Progress continues on our Zero-Energy home that is under construction on Willow Run Road just outside of Harrisonburg. This home will produce the amount of energy needed for operations on a net basis. In other words, during the daylight hours, the solar pv array will produce enough energy back into the grid that the house can be powered via the grid at night. In order to make this design affordable, we super insulated the walls of the structure.
We decided that Insulated Concrete Forms was the best wall system for the structure to reduce heating and cooling demand. This is also a very quiet wall system and durable for a very long time. The insulation is on the inside and outside of the concrete wall. This is air tight and continuous insulation making a high performance wall assembly.
We went to visit the site on the day that they were pouring the first level concrete walls. It is an excellent learning opportunity to see the builders in action and hear their concerns about the assembly.
The system is fairly simple to stack. The key is to reinforce in the right places and pour at the right speed to avoid “blow outs” during construction. This job was flawless while we were there. The builder took extra care around the angled walls to keep everything tight and straight.
The basement walls and workshop under the basement are not conditioned spaces so they do not require the ICF walls.
The steep site allowed for the garage to enter on the first floor level making the entire house accessible if that is ever a concern in the future.
How does a small business decide how to invest their marketing dollars?
As a business owner, I get a request for a monetary donation at least once a day from some very deserving organization. I also get a lot of requests for paid advertising spots for local newspapers, television, magazines, and radio. So how do I decide where to invest our marketing dollars. My first goal is to find events and organization that align with our firm culture. I want to support events that I believe in and that our clients love. Next, I want to find places where I can do good with the limited funds I have available while getting maximum exposure for our business so I can continue to support events in the future. In other words, if our support helps grow our business I can support more events and organizations in the future (so remember to tell businesses that support events and organization you support that you appreciate their investment). Finally, I want to find events and organizations that build community. One of the events that we are sponsoring this year is Red Wing Roots Music Festival V – because of their family friendly focus and beautiful music. As I attended this event last year I realized the incredible community that has been created around The Steel Wheels. I felt very much at home surrounded by many of my clients and friends.
We are very much looking forward to Red Wing Roots Music Festival V coming up July 14, 15, & 16. This annual three day, four stage event brings 40 bands to Natural Chimneys Park and Campground in Mt. Solon, Va.
The Campground features towering limestone chimneys that are more than 120′ tall. There is hiking trails, biking adventures, craft vendors, camping, swimming, and incredible food at this event.
Red Wings is presented by Harrisonburg’s own Americana Roots Musicians; The Steel Wheels. The festival is family friendly and has activities for all ages. Our fondness of The Steel Wheels has grown with each album they have released and supporting a local band fits right into our culture.
The site might frame a particular view that you love or just the right slope for a walk-out basement. The site may be large enough to raise a few animals or capture the right amount of light for solar PV performance. The reason you pick the site does not matter, the important part is making sure the “dream” home also fits with the site amenities. Does the site allow for a house the size you want to build? Does it have utilities or will you have to have a well and septic field – this impact budget? What about access – how long of a driveway will you need? What about solar orientation – is your site solar ready? What about slope, can you have a walk out basement or will you be building on a crawl space? Are there rocks? Hiring an architect could help with site selection. Just give us a call and we can help evaluate your site vs your custom home goals before you purchase the land.
Work has started on the renovation and addition to the Speech and Language Center in Harrisonburg. This business has seen tremendous growth and needed to expand. Our task was to add as much usable space as possible on a very tight site. We were also tasked with reallocating the interior space to make the existing structure more efficient.
Our goal was to take this simple pre-fabricated structure and add some interest as this building sits at the gateway into the city of Harrisonburg. We also wanted to create better visibility for the business.
Follow updates on the Speech and Language Center HERE.
I have been thinking a lot about the coming year, this one seems different than in the past. The world is different, my life is different, our business is different.
My wife challenged me to come up with a word, one word instead of a resolution. The idea of one word is to focus your life instead of something like “get in shape” you might have a word like healthy. This idea of living purposefully all year-long around a word allows you to make decisions, focus prayer, and inspire others through action. So what should my one word be for the year? I am open to ideas. Let me know what you think.
The word that has come to mind for me is #tribe. What does that mean to me right now. It means community, family, working together, Rotary, Gaines Group, and friends. These are all areas where I need to focus and areas where I need to do work. I want to build better and deeper relationships. I want to strengthen my relationship with family, immediate, and those I have lost contact with over the years. I want to work towards a healthier and more sustainable community. I want to serve better as a Rotarian. I want to know better my Rotarian family. I want to be a better architect, boss, friends at work. However, is this my #oneword365? Does it hold enough meaning? Does it frame my work over an entire year? Should there be more than just a word? Maybe one word painted on a train, this one seems to tell a story pretty well.
My youngest daughter, 10-year-old, has a vision to guide her life. Her sister had a homework assignment to write 10 commandments to live by. She wanted to do this as well, so here is her list. I have to say, her list is certainly well thought out and could be a vision for the coming year(s) for all of us. Maybe I need 10 words to get me through this coming year?
What is your one word? What is your resolution? What are your commandments?
The steep site allowed for the garage to enter on the first floor level making the entire house accessible if that is ever a concern in the future.
