Top 10 Blog Posts of 2025!

Top 10 Blog Posts of 2025!

by | Dec 31, 2025 | architecture, artwork, Blacksburg, Bryce Resort, Charles Hendricks, Charlottesville, citizen architect, Custom Home, First Friday, Harrisonburg, Harrisonburg Architect, Holiday, In Review, Interior Design, Massanutten Resort, project update, Roanoke, Roanoke Architect, team

Happy New Year! Before we jump into 2026, enjoy a quick recap of our top 10 blog posts of 2025!

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!
Read Post Here

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!
Read Post Here

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!
Read Post Here

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!

Blog Post Here

6. Eastern Mennonite Elementary School Project Update

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

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!
Read Post Here

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!
Read Post Here

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!
Read Post Here

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!
Read Post Here
Thank you for a wonderful 2025, we will see you in 2026!
A Holiday Message from The Gaines Group Architects

A Holiday Message from The Gaines Group Architects

by | Dec 24, 2025 | Charlottesville, community, Harrisonburg, Holiday, Roanoke

As we approach year end, the lights are glowing a little brighter in our studios—not just from the holiday decorations, but from the warmth of a year that has truly redefined what “home” and “community” mean to us.

It’s been an incredible year of growth, challenges, and deep reflection. We’ve watched some amazing projects move through our pipeline and celebrated the completion of others that were years in the making. From the Spanish Learning Lab Daycare to the Rockingham County Timber Frame House, we have been reminded daily of the immense privilege we hold. It is a profound responsibility to design the spaces of dreams, whether that is a custom family home or a growing business.

Growing Our Impact

This year, our “planning for growth” became a reality as we officially opened our new office in Roanoke. For our CEO, Charles Hendricks, this was more than a business expansion; it was a homecoming to the Star City. By establishing a permanent home in the CoLab in Grandin Village and welcoming Claude Breithaupt to lead our Roanoke team, we are better positioned than ever to serve the Roanoke and New River Valley.

Our mission remains clear: through design, we can make the world a better place for everyone. Whether we are working with Habitat for Humanity or helping a client “future-proof” their home for aging-in-place, we believe architecture is an ethical duty. We design for the “seven generations” ahead, ensuring our impact is measured in sustainability, accessibility, and joy.

A Heartfelt Thank You

As we pause on this sacred evening, we want to say thank you.

  • To our team: For rallying together and supporting one another. From our newest team members like Lindsey, Claude, Isabel, Lizzy, and Nicole you are the heart of this firm. Thank you.
  • To our clients: Thank you for trusting us with your dreams. Whether we were working on a custom home, business relocation or expansion, or a school addition, thank you for trusting a process we know works.
  • To our community: To those who follow our Design Matters blog, click through our website, or show up at events like “First Fridays” or the “Festival of Trees”—thank you. Your belief in our mission to create healthy, inclusive environments is what fuels our passion.

We love what we do because we get to do it with you. As we look toward the New Year, we aren’t just looking for “the right opportunities”—we are looking for the right ways to increase our impact on the world.

From all of us at The Gaines Group in Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, and Roanoke: Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

May your holiday be as resilient, warm, and well-designed as the homes in your dreams.

First Fridays: A Recap!

First Fridays: A Recap!

by | Dec 19, 2025 | First Friday, Holiday

One of our favorite programs we participate in is the First Fridays of the Valley here in Harrisonburg. This year-round program works with local businesses in the Downtown Harrisonburg area, to provide space for local artists of all types, ages, and experience levels to show off their hard work. Part of our mission here at Gaines Group Architects is to help our community become stronger and more vibrant. Supporting local art is such a great way to help us achieve this mission! 2025 has been a great year and we hosted artists here at The Depot every month from March to December. You can find photos, info about the artists and take a look at just some of the art we got to host below! We look forward to seeing what next year brings, and stay tuned! 2026 is going to be extra special!

We are so grateful we got to host so many wonderful artists this year! Click each one of their photos below to learn more about them and follow along on their future works!

In December, our First Friday looks just a little different. We get to host not only a primary artist, as well as other artists who join us for one day only! This year, our primary artist was Lauren Henderson (her beautiful art is on display here at The Depot through the end of the year, so be sure to stop by before time runs out!)

We also use this First Friday to have a building-wide holiday celebration with a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, live music from talented musicians from Red Wing Academy, and delicious refreshments gratefully provided by our in-house neighbors Herr & Co, and R.S. Monger & Sons. It’s so special to see everyone come together during this time of year!

Take a look at the gallery below for a few pictures from our December First Friday! 

Festival of Trees: More Than Just Family Fun!

Festival of Trees: More Than Just Family Fun!

by | Dec 12, 2025 | community, Holiday, Lake Monticello, team

Blog by: Adrienne Stronge

 

For my family and me, the Lake Monticello Community Foundation’s Festival of Trees has been a holiday staple since its very first year. Living here at the Lake, it is a celebration we look forward to every December. My kids love walking through the Ashlawn Clubhouse, marveling at the creativity, and carefully choosing which trees to drop their raffle tickets into.

However, this year was a little different—and extra special.

While my family has attended for years, this is the first year The Gaines Group Architects participated as a firm. I was thrilled to bring my professional team into this personal family tradition. Our entry, themed “Brick the Halls,” was designed to capture that same childhood joy I see in my own kids.

We traded our blueprints for building blocks, decorating the tree with LEGO ornaments and offering a full set of LEGOs as a prize. The reception was fantastic—we saw so many kids (and the young at heart!) pointing out the hidden brick Santas and snowmen, and our tree gathered a “ton” of raffle tickets.

Supporting Our Neighbors

Beyond the fun of the LEGOs, bringing The Gaines Group to this event was about supporting the community I call home. We wanted to support the Lake Monticello Community Foundation (LMCF) because of the tangible good they do in Fluvanna County.

The LMCF’s work aligns perfectly with our firm’s passion for Universal Design and accessibility. Their funding for the accessible playground and the accessible beach access ensures that the lake is a welcoming place for everyone, regardless of mobility. As architects in Charlottesville and residents of this community, seeing these improvements firsthand reminds us why inclusive design matters.

Community Impact: From the Lake to the Valley and Roanoke

At The Gaines Group Architects, we believe architecture is about service. This philosophy drives us across all our locations.

While this event supported my neighbors near our Charlottesville office, our commitment to community extends across Virginia:

  • Harrisonburg: Our roots in the Shenandoah Valley are deep, built on years of sustainable design and community partnership.
  • Roanoke: We are excited to announce our new office in Roanoke! Just as we are “bricking the halls” here at the Lake, our Roanoke team is already hitting the ground running, getting involved with local organizations to support the Star City.

Whether we are designing a custom home, a commercial renovation, or volunteering for a local non-profit, our goal remains the same: to design solutions that improve the lives of those around us.

Building a Future Together

Thank you to the LMCF for another amazing Festival of Trees, and to everyone who supported our “Brick the Halls” tree. It was an honor to merge my family tradition with my firm’s values this year.

If you are looking for architects in Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, or Roanoke who value community, sustainability, and creative design, let’s connect. Whether you are looking to build a new home or renovate a space for aging-in-place, we are ready to help you put the pieces together.

Learn more about our work and our offices at www.thegainesgroup.com.

December First Fridays and Holiday Party at the Depot!

December First Fridays and Holiday Party at the Depot!

by | Nov 24, 2025 | First Friday, Holiday

SANTA IS COMING TO THE DEPOT!!!!

Join us for First Fridays Harrisonburg in December at the Depot on December 5th from 5-7 PM! We will be hosting multiple artists, live music, and Santa for a First Friday Holiday Party that you will not want to miss!

Our featured artist for the month of December is Lauren Henderson!

Series Name: Subjective Beauty
Medium: Mixed Media

Artist Statement: This series focuses on native and invasive insects found in Virginia. All insects are visually represented in neither a positive or negative light, and the written counterparts establish each one as either native or invasive.

Artist Bio: Lauren is a studio art major at Bridgewater College. She is primarily a photographer working in wildlife conservation outreach, but experiments with different traditional media such as pen & ink and pastels.

We will also be featuring work from a few other artists, craft vendors, and live music from the talented students at Red Wing Academy!

Rosie Clark

Medium: Ceramics
Artist Bio and Statement:

Rosie is an art and communications student interested in painting and news writing. She takes inspiration from the human form, nature, and abstraction. In this series, she blends ideas of beauty and repulsion by using compelling color and surface design with grotesque, figurative form.

Moriah Asbridge

Medium: Graphite Drawings
Artist Bio and Statement:

Moriah Asbridge, born and raised in Fort Valley Virginia, moved to Harrisonburg in 2024. After graduating High School in 2018, she has pursued self-employment in several different areas, but art has remained a quiet past-time. Drawn by the amazing intricacies of what she believes is God’s design, she aims to capture precious moments, quirky personalities, and favorite memories. Though having dabbled in landscape painting, painting nature in water-colors, and sketching all subjects in colored-pencil, Moriah’s main medium is graphite, and though pets are a close second, her main subject is people.
“Little Beginnings” is an exhibition displaying just a few portrait sketches of children whom Moriah has had the pleasure of teaching in one form or another. She grew right alongside these little ones, as they impacted her greatly!

Red Wing Academy

The Academy’s mission is to nurture both the wings and the roots of the newest generation of old time musicians. We provide emerging, student musicians with the skills, talents, and community to go beyond classical training into the culture of improvisational performance and group play, the hallmark of a genre that has always celebrated spontaneity and place as part of its sound and tradition. We are so excited they will be joining us again this year!

Even Santa himself will be joining us!

Don’t miss out on our final First Friday of the year! It will be filled with holiday cheer, celebration, togetherness, and of course refreshments!

*Accessibility Note: This building was previously restored from a fire. The elevator shaft is currently not functioning and there is an absence of ramps in the space. Because the show is on the 2nd floor, this may pose an issue for those who have mobility challenges. We are aware of this need and we apologize greatly if this changes your ability to attend.

This event is free and open to everyone. Snacks and refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there!

Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show anytime and get a tour the Depot!

10 Tips to Go Green This Thanksgiving 2025

10 Tips to Go Green This Thanksgiving 2025

by | Nov 21, 2025 | family, Holiday

Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude, family, and—let’s be honest—a lot of food. As we look ahead to Thanksgiving 2025, it’s the perfect time to commit to making your celebration more sustainable. By incorporating just a few eco-friendly practices, you can reduce your waste and carbon footprint without sacrificing any of the holiday joy.

Here are 10 tips to make your Thanksgiving celebration green:

Open kitchen with a view

In the Kitchen & Shopping:

  1. Shop Local for Your Feast: Commit to buying ingredients from your local farmer’s market, a Food Co-op, or a farmer in your area. This not only supports your community but drastically reduces the transportation distance and associated carbon emissions of your meal.
  2. Skip the Paper and Plastic Bags: As you head to the grocery store, always remember to take your reusable bags.
  3. Use a Reusable Roasting Pan: Skip the increasingly popular, but environmentally unfriendly, disposable roasting pans. A sturdy, reusable roasting pan is a better choice for the environment.
  4. Compost Leftovers: Instead of throwing away vegetable scraps, turkey bones, or uneaten leftovers, remember to compost them. This diverts food waste from landfills, where it would otherwise produce methane gas.

On the Table: 

  1. Use Cloth Napkins: Americans use an enormous amount of paper napkins each year. Help reduce this paper waste by switching to cloth napkins for your celebration.
  2. Use the Fancy China and Silverware: Ditch the disposable plastic utensils and paper plates. Using your permanent China plates and silverware not only elevates your table setting but prevents single-use waste from ending up in a local landfill.
The Gaines Group Team

Hosting & Travel:

  1. Ask Guests to Bring Reusable To-Go Containers: You’re guaranteed to have leftovers! Help your guests take food home sustainably by asking them to bring their own reusable to-go containers instead of relying on disposable plastic or aluminum.
  2. Use LED Bulbs: Use LED bulbs to light your celebration. They use significantly less energy and last much longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.
  3. Remember to Recycle: Be mindful of all the extra packaging that comes with holiday groceries and new items. Set aside bins and remember to recycle all eligible packaging instead of throwing it away.
  4. Carpool: If you are traveling or hosting guests, plan to carpool. By reducing the total number of miles driven individually, you can collectively lower the carbon emissions associated with your holiday travel.