Planning Your Kitchen Renovation: Where to Begin

by Charles Hendricks | Jul 14, 2025 | architecture, project update

Kitchen renovations are among the most popular home improvement projects we are seeing now. The good news is they consistently offer a strong return on investment, averaging 92.9% according to Remodeling Magazine. Beyond the financial aspect, the kitchen has evolved into the central hub of the home and a primary gathering space for families. Many older homes, however, feature closed-off kitchen layouts, prompting a common renovation goal: opening the kitchen to adjacent living areas to foster a more connected family environment.

Before

kitchen renovation

After

The First Step: Consult an Architect to Determine What Is Possible

Before embarking on your kitchen transformation, we strongly recommend consulting an architect who operates independently, free from affiliations with cabinet sales or specific product biases. An architect will approach your project with an objective perspective, carefully assessing your space and structural requirements, understanding your functional and aesthetic goals, and developing design solutions that align with your budget.

Key Renovation Considerations

A kitchen renovation involves numerous decisions, from material selections to layout optimization. An experienced designer can guide you through choices such as:

Countertop materials: Selecting the right countertop involves balancing durability, aesthetics, and maintenance.
Enhanced functionality: Maximizing your kitchen’s efficiency through smart storage solutions, appliance placement, and workflow design.
Achieving your dream kitchen: Translating your vision into a practical and beautiful space that meets your unique needs.

Project Update: Haiti Agape Pavilion

by Audrey | Apr 18, 2025 | Charlottesville, community, Empathy, Not used, project update

Project Update: Haiti Agape Pavilion

By: Paul Tassell

Seven years ago, The Gaines Group donated their time and expertise to assist with a project in Haiti. That project is now nearing completion.

Charlottesville First United Methodist Church partnered with The Friends of Fort Liberte, a 501(c)3 founded to serve the people of the Ft. Liberte area in northeast Haiti. This charity has helped develop many projects including projects serving the Eben-Ezer Primary School which provides education to hundreds of Haitian students.

Dave Wheatley, a Trustee of CFUMC, approached The Gaines Group about one of those projects. The Eben-Ezer School was in need of a pavilion where their students were protected from the sun and rain during lunch. The Gaines Group provided renderings for fundraising purposes and structural design for the now Agape Pavilion. Volunteers plan to return, now that the pavilion is nearing completion, to build picnic tables.

The Agape Pavilion means so much to the community. Pastor Dasnis Pierre of Haiti expressed his appreciation, saying “we will be able to create a community life among the students at the school. The pavilion will also be available for church gatherings and festivals. The Agape Pavilion will be a place of love and sharing.”

If you would like to donate to this cause or the many projects for Friends of Fort Liberte, please visit their website: https://friendsoffortliberte.com/system/causes/view/252/the-agape-pavilion

Project Update: Ralph Sampson Park Spraygrounds

by Audrey | Mar 26, 2025 | community, Harrisonburg Architect, Not used, project update

Project Update: Ralph Sampson Park Spraygrounds

We’re excited to see the progress coming along at Ralph Sampson Park! Check it out!

Eastern Mennonite Elementary School project update

by Charles Hendricks | Jan 16, 2025 | architecture, Commercial Architect, Harrisonburg Architect, Interior Design, project update, School architect

Eastern Mennonite Elementary school is in the home stretch with finishes being installed. On my last visit the lights were being installed inside, the drywall was done, and the shape of the space was clear. I am looking forward to a return visit as the doors have been installed and I imagine the space is flooded with light. There is also a special stained glass installation happening in one of the three upper windows on the north side of the space. I have seen bits of this beautiful work being created by Zachery Nafzinger on his social media posts for ZN Stained Glass.

This space will serve as a place of gathering for the students of the Elementary school to come together and build community. This is a fundamental goal of our firm is to create spaces where this can happen. The idea of building a stronger community through design is what drives us to keep doing what we are doing.

The goal of this building and this space was to keep a connection to the outside, to make it adaptable for many uses, and to incorporate building science / sustainability. We have achieved each of those goals with the wide doors that can stay open in nice weather creating a pavilion like space. The space will be used for lunch, class gatherings, whole school functions, and even a recreation space for days when PE cannot be outside. The building science / sustainability strategies we have used throughout this project include air tight insulation, exterior continuous insulation, LED lights, and a simple form to reduce material use while making the building striking from the outside.

I cannot wait to see it finished and being used. I know the teachers will also welcome this added space for their daily functions.

Blue Ridge Area Food Bank – Charlottesville Project Update

by Charles Hendricks | Jan 15, 2025 | architecture, Charlottesville, Commercial Architect, project update

We have had the honor of working with the on several projects at their Verona and Charlottesville locations. In Charlottesville a few years ago we were able to support an interior renovation to allow for more office spaces and to brighten up the warehouse space.

Last year, we returned to the facility to help solve a space need they were having for additional freezer capacity. After receiving a grant, they were able to add an outdoor freezer that doubled their capacity. As you probably know already the need in our community continues to rise so the storage needs at the facility continues to grow. In order to protect the freezer we were tasked with designing a canopy to cover the new and existing freezers. This will help extend the life of the equipment allows them to operate a little more efficiently.

The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is a non-profit organization that works to alleviate hunger in the Blue Ridge region of Virginia. Their mission is to improve food security through equitable access to good nutrition and the resources that support health and well-being. They cover 25 counties and 8 cities through our region which accounts for the millions of pounds of food they make available annually.

For more information about Blue Ridge Area Food Bank go to their website: https://www.brafb.org/

Haiti Eating Pavilion – Project Update

by Charles Hendricks | Jan 12, 2025 | architecture, Charlottesville, project update

Paul sent us an update on the Haiti Eating Pavilion project he worked on with Dave Wheatley.

Dave is a carpenter that attends church with Paul at Charlottesville First United Methodist Church. He approached Gaines Group Architects to provide a rendering for fundraising and awareness purposes and structural consultation for an eating pavilion. Dave is a project team leader that travels to Haiti to help build a variety of projects for churches in Haiti. He operates through a group called FrIends of Fort LIberte.