There is a lot of discussion going on in Charlottesville and Harrisonburg about Solar Photovoltaic on buildings. Once you have made the decision to add solar, you have another big decision to make about your system. Do you want to be tied to the grid or off-the-grid?
Off-the-grid means that you not only have a solar production system, but also an energy storage system such as batteries. An off-the-grid system operates without reliance on a public utility. If you are off the grid you have to have a way to store your energy for nights, cloudy days, or days when your panels are snow covered.
This renovation project in Old Town Harrisonburg is coming to a close. The drywall is painted, cabinets installed, and addition built. Taking a beautiful old home and updating finishes and systems is a great sustainable approach to our built environment. This project included updating the kitchen, rebuilding a poorly constructed addition, and deck. More pictures to come!
We want your opinion! This is our fifth week to asking for you to crown a winner for best architectural detail. See past winners here, here, here, and here.
Over the last 26 years we have done some really fun design projects at our firm. While every project has some very interesting design components, there have been a few that just really stand out. Here are some images of three of my favorites. Which do you like best – vote for one (in the comments section below) and we will post three more contenders next week. Help us narrow down the best of the best from all our projects. To thank you for voting each week, you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift card.
So how do you decide which contractor you want to hire? A big factor is how they will approach the project and conduct business. Here are some questions to ask during the interview.
Reputation – What is your past experience with projects of this type? Did you stay on budget? How do you deal with unhappy clients? How many projects have you done like this one?
Schedule – When can you start? How many projects will you have going at the same time? How long will it take? How much of your devoted time will my project get on a daily / weekly basis? When do you start work each day? When do you stop work each day?
Project management – Who will be on site every day? Do they curse or smoke? How do they relate with the subcontractors – manage by yelling or with respect? Can I ask them questions? Will they know the answers?
Communication – Will we have weekly meetings? Do you communicate best by email or phone? Can I call you at night or on weekends? Do you take notes in our meetings and issue minutes?
Decisions – Do you have a process in place to help me stay on track with decisions that need to be made? Do you go give me options of places to make selections or do I have to shop at one place? What if I want to supply something I find at an antique store or on sale?
Changes – What is your change order process? How much do you charge as a mark up on change orders? Who do I tell I want to make a change? How do you document the change?
Mistakes – Who do I need to tell if I don’t like something? What if something is not like I thought it would turn out?
Billings – How do you handle invoices? Do I get to see everything you paid for and how much you are marking it up? How do you calculate the fee?
Project Closeout – How do you finish a project? Do I get to do a punch list? What happens in a month if I find something wrong that I miss in punch list? Do you walk me through everything and show me how to use the new systems? Will you be available in the future if there are problems? Will you provide operating manuals in an organized form? Do you provide a list of subcontractors and phone numbers so I can contact them in the future? Will you give me marked up plans and pictures showing installation for future renovations?
The Apartments at Goose Creek to Provide 204 Class A Apartments to Augusta County
FISHERSVILLE, VA, – Denstock LLC, a Charlottesville, Virginia based real estate investment company, announced today that it has closed financing and started site work on The Apartments at Goose Creek, a $32 million multi-family community located in Fishersville, VA, immediately adjacent to the recently completed Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences and across the street from the Augusta Health Medical Facility.
“The Fishersville area has been identified as one of the County’s primary growth areas,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Larry Wills. “Augusta Health and Murphy Deming currently anchor the Life Sciences business cluster in the area and we’re excited to see Denstock add a needed housing element to this community,” added Wills.
“Denstock is very excited about the future prospects of the Goose Creek project. The area demographics combined with Augusta Medical Center, the Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences and the County’s commitment to facilitate the establishment of new businesses along the Lifecore Drive corridor all reflect an emerging thriving market,” said Rob Stockhausen, a Managing Director of Denstock LLC.
“The professional workforce as well as the growing student population in the Fishersville area is in demand of a new housing option,” said Jeff Moore, Board of Supervisors representative for the Wayne Magisterial District where the project is located. Moore continued, “We have seen the Denstock model in other communities and we are pleased to welcome the development style to Augusta County.”
“We are thrilled to finally be able to start construction of The Apartments at Goose Creek. This project would not have become a reality without the support and efforts of the County of Augusta. We are looking forward to becoming a member of the Augusta County community,” said developer Denise E. LaCour, also a Managing Director of Denstock LLC.
Designed by The Gaines Group, PLC, an architectural firm based in Charlottesville and Harrisonburg, the 204 unit garden style apartment complex will offer 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units with high quality finishes, such as granite counter tops, and 60 garages. In addition, The Apartments at Goose Creek will offer extensive outdoor amenities including a nature trail, multi-purpose sports field, and a pool with splash pad. Residents will also enjoy a luxury club house with a fitness room, business center, game room, private theatre, club room with kitchen, and a BBQ patio and pool. Complementing the extensive amenities offered at The Apartments at Goose Creek are the unparalleled views of the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains.
“We have worked with the developer on previous projects and the high quality of construction, the attention to detail and sensitivity to surrounding architecture are hallmarks of her commitment to provide Class A apartments that blend well with the community, ” said Dennis M. Lynch, Vice Chairman of KBS, Inc., the general contractor for the project.
Denstock Property Management will lease and manage the property. Financing is provided by Berkadia.
So you want to do a sustainable project? What does that mean to you? Energy efficient? Durable? Water efficient? Healthy? It should be a combination of all of those things. So how do you decide if your project is sustainable?
Is a green rating system enough? Does EarthCraft mean the project is sustainable? Will everyone agree that your LEED-certified building is sustainable? What if it costs more, is it sustainable?
These of course are all questions we deal with on every project that has a sustainability goal. So how do we define sustainability? According to the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, it is “Development that meets the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”According to the Great Law of the Iroquois “In every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the Seventh Generation.”
So our definition takes these both into account: “making decisions that will produce an energy-efficient, healthy, and durable solution that will not impede future generations from making those same decisions.”Let us know your thoughts on our definition! Just comment below.
