JEFFERSON STREET PAINTING STUDIO

A painter felt that her back yard was the perfect place to build a studio – independent from the house but connected to it via a sequence of decks and landscaped paths. Storage for paints, canvases, and books, “clean” and “dirty” work areas, a small bathroom, and plenty of even natural light were requirements. When hosting art openings, the studio doubles as a gallery with outdoor space for mingling in the form of a large deck leading to the landscaped yard.

Contractor: Jeremy Manning-Smith

ELLIOTT AVENUE HOUSE

Designing an infill house for a family on an empty lot in a neighborhood of one-story homes was a challenge in terms of scale and configuration. The goals of getting light into basement play space and engaging with the neighborhood while maintaining a sense of privacy led to a design solution of a raised first floor. The front porch engages with the life of the street while lifting the occupants above the noise of traffic. An unfinished third story connected to the floors below with an open staircase, gives the young family room to grow.

Contractor: Bramante Homes

PINEMEADOW HOUSE

The clients of this house in a rugged part of Albemarle County love the architecture of the American Southwest, and the design was driven in part by their desire for a Spanish-style porch facing the mountains.  The house was laid out on the site by rotating the footprint to capture specific views from specific rooms, including a sleeping porch.  The floor plan, although open, accommodates furnishings in the couple’s collection. 

Contractor: Ovation Builders

ARDWOOD POOLHOUSE

A devoted father of four of who is an avid collector of early 20th century building parts required a pool for exercise and play and a new building in which to incorporate items from his burgeoning collection.  Although indoors, the walls open the pool to the wooded setting, and it is a short distance along a meandering path to the main house.  Under the octagonal roof is a loft overlooking the pool where the children can play.

Contractor:  John Smith

ROCKS HOUSE

Two busy physicians and their children wanted a sanctuary for family life on property in a new development. The main living space is a series of open, multi-functional rooms for relaxing and working that are given warmth and scale by the natural elements of stonework and salvaged timber posts and beams. A terrace and screened porch are positioned for maximum privacy from the adjacent houses.

RIDGEWAY HOUSE

This vacation house for a family with young children is built on property that is part of a pre-Civil War family estate, and the house was sited so that the children could easily run down the hill to their grandparents’ house. The clients were interested in minimizing the impact of construction on the site, building sustainably, and incorporating craftsmanship in the construction. An English basement allows plenty of light into the lowest level and raises the main floor up to capture mountain views to the west. 

Contractor: Peter Johnson Builders 

SPLIT ROCK FARM

The clients for this project originally envisioned a timber-framed building that could continue to evolve as their needs changed. Over the years it has housed a variety of functions: a landscape and building contracting business, a yoga center, a sanctuary for Russian orphans awaiting medical treatment at the University of Virginia Medical Center, and an afterschool program for disadvantaged children.  It currently houses a winery, Meriwether Springs Vineyard.  

Contractor:  Tom Elliott Construction

COURTYARD HOUSE

This energy efficient house, a design-build project with Abrahamse & Company Builders, looks both outward and inward. The vaulted dining room is a knuckle between the two story living area and the master bedroom wing and overlooks paddocks, a barn, and the rolling hills beyond. Three separate buildings – main house, garage, and studio – ring an entrance courtyard. Passive solar gain supplements a radiant heating system in the exposed concrete floor, and solar roof panels heat the potable hot water. Simple materials and detailing kept construction costs down, allowing the owner to splurge on a suspended, rotating fireplace with enough left over for her herd of sixteen horses.  

Contractor: Abrahamse & Company Builders