Fascinated with orchids? So is anyone with eyes, at this time of year when the world outside tends toward browns and grays. Orchids can bring a splash of tropical color and a certain joie de vivre to your indoor environment. Aren’t they hard to care for, though? Not necessarily, says Stephen Shifflett, co-owner of Floradise […]
Fascinated with orchids? So is anyone with eyes, at this time of year when the world outside tends toward browns and grays. Orchids can bring a splash of tropical color and a certain joie de vivre to your indoor environment. Aren’t they hard to care for, though? Not necessarily, says Stephen Shifflett, co-owner of Floradise […]
Forty years ago in Charlottesville, modern houses were not nearly as common as they are today. Walter and Ruth Wadlington lived on Yorktown Drive with their four children, and when a new house began to go up next door, they took notice of its contemporary look. It had been designed by an architect and UVA […]
Up until six months ago, Tara and Andrew Montgomery were struggling to provide a safe and freedom-filled environment for their young daughter, Leah (18 months). They were living in an old North Downtown farmhouse, and their newly mobile child was at odds with the accoutrements of the 1910 home, as Tara, a nurse at UVA, […]
’Tis the season for tending boxwood. Remove any dead branches, with a hand saw if necessary. Boxwood is renowned for its density, a favorite of woodcut block-makers, so you can’t approach it with just a pair of hand shears. Loppers tend to tear. Get a curved folding saw and a good pair of leather gloves. […]
The remaking of one Charlottesville house is a study in contrasts. It was a modern addition to a traditional (though not very old) house. It didn’t change much about the original structure—except for turning it from a dark, unpleasant space into a light-filled and open home. It bumped up the house’s square footage considerably but […]
According to the United States Census Bureau, new home sales are defined as occurring “with the signing of a sales contract or the acceptance of a deposit.” That said, most new homes sales happen while the house is still under construction or not even started. Only 25 percent of new houses are sold at the […]
It was supposed to be a small project. Debra Weiss had owned her North Downtown house for seven years when, in 2003, a city ordinance changed to allow homeowners to build detached rental properties. She was ready with what she thought was a simple, low-key idea: Turn her 400-square-foot garage into a tiny rental cottage. […]
Having come home to his calling as a woodworker, Fred Levering is now selling his wares through a number of local shops: The Happy Cook, The Barn Swallow, The Artful Lodger, Curious Orange, and Vivian’s, among others. Hunt for him there or contact him directly: 202-8887 or falfour@comcast.net. What kinds of objects do you make? […]
Twenty-five years in one kitchen is enough time for several eras to unfold. “I moved here in ’87 and I’ve been here ever since, much to my surprise,” said Leigh Glassmire of her Charlottesville house. Perhaps a resonance with the places of her Northern childhood is the reason: “This house reminded me of upstate New […]
In what is still a buyers’ market, folks selling their homes are looking for tried and true as well as innovative ways to bring in offers on their property. One traditional method of inviting interest in your home is to have your agent host an open house. But are open houses really an effective tool […]