The Gaines Group expanded into the Shenandoah Valley almost six years ago. Our first project in the valley turned into our first LEED Gold Certified project completed. It took a lot of trust for that builder to bring us into their project. We were the new guy in town and they had a repeat client trusting them to put together the right team.
Trust, that is the key to business success. Bloomberg Business Week says “customers need a reason to believe in your company.” To do this they say you need to tell the whole story, provide testimonials, and demonstrate your expertise. We did this with our first builder relationship here in the Valley. We worked hard to build trust and followed through to achieve our goal on the project.
Our primary goal as an architectural firm here in the valley is to design solutions that lead to a better community for everyone. We work hard to deliver projects that underscore that commitment to the future. Our firm is dedicated to building relationships with those in our community with this shared vision. In order to do this and continue our growth in the valley, we continue to need your support. Simple acts of telling others about our work both face to face and written testimonials, supporting us in social media, and commenting on our blog posts go a very long way into building trust.
We would love to share our story with you and talk about how we can build a better community. Come see us at the SVBA Home and Garden Show on April 12-13, connect with us on social media or our blog, or just give us a call.
The dark-sky movement is an effort to reduce light pollution. This is a problem not only in large cities, but it impacts us here in the valley as well. There are many advantages to reducing light pollution from increased stars visible at night, improving public health and safety, to cutting energy use. James Madison University professors Shanil Virani and Dr. Paul Bogard are leading the charge here in the valley this week along with many dedicated students and community members with their events called Starry Nights Harrisonburg. They are starting the conversation, asking questions, and offering insights. Last night the first event was held at the Court Square Theater. The screening of “The City Dark”, an award-winning documentary, highlighted the increased light pollution in cities on the east coast and the impacts on environmental health, human health, and energy usage.
As one of the panel members, I was honored to be part of the conversation. This is an interesting topic for me as I started my career in 1999 in Charlottesville. Albemarle County had already put a dark sky ordinance in place and Charlottesville soon followed with their own. For the last 15 years I have been working to meet those standards on the majority of our projects. The selections were slim 15 years ago for compliant fixtures and we did not have many options. Since that time, full cut off light fixtures (dark sky compliant) have become readily available in any aesthetic and at almost any price range. We just completed a project using cutting edge LED bollards and pole lights in a historic neighborhood. Using motion sensors and these very efficient light fixtures the energy usage is near zero, and the light pollution is non-existent. Some will tell you they need more light to create a safe neighborhood, but the reality is, to build a healthy and SAFE neighborhood, you need well designed and intentional lighting.
Design matters in every aspect of our lives. The decisions we make impact the environment, health, and welfare of our community. We can be better by taking time to design the best solutions, plan for the future, and think through the impacts of our design decisions prior to implementation. If you have time, I encourage you to get involved in this conversation to stop light pollution and to improve our community. Events are scheduled all this week and are free to the public.
This infill project in Downtown Harrisonburg makes the most of a small footprint. Featuring an open floor plan, 3 bedrooms, and a roof top deck, this home is perfect for a growing family and their friends.
The lot nestled in a historic neighborhood has the rare quality of lots of trees. Our design challenge was to create a small footprint to preserve that quality while giving the function needed for the family. The builder, Beck Builders, is taking time and care to protect the site during construction which is needed on a tight building site.
What are the things you need to do in your home before the new baby comes home? What precautions do you need to take? What changes do you make?
Those of us with children have gone through the process – time to baby proof your home. You purchase electric outlet covers, make sure the chemicals are put away in locked cabinets, and install the baby gate. We paint the new nursery and build the crib. So what did you miss? What other things should you do?
There are other things that you should consider. First while installing the outlet covers, be sure to take the outlet plate off first and caulk the openings around the box. This will improve the indoor air quality of your home. Air leakage is a huge problem for indoor air quality and we all want the best environment possible for our children.
When painting the nursery be sure to use No VOC paintsso that you are not introducing chemicals into the sleeping environment. VOC’s used to be a standard in our household paints and many other products, but now with a little research you can find better solutions.
Install your CO2 sensors to further protect the indoor air quality. Many houses have smoke detectors, but they should also have CO2 Sensors. While you are at it, do a radon test. We have heard of many homes in our area having high levels of radon after the Earthquake a few years ago.
Other things to consider, easy access into the home for the stroller. If you have the opportunity to build it new, plan for easy access for those days when your hands are full. Make sure you have easy to function assemblies around your home, water dispenser in the fridge that only requires one hand when your other has a baby in it. Door handles should be able to function with your elbow. Make sure you have the home automation system installed to be able to monitor what is going on to give you more freedom to move around the home.
Bringing a baby home is a wonderful time in your life. Enjoy it worry free by taking these extra precautions.
I got the question last week, can we make a particular style energy-efficient. There is a common misconception that energy-efficient design dictates a particular style. When the reality is there is no style that cannot be created in a healthy, energy-efficient, and durable manner. It just takes design.
This New England Farmhouse is LEED Certified, extremely efficient and durable.
This home was based which is a net-zero home is a more contemporary solution.
This prairie style home was built using a high performance approach to insulation, HVAC, and windows.
This Energy Star Certified home is very energy-efficient, but uses many traditional details.
Getting an energy audit for you home is a relatively new concept. This process will highlight the problems in your home that you can address for more energy-efficiency. Using a thermal image camera is the key to “seeing” the problems. This blog shows the tools function.
