Choosing to live a more sustainable lifestyle can start by swapping out some of our everyday items for more eco-friendly options. We surveyed our team as to which are some of their go-to products they use in their own homes that help reduce their footprint. Check out this list and see if any of these items can be swapped out in your household!
Stasher reusable silicone bags. A few of us use these great reusable bags for our snacks and small travel items instead of regular disposable bags.
E cloth cleaners. Use these washable micro-fiber cloths for numerous cleaning surfaces around the house and ditch the disposable ones.
Wool dryer balls. These eco-friendly dryer balls are a go-to product and are a great alternative to traditional dryer sheets.
Nuuly clothing rental. This has been a fun new venture for Annie who appreciates the concept of reducing waste by renting different styles of clothes each month.
Reusable Grocery bags and crates: A few of us try to make it a habit of keeping reusable bags in our vehicles so we always have them available. Cut down on using plastic bags and grab a few the next time you are checking out! Collapsible crates are also a helpful option to load heavier items without using extra plastic bags.
Quality Reusable Water Bottles: when we aren’t guzzling down coffee, many of us have invested in insulated water bottles that cut down on single-use plastic water bottles.
The best way to cut energy fast is to switch out your old light bulbs to LED. Charles says to use Cree bulbs.
Refillable soap dispensers are a great way to cut down on singe-use plastics. As an additional design tip, look for decorative soap dispensers that coordinate with your bathroom or kitchen aesthetic. Companies such as the Grove Collaborative will deliver refills of your favorite soap and cleaning products to help you cut down on extra packaging.
If a larger swap is possible, considering upgrading your HVAC to a ducted mini-split. Charles recommends this as an everyday item because it consistently keeps his house comfortable! This was an initial investment he made when moving into his older home a couple of years ago.
As we continue to see costs increase for construction it becomes even more important to follow proper protocol during construction. On a recent visit to a job site, I was thrilled to see taped ducts during construction protecting my client’s investment. If the ductwork is left open on the floor and walls then drywall dust and construction debris will fill those ducts, even if the system is not turned on. Then once the HVAC system is turned on dust and dirt will go through the mechanical system and hurt the durability and possibly destroy the brand-new HVAC system.
Seeing the ducts taken care of during construction speaks highly of the HVAC company and contractor and shows they not only understand the installation standards but care about the client. This simple practice does not take much time, but it is often not done. As we continue to see the cost of construction increase, it becomes even more important to protect the systems being installed. So remember: taped ducts during construction protect your investment.
The Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project (SVBH) is a non-profit organization in Harrisonburg that exists to recover and share resources on African American history in the Shenandoah Valley. The impactful work put forth by these community members is coordinated and housed in the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Center located on Hill St. in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Gaines Group partnered with SVBH in their efforts to improve the environmental stability of their building by completing an energy audit. This complimentary service helped identify areas that can be modified to reduce energy usage and increase the overall efficiency of the building.
Charles with members of the Carpenters Guild talking through improvements to Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Center.
After identifying areas of improvement, the Carpenter’s Guild of Harrisonburg donated their time and efforts to making energy-efficiency improvements and preparing the roof to install solar panels. Give Solar is promoting fundraising efforts to support the entirety of this project which includes the installation of solar panels. If you are interested in supporting this project, please visit their website to learn more about these efforts.
Members of the Carpenters Guild of Harrisonburg worked to make energy-related improvements.
Energy audits are a free service and a great opportunity to support organizations such as SVBH who are doing important work in our community. We have experience providing these audits in numerous homes, non-profit organizations, and various churches in our surrounding areas. We want everyone to feel comfortable in their living or working spaces and cut down on the overpayment of energy bills. Reach out if you or your organization are interested in this free service!
Our last collaboration with Give Solar and the Carpenter’s Guild resulted in a more energy-efficient building at Our Community Place in Harrisonburg. This pro-bono work benefits the community by lowering the monthly utility bills of area non-profits making them more sustainable and our community more resilient.
We highly recommend travelers who frequent Interstate 81 to check out the new Petro Truck stop in Raphine! The expansion and improvements being made here are impressive. This facility will be one of the largest truck stops on the East coast and houses a wide variety of food and shopping options. We teamed up with Nielsen Builders to design the latest renovation and addition which will provide 27,160 square feet of additional retail space.
The existing Iron Skillet restaurant at Petro is being converted into a convenience-type store that will have the largest drink cooler we have ever seen. This destination is the perfect stop for rest and relaxation for travelers, especially for big rig drivers as there will be many options available to customize your truck, take a break, and eat.
The Petro project is being done using a design-build model in partnership with the property owner and Nielsen Builders as the primary contract holder. This construction contract type has many advantages for a complex, industrial-type renovation project, where the facility needs to stay operational during construction. This project requires a high level of coordination between contributors to ensure the unified goals are met. We deliver high levels of coordination through numerous design meetings that bring together civil, electrical, plumbing, architecture, HVAC, and general contractors. The results are a testament to our focus on collaboration from initial concept to completion!
The value of adding someone that has years of training to think through design options to provide the optimized solution for facilitating the life you want to live in that particular place is the obvious answer. (and a really long sentence)
However, there is more to the design choice when thinking about a new home vs a custom home. The results of this early choice will have compounding impacts through the process of design and construction. An architect goes through extensive education and training to learn to think design, a skill that most have not developed. A home of business that is designed by an architect has taken into consideration so much more than just how it will be built or simple aesthetics, the design process thinks through daily life, challenges that might come up, energy usage, movements, habits, views, and the particular site. Architects are doing more than just providing what you will need to get permits, they are working on a holistic solution for a home or business that is just right for you. Architects stay in touch with the latest building science thinking and trends in the industry to be able to provide clients with the options available to achieve the best value solutions. Maybe most important, the architect acts as the client’s advocate through the process to reduce stress and make the process fun.
This home perched on a mountain top with views for miles is a good example of a custom design. The homeowner found an online plan as their starting point and then we set out to manipulate the design to create the space just right for this building site. We don’t usually start with an existing design and this one changed a lot to make it work for this site, but every project we do is truly custom. We start where our client needs us to start to realize the right solution for their lifestyle goals.
As you can see from the photos, this project is all about the views. We worked with the client to develop a comprehensive design where all the details come together into a beautiful, comfortable oasis. Framing the views from as many points as possible inside and outside the home was critical for the success of the design. The building science that informed the design decisions also loomed large as this home will be impacted by strong winds and lots of snow with the high altitude. As the parts of the assembly come together we are thrilled to see the care and attention to detail the builder is taking to provide the best product possible (see the lumber sitting up off the ground, a good indication that the builder cares about his work).
Design matters is a recurring mantra in our daily work. We take pride in listening to the goals of our clients and developing the best possible solutions to meet those goals from aesthetics, budget, to framing views. We are thrilled to see this one take shape and would love to talk to you about your dream home to come.
