Benefits of Vegetation Around Your Home

by Audrey | Apr 14, 2025 | architecture, Building Science, Charlottesville, Green Building, Harrisonburg Architect, Indoor Air Quality

How can vegetation be beneficial to a site?

By: Emily Scognamillo

Every spring, people eagerly anticipate the flowers and plants coming to life. It is a well-known fact that humans enjoy being closer to nature, as it provides a sense of relief and well-being. Vegetation, such as flowers, trees, and grass can benefit a building site. Not only does it help the user by improving mental health while increasing productivity, but it also provides ample advantages to the site and the surrounding community.

For example, vegetation plays a crucial role in soil erosion and stormwater management. Trees and plants help stabilize the soil to prevent erosion and flooding, and filter harmful sediments to prevent pollution. While the roots control the soil, the plants themselves can improve the air quality from pollution as well. By absorbing carbon dioxide from surrounding cars and releasing oxygen, this creates a healthier community. Additionally, trees provide natural cooling by offering shade, which lowers the surrounding temperature. Providing vegetation can result in a building using less air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter. Bushes, plants, and trees provide a barrier against harsh winter temperatures, allowing the building to stay warmer.

Overall, incorporating vegetation into your site not only supports the community but also increases your comfort and the sustainability of your structure. Starting a garden, no matter how small, is a simple way to make a difference in your community.

Celebrate National Gardening Day today!

Protect your home from the winter freeze!

by Charles Hendricks | Jan 5, 2025 | architecture, Building Science, Green Building, green term defined

Over the next 10 days the temperature in the area is going to be a high of freezing most days. It is time to hunker down and enjoy the warmth of your home when possible. So fire up those logs and pull out the extra blanket – winter is here. I have written a lot of blogs over the last 14 years about saving energy, making your home more comfortable, and reducing your monthly electric bills. However, 10 days of cold will test any system and all levels of protection. So here are a few home updates to get you through the freezing weather.

Take advantage of the sun and protect against heat loss through windows. Close your insulated curtains on the north side of your house over the next few days and on the south side when you are not getting heat gain from the sun. If you have storm windows make sure they are closed up tight. If you feel air coming through the windows, a temporary fix is to put plastic over the windows. This is not attractive and should not be a long term solution, but it works in a pinch.

Make sure your exterior heating unit is cleared of any snow so it can breathe and make sure the inside filter is clean so it can work efficiently. Most heating units can work 10 degrees and better outside temperature but might struggle on these really cold nights to keep up. If you have gas or electric back up heat your bill could grow quickly. So reduce the set temperature inside when you can and add a blanket to your bed.

Frozen Pipes are a huge problem when temperatures stay below freezing for multiple days in our area. This can happen at an exterior hose connection or just pipes in an outside wall. Read more about what to do to prevent frozen pipes and what to do if you have frozen pipes in this blog “Freezing Pipes: Should I be worried?” Open up the kitchen and bathroom cabinets if they are on an outside wall and keep the door open to those rooms if possible. If you have exposed pipes in your crawl space and it is not insulated (which is should be) then make sure the vents are closed. You need to protect the crawl space in this weather.

Make sure your attic access has insulation over it. In so many houses the attic access insulation was never installed or moved and never put back in place. This is a huge hole in your thermal envelope and should be corrected immediately. Don’t let this one go without checking. If you want to take it an extra step, the attic access is a door and should be weatherstrip sealed to prevent air leakage.

Make sure your attic has the right amount of insulation and is completely insulated. Code minimum has moved to an R60 minimum. I honestly think R30 is economically and functionally all you need – so that is your minimum if you are adding it yourself. However, you want to make sure you don’t block any soffit ventilation if you have a vented attic – this could lead to more problems. If you have ductwork in the attic you really should insulate the entire attic.

Air leakage is a huge concern for comfort on cold days. Leaks around light fixtures, electrical outlets, doors, windows, and even at the top and bottom of walls cause heat loss and energy waste. Make sure your storm door is closed tight and the garage door is down.

Finally, as you start melting away any snow tomorrow, be sure to protect your concrete. Here is a guest post by Phyllis Friesen on the topic.

As they say, this too shall pass – it will be spring soon and there is a whole new list of household tasks that will need attention. I hope you have done the prep needed to be warm this winter but if you have not, make a list so you can get it done before next winter!

Do you need an architect for your custom home project?

by Charles Hendricks | Nov 28, 2024 | architecture, Charlottesville, Green Building, Harrisonburg Architect

Do you need an architect for your custom home project?

I encourage you to call us if you are thinking about building a new custom home. It doesn’t matter what your budget is or how big of a house you hope to build. We can help answer questions to get you started on the right track. As an architect, it is our job to know if you need our services or if there is an alternative path to achieve your dream home. We can be very helpful in delivering a higher value solution than most of the other options.

Building a custom home is a significant investment, and it’s crucial to ensure that the process is smooth and the end result meets your expectations. One of the best ways to achieve this is by hiring an architect. While it may seem like an additional expense, the benefits of working with a professional far outweigh the costs. The largest advantage is our training to visualize the right solution for your stated goals, land, and budget. Architects have the skills and knowledge to translate your ideas and dreams into tangible designs. We listen to your overall goals and through an understanding of building materials, building science, construction best practices, material availability, and builders available we can deliver the highest value solutions for your dream custom home. We can also streamline the construction process by drawing the details needed for the builder to execute the plan, reduce building material waste, and schedule the work efficiently.

There is a difference in a custom home and a new home and that is often where we provide the most value. A custom home will facilitate the life you want to live in the place you want to call home. We will think through how life might evolve to plan for the future. We will ask questions about how you want to live and think about how the house design can enhance those goals. We will also make sure that the entire house flows, is aesthetically pleasing, and can be built economically. Doing the work in the design phase to make sure that the house is your dream house will save time and money during construction.

By hiring an architect, you’re investing in the success of your custom home project. Our expertise, creativity, and problem-solving skills will ensure that your dream home becomes a reality.

Cold weather Cold house No More

by Charles Hendricks | Jan 21, 2024 | architecture, Building Science, Green Building, green term defined, Indoor Air Quality

Do you have a cold house? This cold snap has been a great reminder of all the things you can do to your home to stay warm and comfortable. From air leaks to missing insulation to old windows, there are many things that can be improved in most homes.

Even if you are not ready to call in the contractors, there are simple things that you can fix on your own to make your home more resilient.

Stop the air leaks around every electrical outlet and light switch.

That’s right, air leaks exist around every electrical outlet and light switch in your home! Yes, your windows are also a source of air leakage, but first you need to stop these points. You probably have a lot more linear leak potential around outlets than you have window problems.

Seal around light fixtures and window trim.

Sealing around your light fixtures and window trim is also an easy way to help your home, and you can do this yourself. Caulk those joints where two materials come together. Here is more on how to pick the right caulk.

Think through other air leak areas.

Basically, you’re doing it right now because you’re reading this blog. Think about where the air leaks could occur – think about all the places drywall was cut to install a vent, outlet, access panel, window, or light.

Good insulation is key!

Adding the right insulation in the right place is critical. Start in the attic, that “extra blanket you put over the house to keep the warm air inside“.
Add insulating curtains and open them when the sun is warm and close them when you want to trap the warm air in your home.Utilizing natural light is a great way to save you money.
Once the attic insulation is right, you should have someone conduct an energy audit to determine where else you need insulation corrections.

What is an energy audit?

Indoor Air Quality

Thinking about your indoor air quality will help you stay well during these cold months when you’re spending more time indoors.

More Winter Considerations

Other winter considerations to cut your electric bill while staying warm are your fireplace, outside mechanical systems, windows, and duct leakage. All of these things impact your comfort and energy usage. If you have single pane windows you can add plexi inside of them or cover them in plastic for now – replacement is a longer term solution. If you have air leaks and missing weatherstripping, replace it. If you have insulation falling down in your crawl space put it back into place until you can encapsulate your crawl. If you have pipes coming through walls with air space around them, seal it up.

On cold days like this, I am very happy that we choose to focus on building science solutions that are proven and tested for our client’s custom homes. I know that they are comfortable in their dream homes.

Air Quality in the Home: VOCs and Envelopes

by Charles Hendricks | Jul 31, 2023 | aging in place, Building Science, Green Building, Indoor Air Quality

Recently, Charles spoke at “Living Well in Your Lifetime Home,” a workshop featuring three certified aging-in-place specialists and industry experts: Charles; Amy Homan Depoy, OT/L, founder and owner of Cardinal Care, LLC; and Gabby Koontz, principal of Rendered Homes. This event was sponsored by VPAS in partnership with Harrisonburg Parks and Recreation. What a wonderful opportunity to share with the community.

While Charles discussed a wide range of designs and considerations, he highlighted indoor air quality as a very important design consideration for everyone. This is especially true as you age because you can become even more sensitive to poor air quality.

Charles speaks in front of people sitting at tables about Aging-In-Place design.

VOCs

There are many considerations when it comes to indoor air quality, and one is VOCs, which are present in all of our homes and potentially hazardous to our health.

VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compound. Many products used in home construction have these chemicals that are released into the air post-installation, called off-gassing. You might be surprised to know that VOCs are in every house and can be found in many common products including paints, lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials, printers, correction fluid, and glues. This is something to be taken seriously. VOCs can trigger asthma, eye irritation, cough, dizziness, and other adverse long-term health effects, and they are known to cause certain cancers.

Envelopes and Energy-Efficiency

Concentrations of VOCs are often found to be higher indoors than outdoors (an obvious conclusion looking at air circulation and volume of space). To compound the problem, the level of these chemicals could even be higher in an ‘energy-efficient’ home that does not have a dedicated fresh air system.

This is because the more air-tight a building envelope is, the more likely it is energy-efficient. (A building envelope refers to the walls and other materials separating the indoor air from the outdoor air). Creating an airtight home reduces energy leaks at all the gaps and cracks in your home’s walls (around windows and doors, where materials meet, plumbing penetrations, and more). This traps the air inside the home and doesn’t allow in outdoor air. While this prevents energy loss (or gain depending on the season) it also prevents the house from “airing out.” Air pressure around the home and in the home also plays a part in that, but that is for another blog on another day.

What should you do?

So what should you do if you want to save money with an energy-efficient home and you want to decrease VOCs and their harmful effects? Is this a catch-22? As scary as this may sound, it is not all doom and gloom, and there are ways to mitigate the amount of VOCs you will come into contact with in your home.

In the construction stage, carefully select products. VOCs can be found in many products including paints, lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials, and glues. We typically select products that have low to No VOCs in them for our clients when possible.
Include a dedicated fresh air system integrated with the heating and cooling system. This will draw in conditioned and filtered air into your home rather than relying on leaks in your home for “fresh” air.
Open your windows occasionally (if your allergies are not too triggered by the pollen levels).

Until products are no longer made with VOCs, these strategies will not eliminate 100% of VOCs, but they will diminish a known health risk to your family.

7 Summer Energy Saving Tips

by Charles Hendricks | Jun 27, 2023 | Building Science, Green Building, resources

The sun is shining down this summer and the weather is heating up out there. I’m suddenly more aware of my AC system… and the large amount of money it might be taking out of my wallet. These 7 tips can help you stay comfortable in the hotter temperatures and save money on your electric bill.

7 Tips to save energy and money:

Adjust your thermostat up a few degrees. This is one we hear a lot. The Department of Energy recommends that you keep the temperature at 78 degrees while people are indoors. It may not be realistic to keep your thermostat set this high for everyone, but try raising the temperature by just a few degrees and see what it feels like. When the temperature inside is close to the outdoor temperature, the less your HVAC system needs to run, saving you money.
Use those curtains! The sun beating through those gorgeous wide windows of yours can create significant heat in your house. On especially sunny days, draw the curtains and pull down the blinds to block the heat.
Let your shrubbery grow. The shade from outside landscaping (or inside, pictured left) can block the sun from sunny windows. Plants who prefer full sun do well on the South-facing side of your house, the side that gets the most sun and heat. Their flourishing growth will block your windows from the hottest direction. Your plants will love you and you will feel more cool!
Replace your HVAC filters. It can take about 2 minutes. Simple as that.
Use a clothesline instead of a dryer.
Take shorter, colder showers to save on the water and electric bill. Better yet, install a low-flow shower head.
Use a ceiling fan instead of turning on the air conditioner. The air moving around the room improves comfort without using a lot of energy.