Check your door and window weather-stripping. Air leakage is the biggest energy waste that we find in homes. Making sure doors and windows seal tight will make your home more comfortable this fall and winter. Keeping doors and windows locked when closed will increase the...

We got some new pictures of one of our favorite projects, the Penn Laird custom home. These show the solar system that was installed by the clients. I hear all the time that solar is ugly. I think this shows how solar can be done to look good, blend into the architecture, and...

The Gaines Group, PLC voted “Best Small Architectural Firm” in the 2014 Best of Building Award by USGBC’s 13,000 member organizations around the world. The inaugural “people’s choice” awards recognize the year’s best products, projects, organizations and individuals making an...

If you’ve ever thought about using solar power for your electricity, here’s your chance! Solarize Harrisonburg is a local, grass-roots cooperative to increase the use of solar power in Harrisonburg/Rockingham County.  Under this program, community members leverage bulk buying...

The Construct Show has come and gone. It was a great event with excellent learning opportunities, networking, conversations, and sight seeing. If you can make it next year, I would encourage you to be in St. Louis! Here are some highlights from my experience this year.  

The design of an apartment building is not often discussed in the world of architects. Many developers use cheap materials that will not last very long, amenities are used to attract tenants, and lets face it, usually the rent is the final criteria for those selecting a place to...

Thinking of building a custom home? Know the steps so you can control the process. The next step in our series is just after you sign the contract with a contractor – what happens? Catch up on this series “Custom Home – How to Get Started” with the following links: Part one...

The average American spends a large amount of their time indoors in our current society (according to an EPA survey, 90% of our time is inside). This makes the Indoor Environmental Quality of your built environment critical. This is the air that you breathe, the type of light,...

In looking back through blog posts that I wrote in the past but never posted I found this one. I wrote it to help with my sadness after losing someone in our community. It was a nice reminder to me how much each day means and how we should live life to the fullest everyday. He...

We have been asking you to vote for the best architectural details. Here are the winners from the last five weeks. Vote for your favorite of the favorites and we will announce the top detail! To thank you for voting each week, you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift...