I love to share my passion for design with as many people as possible.  Over the past couple of months I have given presentations to the Department of Energy for the National Energy Education Development Project, two eighth grade classes at Eastern Mennonite School, an...

We love our building and love sharing that love with everyone – so we made t-shirts with our logo and a picture of the Chesapeake Western Railroad Depot! The art work was created by Stronge Designs. He included a sketch of one of the diesel engines that used to run on the...

A beautiful barn in Broadway, Virginia One of my favorite structures to photograph is the barn behind our house. Recently the construction photo was shared with me. How cool is this picture? Here is the interior pictures of the barn. It is such a beautiful structure and the views...

Simple changes around your house will save you money Simple changes around your house will save you money. Some of the changes I have mentioned in the past include things easy to do in a finished house like: caulking electrical outlets basement insulation  Changing water heaters...

Gaines Group Architect celebrate the holidays with 20% employment growth Another year is coming to a close and I am taking some time to reflect on how we have done. We have seen another strong business year including a 20% growth in number of employees over last year. With this...

Christmas at the Chesapeake Western Depot We are loving our new Harrisonburg office on the edge of downtown. This was such a great move for our firm. We still feel connected to downtown – walking distance to the holiday parade. We now have a reserved parking lot for our...

As the weather changes and we are all looking for ways to stay warm, small changes around your home could make a big difference. Look for those forgotten places where insulation is missing or air is leaking. Think about your insulation line between inside and outside. This is the...

"Because That Is The Way We Always Do It" Is Not The Answer

If you have never built a new home, you most likely don’t know where to start. You have probably heard that you can find plans online. You have probably heard you should talk to a builder. You have probably heard you need to be careful because you might get taken advantage...

We are slowly building the content of the Chesapeake Western Railroad History collection that will be on permanent display at The Depot. This display is to honor the history of this railway that gave us this beautiful building we get to call our office. Each day people stop by to...