by Charles Hendricks | Sep 12, 2026 | architecture, Charles Hendricks, Charlottesville, citizen architect, Commercial Architect, community, Custom Home, Empathy, Harrisonburg, Harrisonburg Architect, Local Leaders
This amazing event, Charlottesville Architect + Builder Exchange, is building a better industry.
This past week Charles and Sam were invited to share how they collaborate outside of projects to deliver better projects to shared clients. Sam with Herr and Company and Charles have worked together on many projects over the years. They have a trusting relationship. It is not just based on the projects though, it is based on each of them showing up for the other consistently.
Charlottesville Architect Builder Exchange
The story they shared is not a new way of doing business. It is simply treating each other with respect and working towards a common goal: excellent service to our community, integrity in the process, and a desire to do better for our clients. Once the video of the event is posted we will share it. We welcome your ideas of how we can improve more. We don’t have it all figured out and want to continue to grow and improve. Let us know how you deliver better service to your clients through collaboration, trust, and integrity.
Thanks to Jim at Candid and his team for allowing this conversation to happen.
If you have a community group or event that needs a speaker: Charles loves sharing his passion for community, building science, architecture, aging in place, the history of the Chesapeake Wester Depot, using empathy as a design tool, or if you just want him to tell stories – reach out and let’s get it scheduled.
by Charles Hendricks | Aug 5, 2026 | aging in place, architecture, artwork, Building Science, community, Custom Home, Harrisonburg Architect, Interior Design, Not used, project update
Elkton Castle Project Update:
As architects we have the best jobs in the world. We get to listen to our clients dream about how they want to live, then we get to design a place to facilitate that dream.
Designing this home for our incredible clients is a great example. In the first meeting it was clear they had a strong idea of what they both wanted. They had a vision for their home, but were not sure how to put it together. So we listened, took notes, documented goals, sketched, tried again, refined, and developed a concept for them.
While the home being built is designed around function, it is also what they described as their dream home. It allows for mobility, welcoming guests, and captures the incredible views. The dining room is designed for bringing family and friends together. The kitchen allows for gathering as well. There is a detached space to facilitate a hobby interest. There are outdoor gathering spaces including a fireplace, an outdoor kitchen, and a screen porch. The movie room is designed specifically for enjoying favorite movies at full volume. There are whimsical elements that highlight their personality. It is their dream home they described.
This home- or castle as we are calling it, is a prime example of designing a home to facilitate the dream life our clients want to live. Stay tuned for more updates including a magical wooden wardrobe.
by Lindsey Kohler-Austin | Jul 29, 2026 | architecture, Blacksburg, Building Science, Charlottesville, Custom Home, Harrisonburg, Harrisonburg Architect, Roanoke, Roanoke Architect
True value is created when a beautiful design is translated into highly detailed, clear, concise, and correct drawings. The process of dimensioning and noting a drawing the right way saves on time to build, makes the goals clear, and reduces questions during construction. We know our client want a beautiful design, and when we add beautiful drawings showing that design, everyone wins. For both the homeowner and the contractor, our work during the construction documents phase is where some of the real magic happens. With our team, we work through the design’s buildability aspects, ensure we have the right materials, trace the thermal envelope, and save our clients money through our integrated design approach.
When we take time to invest in well-detailed drawings, we are protecting the builder from having to “figure out” things during construction. We work to make sure the drawings illustrate the final design with the right details and notes included.
We hear from our contractors all the time that they love our drawings and the work we do to solidify the selections, structural design, and work through the unique framing conditions. By coordinating everything on paper before the contractor gives our client a budget time and money is saved.
Whether you are a homeowner dreaming of a comfortable, healthy space or a builder looking to streamline your workflow and elevate your build quality, our drawings are the key. We believe that smart design and clear, correct, concise, and complete drawings deliver the highest value to our clients and contractors.
by Lindsey Kohler-Austin | Jul 27, 2026 | architecture, Building Science, Charles Hendricks, Charlottesville, Custom Home, Harrisonburg, Harrisonburg Architect, Indoor Air Quality, resources
Anyone who has been in the construction industry for a while has heard the phrase – “you don’t want to build it too tight.” This is a reference to how buildings used to dry out, BEFORE air conditioning and insulation. Some still refer to allowing your home to breathe, but we completely changed how we build from balloon framing to platform framing, from using windows to catch a breeze to cool your home to mechanical systems that filter, clean the air, and cool your home. Your house no longer needs to breathe through random gaps in the exterior thermal envelope. It needs to be as tight as you can make it, with a proper ventilation system to complement the heating and cooling system.
Architects and builders who understand building science work to protect your home and the indoor air quality problems that might occur if you “let your home breathe.” In our mixed humid climate, one of the biggest problems could be dew point. This is the exact temperature at which airborne moisture transitions from gas to liquid. If that conversion happens inside a wood-frame wall, you have a recipe for mold, rot, and potentially structural failure.
Achieving an efficient, healthy, and resilient home requires understanding how to avoid some common construction mistakes.
Air Leakage
Air leakage is the highway for moisture transport through your thermal envelope. In our mixed humid climate, on a hot, humid day, that moist air wants to push inside your air-conditioned home. In the winter, warm air escapes to the dry cold air. Your home is always trying to reach equilibrium with the outside air. Air pressure forces movement through any cracks around plumbing, electrical outlets, framing, doors, and windows. It carries gallons of water vapor along with it. When this air hits a cold surface inside the wall cavity, it instantly hits the dew point and becomes liquid.
Insulation
Not all insulation works the same, and not all insulation can be used for all wall
assemblies. We often use open-cell spray foam because it is airtight and vapor
permeable. Closed-cell spray foam looks very similar, but it is a vapor barrier. Using this product in a wall above grade can work, but you must make sure it is done exactly right. If it pulls away from framing, allowing even the smallest leak, you could end up with a dew point issue. Also, if you use a vapor barrier and there is a liquid leak in the wall, you might not find it until you have a much larger problem. Using fiberglass batts and cellulose can also work, but the air sealing process is labor intensive and often does not last as long.
Vapor Barriers
We don’t want a vapor barrier in our climate due to the vapor drive that happens in different directions in the different seasons. Adding a vapor barrier can stop airflow on the cool surface you are trying to protect. Using the right vapor permeable solutions allows vapor to pass through the material while your HVAC system works to dry out the air to further protect your walls. Did you know that OSB, some paints and wallpaper, and many house wraps are vapor barriers?
A healthy, durable, comfortable home with good indoor air quality controls the dew point. You have to have the right HVAC system and fresh air as part of the holistic solution. Focusing on proper air sealing, insulation location and values, and HVAC can solve the challenges that many modern homes face of high humidity, mold, and rot.
by Charles Hendricks | May 21, 2026 | architecture, Charlottesville, Custom Home, Harrisonburg Architect, Interior Design, resources, Roanoke Architect
Anatomy of a Custom Home: How design Emerges from Land, Process, and Detail
Every custom home begins long before a line is drawn. It begins with its slope, light, edges, and constraints and evolves through a sequence of decisions that gradually transform raw site conditions into a fully realized place of living.
This May series, Anatomy of a Custom Home, breaks that journey into its essential stages. Rather than treating design as a single act, it reveals it as a layered process where each step informs the next, and every detail carries forward the logic of what came before.
by Lindsey Kohler-Austin | Mar 11, 2026 | Custom Home
Every home we design is fully custom and tailored to the individual client. No two projects are the same because no two people are the same.
Our process is structured in clear phases that guide a project from the earliest conversations through final construction. Each phase builds on the last, ensuring that your home is thoughtfully designed and carefully executed.
1. Schematic Phase
(Average of 25% of the design time)
Conversation-driven and focused on the big picture
This is where we begin by getting to know you. Before drawing plans, we focus on understanding how you want to live in your home. We want to create spaces that support your values, dreams, and goals for life.
Initial Meeting Topics
•What kind of life do you want to live in this home?
•What are your values and priorities?
•What safety and health considerations need to be part of the project?
•How you want the space to function?
These conversations guide the early concepts and preliminary layouts. Rather than starting with a predetermined plan, we begin with your lifestyle and translate that into a design vision.
Why Custom Instead of “New Construction Plans”?
Many homeowners start by searching online for house plans and then hire a drafter or builder. While this approach results in a new house, it rarely produces a home that supports the life you want to live.
Custom design allows us to focus on the details that make a home truly personal, including:
•Personalized floor plans
•Healthy, energy-efficient, and durable spaces
•Framed view, Connections to nature
•Comfortable lighting, Adaptable Spaces
•Quality materials, Functional and practical spaces
•Thoughtful and beautiful finishes
•Spaces designed around your daily routines
Custom homes are not just about appearance they are about designing a home that works naturally to support your way of living.
2. Design Development
(Average of 30% of the design time)
Refinement and coordination
During Design Development, the initial ideas become more defined and buildable. This phase transforms early concepts into a coordinated design.
We develop:
•Detailed floor plans
•Structural systems
•Exterior elevations
•Building sections
•Interior design coordination
•Material direction
This is the phase where we consider how the home works structurally, how loads are carried, how spaces span, and how the building comes together as a complete system. More in-depth meetings take place during this stage to refine decisions and ensure the design reflects your goals.
3. Construction Documents
(Average of 35% of the design time)
Technical precision
Construction Documents are the technical drawings used for permitting and construction. This phase provides the clarity needed for a smooth building process.
At this stage, the design is:
•Fully dimensioned
•Carefully noted and specified
•Coordinated with structural and engineering systems
•Prepared for permitting and pricing
These documents serve as the roadmap your builder will follow throughout construction. Clear, detailed drawings help prevent confusion, reduce costly changes, and ensure the home is built as intended.
4. Construction Administration
(Average of 10% of the design time)
Oversight during construction
Our involvement continues after construction begins.
During construction administration, we:
•Visit job sites
•Answer contractor questions
•Help resolve unforeseen conditions
•Ensure the design intent is maintained
We act as your advocate throughout construction, helping guide decisions and protect the quality of the design.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How does the process work?
Our process is organized into structured phases that move the project from initial vision through technical documentation and construction oversight. Each phase builds clarity and confidence as the project progresses. The process blends our years of experience and design training with many conversations with our clients as we learn their values and vision. We work collaboratively with our client and their builder to find the best solution for the dream projects.
How are costs set?
Cost vary project to project. A more complex foundation or roof takes more time to design both aesthetics and structure and with that costs more for instance. We work with each client to develop a good faith estimate for design services up front and update our clients through continued conversations along the design process. The construction costs start out very high level based on square footage and as we develop detail in our drawings your builder can start estimating the build budget with more accuracy.
What is the timeline?
Each project timeline varies depending on size, complexity, permitting requirements, and construction conditions. We work with you to establish realistic expectations from the beginning. Designing and building a custom home takes time and should be an enjoyable process.
Is everything custom?
Yes. Every home we design is tailored to the individual client’s life, values, and goals. No two homes are alike because no two clients are alike. We want to help you find your dream home solution for your land.
