What’s better than finding that perfect vintage material to reuse in your home? Donating that perfect vintage material for others to cherish for years to come. Or at least it was for C.J. Stands, whose dream plot with a view in Lynchburg was blighted by a water-damaged house when he purchased it. “We thought we […]
Home locking technology hadn’t changed much for more than a century—until a few years ago. The advent of the smart home gave folks the ability to take their front door security, and locks in general, out of the dark ages. Keyless entry houses are still buttoned up with the standard pin tumblers invented in the […]
Skylights get a bad rap, according to Charlottesville Glass & Mirror owner Dwight Corle. That’s because years ago, they were poorly constructed, and that blinded a lot of folks to their benefits. “Like with everything, the technology has boosted the quality,” Corle says. “Most of the new skylights are tempered glass, and they look great.” […]
Where did all the caviar go? Hard to say, but the fact that it went out of style in our area probably had something to do with the 2015 closing of Downtown Mall seafood joint Blue Light Grill. At least one local restaurant thinks it’s time for a roe revival. Tavern & Grocery has had […]
Nobody wants to sit in a backyard, jungle gym-side with a cold beer on a hot Saturday afternoon. Sandbox-side? Forget it. But poolside? Now we’re talking. Unfortunately, pools aren’t cheap. And homeowners can’t expect to get much on resale out of their natatory investment. But if you’re willing to sink the upfront coin (maybe with […]
You pull your juicy, flame-kissed burgers off the grill, struggle through your patio door, and let your meat rest on the kitchen counter. You head back outside. You put your buttered buns on the grill and do a 180 to give your coleslaw a final mix in the kitchen. You head back outside. You take […]
Immigrants and minorities struggling to buy their own homes after the turn of the century had an unlikely ally—the powerful Sears, Roebuck & Company. Sears sold mail-order kit homes and provided easy-qualification mortgages from 1908 to 1940, putting about 70,000 houses into the hands of enterprising folks looking to build their dream dwelling with their […]
What might have been Thomas Jefferson’s original vision for the Monticello rooftop railings is almost restored. Years ago, when the balustrade on TJ’s mountaintop home rotted away, it was replaced with a new design. Last year, working from paintings, sketches and notes, architectural firm Mesick Cohen Wilson Baker Architects was able to re-create the original […]
One man’s trash is another man’s funky countertop. That is, if the other man is Evolution Glass founder Bill Hess. “We take locally sourced bottle glass and transform it into amazing, blow-your-mind countertop surfaces suitable for homes and businesses,” Hess says. And he isn’t the only local creating exciting new materials that let homeowners take […]
The verdict is in from the nation’s biggest kitchen and bathroom expo—kitchen sinks are trending modern. And there’s probably nothing Charlottesville can do about it. According to local designer Amy Hart of Albemarle Cabinet Co., a visit to The Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in early January and her clients’ recent purchases indicate most folks […]