a better future and the next generation of students will be the architects tasked with designing our beloved communities. Therefore, we prioritize regularly hosting students into our office to gain exposure and explore a career in architecture. Adam Hatter is a local high school student from Eastern Mennonite School who recently took advantage of a career shadowing experience with our team. He shared a few thoughts on his experience learning about our industry and the career path of an architect.
From Adam Hatter:
This year I am exploring a career in architecture as part of the Eastern Mennonite School job shadow program. This innovative program at my high school allows students to partner with area businesses to spend time in their offices (or other workplaces) to help them decide on a career path. I have not figured out my path yet so I thought this would be a great opportunity to explore some options. I am job shadowing at the Gaines Group Architect’s office located in the historic Chesapeake Wester Depot in Harrisonburg three days a week.
Adam joined Charles and Trevor on a site visit to a custom home designed by our team on Afton Mountain.
This experience with Charles is the first time I have tried to branch out and learn more about any possible careers for myself. I hadn’t really thought about architecture a lot before talking with Chance Church this past summer about it. He and I played basketball together at EMS and he is now studying architecture at Virginia Tech. We were having a conversation about my interests in a college major next year, and I asked him about architecture because it sounded pretty interesting.
One of Adam’s projects while in the office was to design a single story house and floor plan using our design software SketchUp.
During my time job shadowing so far, I have had a really good time learning more about what it is that Charles does as an architect. He has helped me understand more about architecture school and the different paths to take after high school if I decide to go into this profession. I have learned more about building structures and how to think like an architect whenever I see a new house even just driving down the street. This job shadow experience has given me insight into a professional office and allowed me to explore one career path. I encourage everyone to find a job shadowing option before graduating high school, whether you are unsure of your career path or have one interest that you are almost certain you want to do. Without learning what the job actually entails, there is no way to judge if you are actually interested in it. I am still undecided on my major for next year, but now I at least have a good idea of what architecture is like, as opposed to knowing nothing about it only a few months ago. I am grateful for my school for creating this opportunity for me and know it will help me make career decisions in the future.
Our team recently had the opportunity to help preserve a slice of history in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Minor-Nelson house is a historic home dating back to the early 1800s and we were tasked with recreating a historic façade that appropriately honors the Georgian form it was originally built to reflect. The façade needed to include a front porch, steps, and other pediment and architectural detailing to make it appear “original” to its early 19th century roots. Before beginning the design process, we first investigated the home at UVA’s archives and Charlottesville’s Historical Society to uncover more information. Named after the original owner Martha Minor, the home was built between 1827-1840 and served multiple uses in its lifetime. It was originally built as a private residence but during the Civil War, the house functioned as a branch of Charlottesville General Hospital. It continued to serve as a medical practice after the war and changed hands to Dr. Hugh Nelson.
Although there was limited information specific to the front porch detailing, we uncovered the photograph below and took clues from the original construction. We based the design around the indications noted from this early photograph as well as the details found in the current door surround. The side veranda was also used as a guide to influence the design of the front porch as it displays many original architectural details.
The carpenter gothic porch and front gable detailing were added to the house in the early 1900’s. This photograph shows the house in the 1960’s.Around 1971, the front covered porch was removed and replaced with brick and stone double curved stairs. The door surround was used as a guide to rebuild to covered porch.
Referencing the early photos and Georgian style, we planned for the removal of the existing porch and double stairs. We designed a gothic gable and porch using both tapered half-square and “Temple of the Winds” columns. Additional architectural elements utilized in the design were the additions of cornice, entablature, dental mould, and frieze board. Although still under construction, the following photographs show the porch near completion.
Current (2022) photograph of the Minor-Nelson House porch.
After presenting our design to the Charlottesville Board of Architecture Review, the design was approved in record time! We enjoyed working on this historical project and serving as a resource in restoring a historical landmark in Charlottesville.
No project is too small, no dream is too big when it comes to the projects we design. One of our strengths as a firm is our diversified portfolio and eagerness to take on a range of projects. From custom residential to commercial, industrial, multi-family, church, school, and even a backyard playhouse, we enjoy the creative challenges these projects allow us. We value serving as a resource to our greater communities in designing a variety of projects and solutions.
We love sharing our work and will be highlighting the diversity of our designs under #WeDesignThatToo to help inspire your next project!
A backyard greenhouse in Albemarle County, Virginia.Modern home in Harrisonburg, Virginia.A 108,000 square foot award-winning warehouse in Harrisonburg, Virginia.Multifamily Community in Charlottesville, Virginia.Custom playhouse designed by Charles Hendricks.
As a small architecture firm, we love being a dynamic team that is ready for the next creative challenge. Our portfolio and upcoming posts under #WeDesignThatToo on our social media pages are a great source of inspiration and demonstrate our ability to take on many different types, sizes, and styles of projects. Think you might have a design idea and want to explore it further? Reach out and we will gladly talk through your vision!
If there is one thing we can all count on, it’s the inevitability of the numerous decisions we will navigate daily. From the moment we decide when to get out of bed, the average person will make thousands of decisions throughout the span of their day. Most of us love having options, but we commonly make our best decisions earlier in the day when we haven’t been inundated with countless, weighted choices. The same logic is applied to a custom home or renovation project and avoiding decision-making fatigue is achievable. Our team has collectively designed over 1,500 projects and we are here to offer guidance on how to avoid the inevitable creep of anxiety caused by making too many decisions.
First, it’s important to create a plan with a solid vision and commit to it (this might be a collective commitment if you are designing with a spouse or partner). This process of working out the plan to fit your vision for your dream house is the foundation of why you hire an architect. Our team has a process of asking questions to figure out the solutions to bring your dreams to reality.
One of the most important components in creating a plan is to develop a realistic budget. Often in the planning stage, the average homeowner doesn’t always know the cost of their design selections. This is where our experienced team brings huge value to your process. We can help guide you towards your budget and help you pick out the special elements in just the right places and elements to conserve on budget in others.
Your ability to make decisions can directly influence the length of time it takes to complete your project and therefore, the budget! During the design process testing options early on is relatively inexpensive, but simple changes made late take a lot of coordination and budget. In the same line, testing out design options on paper is way less expensive that doing it during the construction process.
Time is valuable; therefore, we recommend trusting an expert who has already put in the time and has up-to-date knowledge on the best and most efficient selections. Professional designers and architects are trained to focus on the details and guide you in the decision-making process. Experts will also often utilize industry-specific software that will allow you to see renderings of your space with your design selections. The ability to visualize a space can greatly help you make decisions and ease worries over how a project will turn out.
There are thousands of decisions involved in creating a dream design. Planning ahead, prioritizing decisions that emphasize function, and seeking guidance from a professional are critical in avoiding decision burn-out and completing a successful project.
