by Charles Hendricks | Aug 2, 2024 | architecture, project update
Our most recent Elk Rock Meadow custom home is moving along and now has walls, windows, and a roof. This Craftsman Style house is being built by Herr and Company.
The driveway brings you into the site and towards the front of the home. From there you can see the barn on the left and the incredible front porch. The two-story home on a partial basement will feature craftsman-style details including stone bases on the tapered columns. The barn on the left will allow our clients to have flexible workspace for their future hobbies. The two-story structure has garage bays and an open plan second floor.
The house entry is recessed giving plenty of room to greet guests while framing the view through the back of the house and out over the valley beyond.
The den in the back opens up to a large deck area where you will be able to enjoy some amazing views.
Pictured below is the house wrap that protects the walls from bulk water while allowing vapor to move through the assembly. This is an important element of the building science strategies used to make this home durable, efficient, and comfortable.
As the house continues to take shape we will post updates. To see past blogs about this project, you can visit Here and Here.
by Charles Hendricks | Jul 24, 2024 | architecture, project update
We are in the last few weeks of construction for the Harrisonburg Rockingham Child Day Care Center in downtown Harrisonburg. This facility that we have done updates on in the past (here, here, and here) is due to open in August. There will be a phase 2 of the project so don’t be surprised to see things not 100% in their final places when phase 1 is done.
Over the last week, plumbing fixtures were set, ceilings were installed, FRT panels placed, and flooring started going in. The building is emerging from the “under construction” look that we have seen in past updates and taking on that warm inviting look of a daycare.
The facility will offer sliding scale childcare in the heart of downtown Harrisonburg. From babies to pre-school, this facility is filling a huge need in our community.
by Charles Hendricks | Jun 24, 2024 | architecture, project update
This project update highlights our affordable day care in Harrisonburg.
Harrisonburg Construction continues to make progress towards finishing phase 1 of the Harrisonburg Rockingham Child Day Care Center. This sliding-scale daycare will provide much-needed infant care in the heart of downtown Harrisonburg.
Many of the photos so far have been of duct work and torn apart spaces as this renovation project took an existing building back to stud so that it could be modernized and updated for the new use. The challenge with renovation work and a change of use to a structure is that often the existing systems do not meet the new requirements. This project required an entirely new heating and cooling system to provide efficient comfort and required fresh air needs for a daycare function. We also have added a sprinkler system which is required for this use because, well, babies are slow to run out of a building if there is an emergency.
We are keeping the existing tall slender windows that were already in the structure, which will allow the new occupants, who are maybe shorter than the former professional office staff, to have views of the downtown hustle and bustle. The glass in these opening will be replaced in phase 2 to bring a higher level of energy efficiency to the building.
There are also some remnants of old that will become a really cool imagination space in the future. Can you imagine these steps that once led to the adjacent building as a castle for play? Could it have a forest mural on the wall behind with mountains on each riser? Perhaps each level of step is a different scene in an imaginative play? We will see as the work continues.
For other updates on this project see posts here and here.
by Charles Hendricks | Jun 24, 2024 | architecture, Commercial Architect, project update
When the owners of a local Oriental Restaurant decided they wanted to create a new concept, we got busy with the builder, Constable Construction, figuring out the right solution. This project is taking shape and finishes are now being installed. The open dining area will be inviting and the drive-thru will be heavily used as the food, we already know, will be incredible! The Oriental Express and Catering Company will soon be a household name in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.
We have experience with multiple types of restaurants and knew what questions to ask to figure out how this one would function. Creating an efficient kitchen is a key to making the business work as restaurants have slim profit margins and need to be quick and efficient. We learned along with the business owner where to find and source the right equipment and how the flow in the space should work. The dining area has an efficient floor area, so we made the ceilings tall and brought in a lot of light. This will allow for a very comfortable and inviting space.
The exterior of the building needed to be eye catching to draw in customers. We blended stone and stucco to create a modern overall aesthetic.
Understanding the importance of space, we located the business office above the storage room, allowing for a compact floor plan while still allowing natural light into the work room (often a restaurant office is left interior to the business with no views out). We hope this will allow for not only a comfortable and inviting work space, but the ability for the manager to see how things are going downstairs when they are balancing the books.
We cannot wait for this restaurant to open so we can taste their creations!
by Charles Hendricks | Jun 20, 2024 | architecture, Harrisonburg Architect, Massanutten Resort, project update
Beck Builders has started moving dirt at Massanutten Resort for a new custom home. This contemporary architectural creation will be flooded with natural light and have some incredible views. Working on a tight-sloped site in this resort has several challenges: driveway, garage, water management, and rock to name a few. However, our client had a clear vision for what they wanted in this incredible design and we were able to fit the pieces on the site and create just the right solution.
Our process for working on a custom home is to work hard to figure out the life our client wants to live on this particular building site. We have a series of questions to get to know each client’s goals and values, how they function in a space, and how they would enjoy this new home. We want to know functionally how spaces need to work with each other and what the dream day might be. When designing a custom solution, we help facilitate the goals our clients dream about. It is a design process that not only focuses on beauty but functionality and buildability too. We want to make it efficient and affordable to build and operate, so we work hard to find the values in our client’s dreams and incorporate those into the structure.
In this design, we used a variety of techniques to show the client what the spaces would look and feel like as they make critical design decisions. Keeping the high ceilings and glass wall facing the views was an important element in their vision. This, along with the narrow lot and slope, gave us the parameters to design within. With an understanding of building science and materials, we created an efficient structure to build that will be aesthetically striking and provide our clients with functional spaces to live comfortably.
Knowing the clients comes from listening to the clients. There are a lot of conversations that happen throughout the design process and the more we listen, the more we learn and can design the right solution.
Hearing from the builder that our complete design will make the build go smoother reassures us that our process works and provides greater value – as time is money when it comes to construction. We strive to achieve that balance between beautiful and functional design in every home we create. We want builders to be proud of what they are constructing. Most importantly, we want our clients to live their dream life in their new space.
by Charles Hendricks | Jun 17, 2024 | architecture, Commercial Architect, project update, School architect
The Eastern Mennonite Elementary School gathering space is taking shape as foundation walls are revealed. It has been such a joy to return to this project to add the gathering space to the Elementary School we helped create years ago. In the design of this addition, we once again worked hand in hand with the teachers and staff of Eastern Mennonite School to make sure we addressed concerns, enhanced their ability to serve their students, and created a comfortable space for their students. I am really looking forward to seeing how the soft northern light will bath over this space and how the warm radiant floors designed by Rockingham Engineering will make the space enjoyable year-round.
At the site meeting this week I was thrilled to hear from Herr and Company that the foundation walls and grade worked out exactly as we had planned. This will allow for multiple access points and the ability to open this space up in comfortable weather as a pavilion space. The connection to outside / nature is a core component of this schools educational standards. Designing a commercial space that can serve as both an indoor and outdoor space has some building science challenges. Working with the design team we were able to come up with solutions that will be durable, sustainable, and comfortable.
This addition will allow for large group gatherings in the building and provide flexible small study rooms, a warming kitchen, storage space, and outdoor solid surface gathering areas.
More on the addition of the gathering space in Phase II Here.
