Gaines Group Architects

Design Matters – thoughts of an Architect

Happy New Year, we don’t like your design. The life of an architect.

My professional life is filled with emotional extremes. While there is tremendous satisfaction from winning a new project, delivering on expectations, and seeing your design built, there is a dark side to our profession. I live in a world of rejection, constantly being judged by...
29 Dec 13
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Timberlake

Design adds value not cost, hire an architect for better performance, aesthetics, and process

We have a wide variety of projects under construction right now or just finishing. The key unifying element is each of the clients understood that design added value to their project. We are very thankful to our current clients and hope they love these spaces as the finishing...
20 Dec 13
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energy recovery ventilator
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The air within your homes can be up to 10 times more polluted than the air outside.

Air within your homes can be up to 10 times more polluted than the air outside. Building science is tricky to get right if you understand holistic design strategies. If you don’t address these complicated issues, you are in deep trouble. (note: most people don’t...
18 Dec 13
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Green Term Defined: HERS (your home’s Miles-Per-Gallon Rating)

Most of us know the miles-per-gallon of our cars. I just went through (for me) the very painful process of purchasing a new (used) car. I weighed the options looking at asking price, insurance premium, maintenance costs, and miles per gallon. These should all be factors when...
16 Dec 13
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Building Code – The Worst Possible Building You Can Build By Law

I respond to a lot of requests for proposals and do a lot of interviews for new design projects. Sometimes there is a higher standard to which the new design needs to meet, and sometimes the potential project is only aiming for building code minimum standards. What quality do you...
13 Dec 13
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Basement Renovation near Mt. Crawford

We do a variety of renovation projects from basements, garages, to kitchen additions. The one consistent element between them all is our clients want a healthy, energy-efficient, and durable building solution. This basement renovation is no exception. Here is a blog post from our...
11 Dec 13
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Prairie Style Home Design

10 Tips to Maximize Your Space and Deliver the Highest Value

On a tight budget or want to reduce your environmental footprint? Build smaller! Here are some simple tips to get you thinking about how you can get the highest value for your space: Maximize your usable space – Get rid of rooms that don’t add value to your way of...
10 Dec 13
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Green Terms Defined: Mastic

In a home with a forced-air heating and cooling system, the system used to distribute air is called duct work. In an average home, 30% of the air sent through the duct work system is lost due to leaks, holes, and poorly executed connections. The result to your wallet is higher...
09 Dec 13
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snow on the roof

Snow on the Roof – Building Science Analysis

Snow on the Roof - Building Science Analysis
08 Dec 13
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Energy Audit

10 Things to get your home ready for Winter

1      Insulation. Make sure your attic insulation is deep, positioned correctly, and completely covering the heated areas of your home. Just like an extra blanket on your bed keeps you nice and toasty, a thick layer of insulation in the attic keeps your energy bills lower in the...
27 Nov 13
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Green Term Defined: air sealing

Air sealing is the first line of defense against wasting energy in your home and protecting your indoor air quality. Air sealing is the practice of filling all those gaps, cracks, and holes in your thermal envelope. This tightens the home’s air pressure giving you a solid...
25 Nov 13
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Mincer’s – The Shops at Stonefield – Project Update

Mincer’s has expanded! We originally introduced the project here. Let us know what you think of their new location.
20 Nov 13
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Message from Charles Hendricks

Design Matters is a place for me, Charles Hendricks, to share thoughts, community events, projects, and opinions. These are my thoughts and do not represent the ideas and thoughts of others in our business. Please comment on my blog posts, share your thoughts with me, or just let me know you have been here. Thanks for reading!

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Charlottesville Office:

1430 Rolkin Court, Suite 302
Luxor Commercial Park (across 250 from DMV Building)
Charlottesville, VA 22911
Office: 434-979-5245
Fax: 434-979-9126

Harrisonburg Office:

141 W. Bruce St. Suite 201
Harrisonburg, VA 22801
Office: 540-437-0012

Latest Projects

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