by HJ HOLTZ | Sep 24, 2024 | Carpentry Services
Homes in Richmond’s Fan neighborhood have character, good bones and a great location. But their rooms typically don’t lend themselves to multiuse purposes. The H.J. Holtz & Son carpentry division recently assisted Alicia Conrad, principal of Alicia Conrad Interiors, in coming up with a solution that includes built-in cabinets for one family.
When the pandemic began, the husband began working from home, placing a desk and ergonomic chair in the front parlor, the first room people see upon entering the house. Now that he’s returned to an office – but wants to have the option for at-home work – the wife approached Conrad to devise a plan allowing the room to pull double-duty.
“We wanted to keep with the architectural style of the home,” Conrad says. “The family is constantly entertaining, and opening their doors to friends and family. This had to be custom work, given what they needed.”
The room had little wall space so Conrad made the most of it. With the help of the H.J. Holtz & Son carpentry team – who handled all fabrication, installation and painting – Conrad designed shelving and built-in cabinets on both sides of the fireplace. The new built-ins offer both open display shelving as well as hidden storage.
To the left of the fireplace, the lower cabinet is sized to hold a computer printer. To the right, the upper drawer keeps office supplies within reach, and the lower drawer holds lateral files. The built-in cabinet tops are hinged, so they can fold out, allowing someone to pull up a chair. The right-side lower shelf on the right can be removed, making space for a computer monitor. Finally, a vertical side panel, which appears to be decorative, opens with a push to reveal space for a surge protector. Electrical cords can be threaded through a grommet to the surface.
“The new built-ins really give the opportunity to work from home and also have that flexibility so they can quickly tuck it away when they want to,” Conrad says.
Conrad recommended Holtz & Son to the clients because she’s worked with the company before and knows they can be trusted. “I sleep well when Holtz is on the job,” she says.
Holtz craftspeople also hung grasscloth and fabric (behind the shelves) and painted the trim, so Conrad and the owners didn’t have to call in other workers. “[Holtz] is basically the general contractor, so I don’t have to be communicating with multiple vendors,” Conrad says.
The clients are pleased. “We created a beautiful, functional space in a historic row house with challenging square footage,” Conrad says. “The client is super happy.”
by HJ HOLTZ | Sep 17, 2024 | INTERIOR PAINTING
Some home projects have to occur piecemeal, whether for logistical or financial reasons. But others – like painting a room – are best done in one fell swoop. H.J. Holtz & Son estimators know part of what they do is to educate homeowners about how to best approach interior painting projects.
“I see this all the time: People think they can just change the wall color and not paint the ceiling and the trim,” says project estimator Travis Gibson. “But if you’re going to change the walls, it’s really a no-brainer to do the rest. You’re not going to be happy with the final appearance if all you’ve done is paint the walls.”
The primary reason to do everything at once, Gibson says, is aesthetics. “Fresh walls make the trim and ceiling look dingy,” he notes. “When we paint the walls, we make sure there are clean, crisp lines. When you see the new paint against existing trim, you really notice the difference.”
Another good reason to do both at once is to save money. In situations where customers decide to paint only the walls, Gibson says customers often return to him later, asking for the ceiling and trim to be painted. That becomes a complete second job.
“Our costs to send a crew out and prepare a space really don’t change much,” Gibson says. “When you have us come twice to paint the same room, you end up paying double for those set-up costs. It’s more efficient for the team to do everything at once, and the homeowner is going to save money in the long run.”
Additionally, the new job has to be worked into the schedule, which means waiting for the room to be completely finished. That delay can lead to additional dislocation or mean the room isn’t picture-perfect for a special event or for guests’ arrival.
“Yes, painting the walls, trim and ceiling costs more than just painting the walls,” Gibson says, “but so often customers realize while we’re working that they should have done everything at once.”
by HJ HOLTZ | Aug 23, 2024 | Furniture and Cabinetry
As the “walls” in one of the most highly trafficked rooms in a house, kitchen cabinets set a critical tone. That’s why H.J. Holtz & Son was called in to help prepare a residence included on the 2024 Garden Club of Virginia Historic Garden Week tour.
The Windsor Farms residence had been renovated in 2019 by Bauhan Custom Builders. At that time, ceiling and floor levels were realigned, creating a more open and welcoming first-floor living space. The kitchen, which originally had an eight-foot-high ceiling, was enlarged and given an eleven-foot ceiling.
“It felt like you had to duck your head when you went into the kitchen originally,” says John Bauhan, who oversaw the 2019 renovation. “The house isn’t that old – it was built in the 1970s – and that’s just the way they did it then.”
Five years after that large project – and anticipating Garden Week – the owners wanted a smaller refresh. As they prepared the home for public tours, they realized they wanted a new color for the kitchen cabinets. The timeline was tight, so Bauhan reached out to H.J. Holtz & Son.
“I knew they would do a very good job in a timely fashion,” Bauhan says.
For this project, as with most kitchen cabinet painting jobs, the Holtz team removed the cabinet doors so they could be sprayed at the company’s in-house spray booth. The boxes remained in the kitchen and were painted in place. The cabinets were fully reassembled by the tour date in late April. “There were no surprises, and the client was very happy,” Bauhan says.
Bauhan notes that among local painters, H.J. Holtz & Son stands out as a larger company with a high degree of professionalism. “I like that you get a project manager to go with your job,” he notes. “That person isn’t doing the work, but is someone who keeps all aspects of the job together and is someone to call [if an issue arises].”
While Bauhan doesn’t work with H.J. Holtz & Son exclusively, he has worked with the company previously and collaborated on another project with the firm after this job. “They’re obviously a well-known painting company in town and up and down the coast,” Bauhan says. “They spend a lot of prep time [before painting], and they put out a very high-end level of finish.”
by HJ HOLTZ | Aug 13, 2024 | Employees
Sharon Carroll was in exactly the right place when her family – and the family business – needed her.
In 2014, Carroll’s mom, Geny Holtz – treasurer for H.J. Holtz & Son and wife of second-generation owner Richard Holtz, Sr. – suffered a fall and was abruptly unable to work. Carroll, who had been filling in at the office while the receptionist was away, was called up for service.
“[Mom] was here one day and gone the next,” Carroll says. “We didn’t know if she was coming back. Rick [Holtz, Carroll’s brother] asked me to do the job in the interim. He showed me how as we went.”
Ten years later, Carroll is now the company’s financial manager, overseeing all accounts payable, billing, and payroll for roughly six dozen employees. “This probably should be a two-person job, but the structure is because of the way it all evolved,” Carroll says. “I always have a deadline I’m trying to meet, but it has gotten easier with our new software system that allows people to pay online, which means fewer trips to the bank. I never thought I’d say paperless was better, but it’s so easy… click, click, click.”
While Carroll had grown up watching her grandfather, Herman J. Holtz, and her father run the business, she married in 1985 and moved away with her husband, who was in the Air Force. They lived “in a million different places,” she says – California, Louisiana, southeastern Virginia, England, North Dakota, Germany, and then Alaska. Carroll had a degree from VCU in finance, but wasn’t able to work in her field through the moves and raising of children.
When she and her husband returned to Richmond in 2014, their children didn’t need the same level of attention, and Carroll went to work in the Holtz front office, where her brother, nine years her junior, was in charge. Her sister Carol Hudson was already there, having started at the company in the spring of 2014.
“I missed so much [of the business’ growth] because I wasn’t here for 30 years,” she says. “When I left, Rick was a kid. I come back, and I’m working for him. It was weird at first, but it’s settled down.
“Originally, Carol was going to take over the financial duties, but it wasn’t the best fit,” Carroll adds. “She was a people person; she did much better with customers. I enjoy working with numbers.”
Carroll says there’s no firm agreement not to discuss company matters at family gatherings, but she tries to keep business discussions in the office. She acknowledges that having a working relationship with her brother has its curiosities.
“When is he your brother; when is he your boss?” she muses. “I used to drive him everywhere – to baseball practice or to the store to buy baseball cards. But we manage. He’s more of a risk-taker, and I’m more conservative [in business practices]. He knows I’m that way.”
Congratulations, Sharon Carroll!
by HJ HOLTZ | Jul 23, 2024 | Decorative Painting
The view inside the Heacocks’ living room is every bit as compelling as the view outside, thanks to careful planning and the skills of an H.J. Holtz & Son’s decorative artist.
The couple’s house is situated on a lakefront lot, and a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows offers a generous perspective. But inside, a chimney breast covered in decorative Venetian plaster provides the crowning touch above the glass-enclosed gas fireplace, which sits atop stone tile.
“There’s so much glass in the room, we needed to anchor the space,” Lynn Heacock says.
The new house in suburban Richmond is the fifth that the homeowners have built together. Most of their residences incorporate contemporary design elements. “I love California design,” Heacock says. “And we like building houses with windows all the way down to the floor.”
Heacock wasn’t familiar with Venetian plaster until Leah Dodge, of Decorum Interiors, suggested using the finish to create a dramatic focal point in the living room. To achieve the look, decorative artist Diana Orellana applied a lime-based plaster that includes aggregate materials for texture. Using a trowel to spread thin layers, one on top of another, Orellana created a veneer that is truly one-of-a-kind.
“I loved the idea of it, and the process went beautifully,” Heacock says, adding that had she anticipated how much she’d like the finished look, she might have incorporated more Venetian plaster elsewhere in the house.
The Venetian plaster project was the first time the Heacocks had worked with H.J. Holtz & Son, but it won’t be the last. The Holtz wallpaper team is scheduled to hang wallpaper in the home’s half bathrooms in the coming months. Until then, the couple and their guests can enjoy the view in the living room.
“Several people have come in and said this [treatment] is stunning,” Heacock says. “Everybody who comes in loves it. We’re very happy with it.”
