Welcome to James Glass Company's (JGCo) website.

This main page offers the following information:

1. Introduction
2. Overview of Services
3. History of JGCo

1. Introduction

James Glass Co. is me, James Glass! I'm a builder and consultant in Roanoke, VA, USA.

I specialize in high quality construction, renovation and building-related consulting (see mission statement).

I've created this website to illustrate the building and consulting services I offer for the Roanoke and New River Valleys. This site will give you an idea of some of the work I do, but to learn more about the work I do, check out these links:

As I wrote above, James Glass Co. is mostly just me, but it would be impossible to accomplish the full range of complex building projects without help from a diverse set of skilled sub-contractors. I work on every project either alone or with a small trusted group of skilled tradesmen to ensure the work is done right. This is a business model that I won't change, and I won't be expanding the business because to do so would lower the quality of the workmanship. To expand the business would require me to give up work as a craftsman and become a manager of tradesmen. Not only is this personally unappealing, but genuinely sustainable practices in construction are more easily attained in small business. The only way to ensure the standards of quality that I uphold is to for me to be involved in every aspect of the job, or to work closely with sub-contractors that I can trust.

My business is based on the premise that energy should be equitably distributed (check out my blog) and my work focuses on sustainability. Words like "green" and "sustainability" are popular terms these days, and sadly they're often just cheap signaling or marketing terms divested from authentic sustainable practices. Genuine sustainability is about the equitable distribution of energy! It's about working towards eliminating fossil fuels, changing the energy infrastructure, and changing the transportation infrastructure. These are big abstract concepts to be sure, but the reality of sustainable living is a complex thing, and unless all these variables are considered in building, actual sustainability simply cannot happen. This introduction isn't the place to go into details on changing the world--that's too complex to be covered here, but if you're interested in sustainable living, and how sustainable practices can be used in building, contact me and we can discuss sustainability in depth. We can talk about how craftsmanship and sustainable building can not only help you, but also help others.

My construction and consulting work also addresses transportation's role in building because it's impossible to address sustainable building practices without considering transportation. My bicycle and automotive background serves me well as I design, build, and consult. To see a bit of my automotive past, you can check out my old auto repair shop's website here.

Finally, not to scare everyone away, but my work tends to cost more and take longer than other builders. I'm committed to public safety and craftsmanship, and doing it right usually take more time. I'm a licensed contractor, and all work is guaranteed under contract.

2. Overview of Services

All of my work is centered around building, but because the core of my business is concerned with the equitable distribution of energy, my work is a bit more complex than most builders. It's hard to offer a quick overview of what I do because it's so varied and detailed oriented, but below are my three general areas of concentration. Specific lists of what I do appear on the Construct and Consult pages of this site, and you can watch videos and see photos of me working by clicking on the links above. But in general terms, here's what I do:

--I design and build. I most commonly work on houses, my own line of custom built furniture, and custom fabrications. I've done some nice custom retail fixtures and some very cool signs like this one for Blacksnake Meadery. Of course, I do all the usual home remodeling and construction that you'd expect from a contractor but, I especially like cool projects like building these fifteen bike racks for Ride Solutions out of reclaimed steel from industrial shelving. I have a fully tooled custom fabrication shop for metal work and concrete work, so I also do unique building such as one-of-a-kind fixtures, concrete countertops, one-of-kind furniture, custom retail fixtures and other specialty projects. Because my work focuses on genuine sustainability I often use reclaimed and salvage materials to build things like this bicycle powered water pump which is used for off the grid irrigation.

--I consult. My consulting business is building-related, and I consult on a wide range of building and related business subjects. I help homeowners and fellow contractors with building and materials sciences; I help new and existing businesses plan their business model, layout their retail and/or shop space, and I help with construction/renovation logistics. I specialize is ergonomic work station layout to reduce employee fatigue and increase work place safety. I offer a wide range of inspection services including site inspections for business planning to home inspections for home buyers.

--I lecture and teach. I speak with groups on sustainable construction, and I offer workshops and classes for people wanting to learn more about building. The classes are varied and cover a wide range of topics, but the most common classes are in electrical, plumbing, drywall finishing, concrete countertop construction, tiling, and hardsacaping. Because education is a key part of my business, I've set up The Glass Exchange and Home By Bike. There is also an internship program that allows the intern to work directly with me dividing his/her time equally between learning and work. This program is both academic and hands on, and anyone interested in becoming an intern can apply here.

3. History of JGCo

I started James Glass Company in 2009 after closing my SAAB repair business of fifteen years. Before that I spent a few years in the bicycle business. As it turns out, my previous work in transportation has been very beneficial to my work in sustainable building. During my time running the auto repair shop, I came to understand two things that were important to me: (first) I really enjoy designing and building, and (second) I came to understand the complexities of modern manufacturing and energy consumption. Of course, this website isn't a proper place to ramble on about the complexities of my personal experiences and how they've shaped my world view, but I bring it up as a point of dialogue that we might have if you need help with your project. The short of it is: I want to build a better world.