by Charles Hendricks | Aug 27, 2025 | architecture, Building Science, Green Building
An energy-efficient home is a comfortable home, especially as the crisp autumn air settles in. A few simple adjustments can make a big difference in your energy bills and overall comfort this fall. Here are the top 10 things you can do to make your home more energy-efficient this fall:
- Seal Air Leaks:
One of the most effective ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency is to seal air leaks. Check for drafts around windows, doors, electrical outlets, and plumbing penetrations. Use caulk or weatherstripping to seal any gaps you find. This will prevent warm air from escaping and cold air from entering, keeping your home more comfortable and reducing the strain on your heating system.
- Optimize Your Thermostat:
Lowering your thermostat by a few degrees can lead to significant energy savings. For every degree you lower your thermostat, you can save up to 3% on your heating bill. Consider investing in a programmable or smart thermostat to automatically adjust the temperature when you’re away from home or sleeping.
- Let the Sunshine In:
Take advantage of the sun’s natural heat by opening your curtains and blinds during the day, especially on south-facing windows. This will help to warm your home naturally, reducing the need for your heating system. Close your curtains at night to help retain the heat.
- Reverse Your Ceiling Fans:
Most ceiling fans have a switch that allows you to reverse the direction of the blades. In the fall and winter, you want your fan to rotate clockwise at a low speed. This will push the warm air that rises to the ceiling back down into the room, helping to keep you warmer without turning up the thermostat.
5. Insulate Your Attic:
A well-insulated attic is crucial for preventing heat loss. If your attic is not properly insulated, you could lose a significant amount of heat through your roof. Adding or upgrading your attic insulation is a great way to improve your home’s energy efficiency and reduce your heating costs.
- Maintain Your Heating System:
Schedule a professional maintenance check for your heating system before the cold weather sets in. A well-maintained system operates more efficiently, saving you money on energy bills and ensuring your home stays comfortably warm. Also, be sure to change your furnace filter regularly. A dirty filter can restrict airflow and make your system work harder, wasting energy.
- Use Draft Stoppers:
Draft stoppers are an inexpensive and effective way to prevent cold air from sneaking in under your doors. You can purchase them at most home improvement stores or make your own by sewing a fabric tube and filling it with insulating material.
- Upgrade to LED Lighting:
Fall means shorter days and longer nights, which means you’ll be using your lights more often. Replace your old incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient LED bulbs. LEDs use significantly less energy and last much longer, saving you money on both your energy bills and replacement costs.
9. Check Your Fireplace:
If you have a fireplace, make sure it’s in good working order. A poorly maintained fireplace can let warm air escape and draw cold air in. Keep the damper closed when the fireplace is not in use to prevent drafts.
- Lower Your Water Heater Temperature:
Most water heaters are set to a higher temperature than necessary. Lowering the temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit is usually sufficient for most households and can help you save a significant amount of energy.
by Charles Hendricks | Aug 1, 2025 | architecture, Building Science
We are seeing strong storms this year with heavy rainfall. Have you had water in your basement for the first time? Has the water jumped over your gutters? Is your home ready for the next big storm? Do you have a storm preparation plan for your home and business? Here’s a comprehensive checklist to help you get ready:
Before the Storm Hits: Protecting Your Property
- Understand Your Insurance: Know what your home and business insurance policies cover before the storm. Identify who to call for claims to ensure a smooth and quick process if you experience damage.
- Clear Drainage Systems:
- Gutters: Ensure all gutters are clear of leaves and debris.
- Downspouts: Verify that downspouts are directing water away from your foundation. Consider adding extensions if water isn’t flowing far enough from the structure.
- Storm Drains: Check the storm drains around your property. Clear any debris to allow for free water flow.
- Landscape Beds: Examine your landscape beds to prevent mulch from washing out and clogging drains.
- Flood Prevention:
- Sandbags: If you’re in a flood-prone area, stock up on sandbags. Stack them like a brick wall, ensuring the wall is at least 12 inches higher than the expected water level and twice as wide as it is tall for maximum effectiveness.
- Elevate Valuables: Move computers, important files, photo albums, and other valuables to higher ground. Remember, a locked and closed dishwasher can be a surprisingly watertight cabinet for smaller items.
- Secure Outdoor Items: Walk around your property and secure anything that could become a projectile in strong winds. This includes outdoor chairs, trash cans, bikes, toys, hanging plants, and lawn decorations.
- Address Tree Hazards: Inspect your trees for any diseased or damaged limbs. If you find any, have them professionally removed as soon as possible to prevent them from falling during the storm.
Essential Supplies and Emergency Plans
- Lighting: Check your flashlights and ensure they have fresh batteries. Stock up on extra batteries. For a bright, room-filling light, try attaching a headlamp to a gallon jug of water.
- Communication: Locate your first-aid kit. Have a battery-powered radio on hand in case internet or cellular service is disrupted.
- Fuel and Transportation: Fill your car’s gas tank before the weekend. If you have extra gas cans, fill those as well.
- Household Supplies: Ensure you have a good stock of essentials like toilet paper, diapers, wipes, baby food, and pet food.
- Food and Water: Store plenty of drinking water. Stock up on non-perishable foods that don’t require cooking.
- Water Management (for Wells): If you rely on a well, fill your bathtub with water. This provides a reserve for flushing toilets if the power goes out and your pump stops working.
- Sump Pump Check: Verify that your sump pump is in working order, oiled, and ready to pump water away from your basement or crawl space.
Post-Storm Preparedness
- Cooking and Cleanup:
- Grill: Make sure your grill’s propane tank is full so you have a way to cook if there’s an extended power outage.
- Shop Vac & Towels: Have a shop vac readily available for easy water cleanup after the storm. Keep a stash of clean towels for mopping up any spills or leaks.
- Chainsaw: If you have one, ensure your chainsaw is fueled and in good working order in case you need to clear downed limbs or trees.
- Power Backup: Consider purchasing a portable generator to keep essential appliances like your refrigerator and freezer running in the event of a prolonged power outage.
What else should be on this list? Please add your advice to the comments section below to help our community prepare!
by Charles Hendricks | Jul 31, 2025 | architecture, Building Science, Green Building, Indoor Air Quality
The Crawl Space Conundrum
We often find crawl spaces where insulation is improperly installed in the floor above, leading to significant problems. High moisture levels are a frequent culprit, causing insulation to pull away from the subfloor above, severely diminishing its effectiveness.
For optimal results, we recommend encapsulating the crawl space. This involves insulating both the walls and floor, combined with installing a robust vapor barrier. This strategy effectively manages moisture, prevents insulation degradation, and ensures your crawl space contributes positively to your home’s energy efficiency and healthy indoor air quality.
Attic — The Hidden Energy Drain
Another frequent discovery is an attic lacking sufficient insulation to meet current minimum energy code standards. This problem is often compounded by construction debris left on top of the insulation, which compresses it and drastically reduces its performance. Even if insulation is present, its quality and depth might not meet today’s code requirements.
Examples like these underscore a critical lesson: the quality of construction materials and their proper installation are paramount to achieving true energy efficiency. Investing in the right materials and ensuring correct application from the outset can prevent significant energy waste down the line.
Good, But Not Great: Room for Improvement
we do encounter insulation that is installed to a good depth for the age of the house, with proper vent baffles to keep it in place while allowing airflow. While this might seem adequate, it’s crucial to note that if it’s not airtight, it’s not performing at its peak potential. Even well-installed blown-fiber insulation can allow for air leakage, reducing its overall effectiveness.
While good depth and proper venting are essential, achieving an airtight seal between uninsulated and insulated spaces is key to maximizing insulation performance.
by Charles Hendricks | Jul 18, 2025 | architecture, Building Science, Green Building, Indoor Air Quality
As summer heats up, we’re all looking for ways to stay cool and comfortable without seeing our energy bills skyrocket. The good news? Small, strategic changes around your home can make a significant difference in keeping the heat out and your wallet happy. The key is to identify and address those often-forgotten areas where your home’s insulation and air barrier might be compromised.
Attic Access Points
This is perhaps one of the most overlooked areas in many homes. Your attic access, whether it’s a pull-down stair or a scuttle hatch, functions as an exterior door. If it’s not properly sealed and insulated, it’s a direct gateway for hot, humid attic air to seep into your living spaces. Ensure it has weatherstripping around the perimeter and a thick layer of insulation on top.
Missing or Inadequate Insulation
Take a peek in your attic and crawl spaces. Are there any areas where insulation is sparse, compressed, or missing altogether? Gaps in your insulation allow heat to transfer easily into your home. Adding or topping up insulation in these areas can significantly improve your home’s thermal performance.
Hidden Air Leaks
Beyond obvious gaps, air can leak through tiny cracks around pipes, wires, and vents that penetrate your home’s exterior walls or ceiling. Use caulk or expanding foam to seal these often-invisible culprits.
By taking a proactive approach to your home’s insulation and air sealing this summer, you’ll be well on your way to enjoying a cooler, more comfortable living space and more manageable energy bills here in Harrisonburg.
by Charles Hendricks | Jul 9, 2025 | architecture, Building Science
A big question that comes up when looking for your dream home is whether you should build custom or purchase an existing luxury home. While there are advantages to purchasing an already built home, there are also some major tradeoffs that you should consider.
An existing home is available immediately, and you can see firsthand what you are purchasing. However, a custom home built for you can take 18+ months to design and construct. You can also request historical power bills, maintenance schedules, and view the established landscape. A custom home, on the other hand, can be personalized in every detail for the life you want to live. Every detail, from the floor plan to the cabinet finishes, can be selected and decided by you.
Our design process walks you through thinking about how a home can facilitate the life you want to live on your property. We work through a series of questions about habits, hobbies, goals, and your vision for your dream future. This allows us to craft and shape the right home for your family’s future.
We also work to design the performance you expect from this custom home. We set standards for materials, energy usage, durability, and maintenance to achieve your goals. This focus will lower your monthly energy and maintenance expenses while also allowing you more time to enjoy your dream life. A custom home can be created that optimizes every space, so you don’t end up with rooms you don’t use. This creates the best value investment you can make in a lifetime home.
by Charles Hendricks | Jul 7, 2025 | architecture, Building Science, community, Green Building, Harrisonburg Architect
The final phase of renovation has started at the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Child Day Care Center, and there is excitement in the air. For over 50 years, the HRCDCC has been a cornerstone of the Harrisonburg community, offering licensed childcare on a sliding fee scale and ensuring quality care that is accessible to all families. This move brings them back to the heart of downtown and adds a new level of excitement and vibrance to Harrisonburg.
Historically, HRCDCC has operated out of local churches, which has been a true gift to the community. However, these shared spaces inherently limited their ability to meet growing needs, and they dreamed of having their own space. Through an amazingly successful fundraising initiative called “Dancing with the Stars of the ‘Burg,” they were able to raise funds to complete a Phase 1 renovation at 44 Federal Street in downtown Harrisonburg. Harrisonburg Construction partnered with the organization to gut and rehab an existing building, maximizing its functionality for childcare.
Phase 2 has kicked off and will bring some highly visible changes to the outside of the structure, including a new private playground. As “Dancing with the Stars of the ‘Burg” dancer’s company, Nielsen Builders, takes on this challenge, we are excited to see the changes coming. The curbs have been poured, and the strong foundation is in place for a vibrant play area. The work will also include upgraded energy-efficient windows and a new EIFS exterior. Another significant change will be the introduction of a front door that opens to the south.
