Wend your way through quirky, loveable Batesville, and you’ll spy plenty of historical properties. The heart of this quintessential Albemarle village is loaded with timeworn buildings, but one of the most interesting residences isn’t quite visible from the road. Ecole—that’s French for “school,” bien sûr—is a onetime schoolhouse dating to the early 1920s. Those were […]
Wend your way through quirky, loveable Batesville, and you’ll spy plenty of historical properties. The heart of this quintessential Albemarle village is loaded with timeworn buildings, but one of the most interesting residences isn’t quite visible from the road. Ecole—that’s French for “school,” bien sûr—is a onetime schoolhouse dating to the early 1920s. Those were […]
It had been a long time coming. Chris and Greg Menke have owned their house in Charlottesville since 1982, and they’ve made many changes and updates to it along the way. But there was at least one big project they hadn’t gotten around to. “A pool was always part of the plan,” says Greg. Though […]
Second homes are all about contrast: the difference between the weekday place and the getaway. Tom and Jenny Becherer live in a historic neighborhood in Alexandria—a bustling urban environment where the homes are mostly a century or more old. Ten years ago, they found the spot that would provide the perfect foil: 21 acres in […]
Interior designer Marta Tice says she was fortunate to know what she wanted to do from an early age. “As a child,” she says, “I used to rearrange my room and charge 10 cent admission to view it!” She received a bachelor’s degree in interior design from American University and later considered pursuing a degree […]
News on the state of the formal dining room is conflicting. Some area designers see more and more people repurposing their formal spaces, while others insist a core group will always demand a place for nice meals. “We’re seeing the traditional buyer that has the heirloom piece and the formal set with leaves, and they […]
At first, Cole Burrell was hesitant to pursue landscape architecture. He’d spent his life (since childhood, when he was, as he says, “a bona fide science nerd”) studying botany and horticulture, nurturing a curiosity about nature that has since taken him all over the world to lecture on plants and ecology. But, eventually, an interest […]
Be the envy of the neighborhood and tempt buyers at the same time. Seems like there is always one home in a neighborhood that’s just nicer than all the others. It’s cheerful by day and has nice lighting at night. It looks attractive. It looks cared for. It looks loved. While it’s not always easy […]
Almost every day you hear discouraging stories of the ever-higher costs of higher education, but it is usually a wise investment. The U.S. Census Bureau says males with a college degree earn 80 percent more than male high school grads and female college graduates earn more than twice as much as women with only a […]
“It is a great art to saunter” – Henry David Thoreau, Journal, April 26, 1841. What a great place to take a walk! Blessed with an abundance of natural beauty, Central Virginia is flush with parks, trails and wilderness areas that beckon fitness buffs and nature lovers of all ages and experience levels, from families […]
Home owners preparing to sell their house often ask what repairs they should do to make it more saleable without spending more than they will get back at closing. Several variables such as the seller’s motivation, budget and time frame impact this decision. However, there are some general guidelines that apply to most situations. The […]