1. Expanding Our Footprint

We are thrilled to announce a significant milestone in the history of The Gaines Group Architects: the opening of our third office, establishing a dedicated home right in Roanoke, Virginia!

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2. Massanutten Resort Custom Home Almost Finished

This blog post shows off one of our projects from this year near Massanutten Resort! Take a look for some photos of this beautiful property and even some comparisons of our renderings vs. final product!

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3. Welcome to the Team!

We added a few new faces to the Gaines Group team in 2025! You can learn more about everyone here:

Lizzy
Nicole
Lindsey
Isabel
Claude

4. Dogwood Home Renovation Project Update

This blog post features a beautiful renovation project that made this home feel so warm and inviting!

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5. Citizen Architect Awards

In 2025 we were lucky enough to be recognized with a few awards:

-Best Architectural Firm in the Shenandoah Valley Region by Virginia Living Magazine
-#1 Rated Architectural Firm in Virginia by Top Rated Local
-Top Employer for Interns in 2025 by VTOP
-Charles was named one of the Top 100 Architects in the US by Fixr.com

We couldn’t do it without the support of our clients and community!

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6. Eastern Mennonite Elementary School Project Update

In this post we see an update to the Eastern Mennonite Elementary School’s gathering space!

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7. A Harrisonburg Architect's Christmas Wish List

Shopping for a late Christmas gift for your favorite Harrisonburg architect? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

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8. First Fridays: A Recap!

We love participating in First Fridays in the Valley here in Harrisonburg! This post goes back over our wonderful artists from 2025!

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9. Spanish Lab and Learning Center

We were so excited to partner with Shenandoah Valley SBDC on this project. See photos of this awesome space here!

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10. Bryce Resort Renovation-Project Update

In this post we share a project update where a vacation getaway is turned into a forever home! Click below to see photos and before and afters!

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Thank you for a wonderful 2025, we will see you in 2026!

Rockingham County Timber Frame House: Project Update

by Charles Hendricks | Nov 5, 2025 | Accessibility, aging in place, architecture, Building Science, Custom Home, Green Building, Harrisonburg Architect

What an amazing opportunity we are given to design places for people to build memories and live a full life. It is humbling to walk through an almost finished home that we designed with our clients. Seeing the energy and excitement they have to live in a space they have been dreaming about is contagious. This Rockingham County Timber Frame House is just about finished and we will certainly have more photos. I just wanted to give you a sneak peak at some of the cool details included in this lifetime home.

The care and craftsmanship that is put into building what we designed will blow you away. It is an honor to work with companies like Herr and Company that not only execute the plan but ask questions along the way to make sure we are both delivering the best possible solutions. The collaboration that exists between architect and builder can make or break a project.

The exterior walk in shower at this house will make cleaning off after a dip in the pool quick and easy.

The custom built cabinetry by Grey Fox Design Works and Rocktown Urban wood is breathtaking.

The floating stairs that play with light is such a beautiful touch.

Of course the heavy-timber in the main living space is spectacular and the lighting support over the dining table (designed by our client) is pretty cool.

The guest bath is an oasis of relaxation.

The Elevator makes it possible to live fully on both levels for a lifetime.

The grab bars are there, but you might not notice them.

And this closet – wow!

Bryce Resort Renovation – Project Update

by Charles Hendricks | Oct 24, 2025 | architecture, Bryce Resort, Custom Home, Harrisonburg Architect, project update

I had the pleasure of visiting this home renovation at Bryce Resort a few weeks ago. This project turned out amazing. When we arrived it was a straight-forward vacation cottage used for weekend getaways. The goal was to create a home for a lifetime. Here is a before photo of the home as we are getting started with design.

We added a garage on the right side with a room above, and a multi-story addition on the left side. The result is a home with all the spaces needed for living their dream lives in this beautiful resort.

From the rear of the home you get a glimpse of all the exterior spaces that allow for maximum enjoyment of the views out over the lake.

The rear deck was a little narrow and was in need of a facelift. The open rail almost disappears and the deeper sitting area allows for flexible gatherings.

The screen porch on the lower level keeps a dry space safe from bug season.

The once crowded space with an oversize fireplace and limited seating was opened up. The new space allows for seating, dining, and a large kitchen.

Downstairs once was dark and cramped and now has space for the ping pong table and seating for watching the big game.

The primary bedroom used to be open to the main living space and now has privacy and plenty of natural light.

The hot tub allows is privacy while still capturing views and allowing users to enjoy the stars.

The space that was once an unused attic is now a cozy office.

This rooftop terrace is accessed from the primary bedroom.

The new screen porch on the main living floor has a bar looking out to the views.

What an amazing home renovation. The new home has everything they wanted in their lifetime house. We worked through their dreams, goals, and desires, hit their budget, and delivered an amazing design solution.

Chemically sensitive Custom Home

by Charles Hendricks | Oct 20, 2025 | architecture, Building Science, Custom Home, Green Building

Bailey Builders has started construction on a new custom home for a chemically sensitive client in Augusta County. This new home has to be healthy for our clients, energy-efficient, and durable. The challenge is that many of the cost effective materials available have chemicals that might impact indoor environmental quality for our client.

As we worked through the design process, we tested various materials to see how our client would react to them if used inside her home. We designed a tight envelope and specified a HVAC system that would clean the air.

Our design strategy was to keep the floorplan open and allow for easy cleanup when coming in from the barn. This custom home is just a place to recharge as our clients care for their animals.

While on our site visit we were able to finalize some color options for the exterior of the home. This one will be beautiful.

Welcome to Harrisonburg Dovetail Cabinetry!

by Charles Hendricks | Oct 15, 2025 | architecture, Charles Hendricks, community, Custom Home, Harrisonburg Architect, Interior Design

Jarod and I had a chance to visit Dovetail Design & Cabinetry for their open house recently. They have a new showroom at 2226 Rawley Pike in Rockingham County designed by owner Amy Hart. This full-service cabinet sales and installation company has grown to include showrooms in Charlottesville, Staunton, and now Harrisonburg. We have enjoyed getting to know them over the past few years and their work has appeared in multiple of our recent projects.

We love finding trusted partners that we can work with to support our custom dream home projects. While many of our project do have full-custom cabinetry designed for the main living spaces, we often will use lines like Welborn Cabinetry for semi-custom solutions. Their cabinet options include inset, frameless, and overlay styles to fit our design goals. They also have access to Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances which gives our clients many options to choose from when they visit with Jarod, our interior designer.

Rockingham County Custom Home project update

by Charles Hendricks | Oct 10, 2025 | Accessibility, aging in place, architecture, Building Science, Charles Hendricks, Custom Home, Green Building, Indoor Air Quality, Interior Design

A lifetime home is an incredible design opportunity for us to take on with our clients. As we started this Rockingham County custom home it became very clear that our clients wanted intentional and meaningful spaces. Our designs focused on quality of life and we are using the architecture to provide a backdrop for a lifetime of memories. In our design kick-off meeting we discussed daily habits, life values, and dreams for the kind of childhood their child could experience. We laughed about stories they remembered growing up and the special places that they remembered. This is the heart of a custom home design process for us, we want to know our clients so we can join them on their journey to finding their dream home.

We gave a homework assignment to find inspirational photos of places they loved and the types of spaces that will give them energy. We balanced their goals and desires with building science and functional solutions for living spaces. We included thoughts of fun spaces, healthy and invigorating spaces, and spaces that will sooth their souls. As the design process unfolds we developed some visuals to verify the home we are designing is their dream home.

We have also visited their building site and worked to balance the slope of the land, water drainage, views, and arrival sequence for guests. This holistic process of learning our clients dreams takes time and attention. There is empathy and care infused in every decision we make along the way. It is a true gift to be able to do this and call it work. We love solving the design puzzle for our clients. We don’t just create blueprints, we infuse our clients values into their projects. Stay tuned for more photos as the design progresses.

Ready to get started on your own lifetime home? Click below to let us know! We can’t wait to hear from you!

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