Carol Diggs

We all fantasize about strolling through Zillow to find our dream home. But for one family, the fantasy became reality. “At the time, we were living in the Norfolk area,” recalls the client. “I’d gone to UVA, and always knew I wanted to retire to this area.” The clients’ children were still in school, and […]

It’s not easy being a landscape architect. Thomas Woltz, senior principal with Nelson Byrd Woltz, calls this time “an identity crisis” for the profession. When he tells people he’s a landscape architect, Woltz says, “they ask me what to plant in their backyard.” So now he tells them he designs public spaces, a succinct description […]

It’s a common problem: A family loves getting together, but as the family gets bigger—children grow up, find partners, and have their own kids—the gathering place seems to get smaller.  A local couple faced this same issue. The log cabin/hunting lodge on their horse farm outside Crozet was too crowded when everyone came for holidays […]

This 300-acre Afton property had been the family’s country “home away from home” for more than 40 years. When a new generation took over in 2016, they decided to update the original farmhouse while keeping its character; the additional garage and guest house had been arranged around the central drive/parking area to keep the feeling […]

A couple came to Charlottesville looking to buy a condo for their weekend cycling getaways, but they ended up buying a house that became their age-in-place home. One spouse had always dreamed of one-level living, while the other wanted a home that was intimately connected to its setting. “Within minutes” of viewing this 1950s one-story house […]