Sustainable Farmhouse in Harrisonburg Project Update 3

Sustainable Farmhouse in Harrisonburg Project Update 3

Beck Builders has finished the Sustainable Farmhouse we designed just north of Harrisonburg. 

Click here to see more from past posts.

Click here to see more from past posts.

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The deep front porch provides plenty of space for seating.

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The rear deck has incredible views.

farmhouse deck

The open floor plan features high ceilings and lots of light and features a two-story stone chimney.

farmhouse living roomfarmhouse living room 1farmhouse kitchen 2Farmhouse kitchen    farmhouse kitchen 1Farmhouse barn door

The mud room has plenty of storage and cubicles to help keep life in order.

farmhouse laundry room farmhouse laundry room 1

The master bath showcases a claw foot tub and generous shower.

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The second floor has a reading room, bathroom, and three bedrooms.

farmhouse reading loftfarmhouse second bedroom     farmhouse kids bath

The Gaines Group Harrisonburg Office Is Taking Shape

The Gaines Group Harrisonburg Office Is Taking Shape

Our new office is open and getting into shape.

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The interior brick walls along the stair that were once covered in black char from the 80’s fire have been scraped. The stairs have been rebuilt leading to the second floor.

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Heading into the second floor, the window and door opening from the fire was preserved showing the fire damage.

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Where there once was a hole in the floor, now there is a kitchen finished with Alberene soapstone counters and Wolf Cabinets.

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Our signage is installed done by Eddie Edwards Signs.

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The front desk is installed using wood from attic fire damaged wood.  The base of the desk was fabricated by Excel Steel.

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The high top desks face the Marvin windows.

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Our LEED certificates are hung on the wall along with our awards placed on the shelving.

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The 100-year-old drafting desk from Ray’s family has been refinished and installed into my office.

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My office space is generous enough for a meeting table in addition to my desk. The wall behind is a dry erase board using Sherwin Williams system.

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My miniature architect toy is hanging out with my CSI, Interchange, On the Road Collaborative, and CATEC mug.

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My World’s Best Boss mug is there to remind everyone.

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Several of my old models from college and a few 3-D printed models are on the file cabinets.

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In our conference room we have a new table and chairs. What do you think? Again, there was no floor here a few months ago.

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Our new old lights have been redone to be energy-efficient and to preserve the patina from years of use. Thanks to Live Wire for their wonderful work.

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Maybe best of all, we have a large storage closet with lots of shelf space.

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Stop by and visit. Let us know your memories of the space. If you have any pictures from what the building used to be, we would love to see them.

Harmony Square Dairy Queen – Project Update Part 5

Harmony Square Dairy Queen – Project Update Part 5

Read our progress on the Harmony Square Dairy Queen here:

Part 1  –  Part 2  –  Part 3  –  Part 4

The Harmony Square Dairy Queen in now open. Stop in and check out the space. The store offers a great breakfast – I have tried it and it is worth the trip. Of course, my favorite remains the blizzards made by the sun. To top it off, this may be the greenest Dairy Queen in the country. The space features high performance insulation, tube skylights, solar panels, on-demand water heating, and LED lights. Here is a look back at photos from the final days of construction.

Signs Installed

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Spoons on the doors.

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Interior signage done – Welcome to your Harmony Square Dairy Queen

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Furniture put together.

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On-demand water heating system for low energy bills.

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Stormwater management system to filter first flush pollutants.

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Before signage, final clean up.

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Kitchen installation

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Exterior signs at drive-thru.

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Patio looking more like a patio.

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The Gaines Group 2015 in Review

2015 was a year of growth for The Gaines Group, PLC in both Harrisonburg and Charlottesville. As the economy came back stronger than it has been in the last eight years, we saw tremendous growth in both number and diversity of projects. It was a great year all around. 

I started with the firm in 1999. This marks my 15th year working with Ray and Roger taking away my graduate school time. Many things have changed over the years. Roger and I are partners, our firm name moved from Raymond E. Gaines, Architect to The Gaines Group, PLC. We have grown to include two offices and 10 people. Our depth and skill with over 100 years of combined experience is better than it has ever been before. We have seen talented and amazing designers come and go over the past 17 years. However, I believe right now we have the best team that we have ever had. As we move into our 30th year in business we have some big plans. I look forward to sharing the news with you as things are finalized. Thank you for your support on social media and in the community as a whole. I am looking forward to 2016 and expect big things.

Here are some highlights from the past year.

houzz

The Gaines Group, PLC was named the “Best of Houzz” for the fourth year in a row.

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Construction finished on this aging-in-place inspired custom home in Albemarle County.

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Construction was completed on Stoney Run Farm, a state of the art milking facility in Rockingham County.

Canstruction poster

The Gaines Group organized and sponsored Canstruction Harrisonburg

PLAYHOUSE COMPETITION

The Gaines Group sponsored the SVBA Green Playhouse Design Competition.

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Charles organized the SVBA Home and Garden Show education sessions.

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Charles started providing energy audits for Harrisonburg Electric Commission.

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Construction started on the new Harrisonburg office in the Historic Chesapeake Western Railroad Depot.

cohousing

Charles attended the National Cohousing Conference

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The Gaines Group made it to the Top 5 in the Marvin Windows and Doors annual Architects Challenge.

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Charles built a maker space in his basement.

soap box derby

Charles volunteered with the Harrisonburg All-American Soap Box Derby.

helloharrisonburginterview

Charles was featured on Hello Harrisonburg.

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Charles toured Falling Water.

front porch

The Gaines Group, PLC was named a finalist in the Red Diamond Awards.

Hannah Jackson

Hannah Jackson joined our team to add Interior Design experience.

Blue Ridge Area Food Bank

Construction was completed on the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank in Verona.

architectural coloring book

The Gaines Group created an architectural coloring book.

Construct Show

presentations

Charles, Ray, and Meg attended Construct Show.

Goose Creek Apartments

Goose Creek Apartments opened.

Tiny House

Construction on the Tiny House in Harrisonburg finished.

Roberto the Insect Architect

Charles developed a collection of architectural resources for primary school teachers.

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Charles gave green building tours of Charlottesville for students from France.

Harmony Square Dairy Queen

Construction began on the greenest Dairy Queen in the country.

chesapeake western depot

The Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance Facade Enhancement Grant was awarded to the Depot.

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Construction started on a Sustainable Harrisonburg Farm House.

My Christmas wish for you.

My Christmas wish for you.

It has been an amazing year here at the Harrisonburg Gaines Group office. We grew adding Hannah Jackson to our team. Deborah and I stayed very busy all year with a huge variety of projects. We were able to provide healthy, energy-efficient, and durable design to more than 35 different clients out of our valley office (more than double the previous year).  The year was good both in quality of projects and economics of projects – what more could I ask for as a business owner in the valley. This success is all because of you giving us opportunities. Whether you hired us to do design, viewed a blog post, liked a facebook post, told someone about our company, or wrote a review of our work online – you helped us sustain, grow, and thrive here in the valley – so Thank You. Thank you for allowing me to help others, to do something I enjoy as a career, to survive here in the valley. Thank you.

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My Christmas wish for you is for you to find peace, comfort, and love during this wonderful season. I wish for you to have family and friends by your side to help you through any obstacle you face. I wish for you a Merry and Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

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Christmas Shopping From an Architect: Energy Efficient and Cost Effective

Time to finish up your Christmas Shopping!

Well it is December 23rd, so probably time for you guys to finish your Christmas shopping. Ok, who are we fooling, it is time for some of you guys to start your Christmas shopping. I know it is hard to figure out what she is dreaming of, so I am here to help. Every girl I know LOVES getting energy efficiency tools that will help lower electric bills and save the planet. Here are some ideas:

LED Bulbs

cree-led-bulb-looks-incandescent-640x353; Christmas shopping

Solar Panels – who does not love a good solar panel?

net zero house harrisonburg

Spray Foam – girls LOVE spray foam

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An Energy Audit (call me and I might be able to provide a basic one for free)

Energy audits are an inspection that looks at energy flow in a building. The objective of an audit is to identify things that can be modified to reduce energy usage and increase comfort and safety for the occupants of the building.

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Heat Pump Hot Water Heater

product-heat-pump-water-heater; Christmas shopping

Solar light tubes

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solatube

Front load washer and dryer (careful on this one, it might not have the impact you want)

Tiny House

Thermal curtains to make your rooms more comfortable.

thermal2; Christmas shopping

Water efficient faucets to help reduce hot water demand.

Chesapeake Western Depot Harrisonburg; Christmas shopping

Energy gaskets for the electric outlets and light switches

electrical outlets; Christmas shopping

If these don’t work, I have no idea what went wrong….

Christmas shopping