A trend in some larger cities right now has neighbors restoring the old-fashioned front porch culture that once flourished in most towns. That means they sit in plain view of passers-by, exchange niceties with those on the sidewalk and hold gatherings that welcome neighbors stopping in. What makes this possible in some ‘hoods, while others […]
A trend in some larger cities right now has neighbors restoring the old-fashioned front porch culture that once flourished in most towns. That means they sit in plain view of passers-by, exchange niceties with those on the sidewalk and hold gatherings that welcome neighbors stopping in. What makes this possible in some ‘hoods, while others […]
Ever wonder how Thomas Jefferson might decorate his dream house today? Warrenton-based designer Barry Dixon has an answer, and it’s writ large in the 2007 Southern Accents Showhouse at The Homestead Preserve (adjacent to the resort of the same name), two hours away in Bath County. "Our inspiration was a direct link to Jeffersonian ideals," […]
What on earth? This is what we first thought when we encountered Maggie’s Soap Nuts—dried fruit from the Chinese Soapberry tree—billed as an all-natural, biodegradable replacement for chemical laundry detergents. We examined the box skeptically, plucking out a few of the brown, raisin-like things and wrinkling our noses at their distinctly unclean vinegary smell. The […]
Mark Jones of Cismont, with the help of friends and neighbors, is in the process of building an outdoor oven from cob. The material is also used to build houses and other buildings. Never heard of cob building? No surprise: It’s a lot more common on the wacky Left Coast than in these parts. In […]
Good news for current and future owners of energy-efficient homes: The City of Charlottesville is working to cut you a deal on your real estate tax. Following in the footsteps of Roanoke, a subcommittee of the Citizen Committee on Environmental Sustainability is at work on a proposal that would offer a tax break to homeown-ers […]
Charlottesville is holding its own as a leader in Virginia’s green-building movement. At least that’s what we thought when we saw the list of 2007 Green Innovation Award winners recognized by the Virginia Sustainable Building Network, an organization that promotes green buildings and communities. Among them was Fred Oesch, a Schuyler architect recognized for his […]
I do believe cavemen (I’m sorry—cavepeople) would have grooved to many of the old houses in Charlottesville. There are windows in most or all the rooms, but they don’t amount to much. Each one contains about as much of a vista as a porthole. To extend the metaphor further, draw the blinds in the middle […]
Where there’s a wiki, there’s a waywww.Wikihow.com If you’re raring to go on some new shelter project but haven’t a clue on specifics, you might want to try Wikihow.com, a community-authored index of how-to guides. If you’ve ever used a wiki like wikipedia.org, you know how this site works: Individual users write the articles, and […]
The country is about to be awash in retired Baby Boomers, and don’t think folks in the financial industry haven’t taken notice. The first wave of Boomers turned 60 this year, at a rate of nearly 8,000 per day, and as all 76 million of them approach retirement, banks are beginning to cozy up to […]
It’s easy to forget they’re there—after all, you can see right through them. But make no mistake: There aren’t many parts of your house more important than the windows. They affect the way it feels to be inside and the way the place appears from outside—so keeping them looking sharp is a must. They’re a […]