Entries by Paula Peters Chambers

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Insights from Wallcovering Installers Association Convention

H.J. Holtz & Son paper hangers Shane Legano and James Draine went to the annual Wallcovering Installers Association convention in September knowing they would come away with helpful information.

“I asked questions for jobs I knew were coming up,” Draine says. “We usually know in advance when we have a big, specialty job coming. That [convention] is a good place to ask questions, because there are a lot of people there who are doing the same kind of work we do.”

High Gloss Home Library Shines

H.J. Holtz & Son master painter Kenny Ebright approaches each job the same way: hearing from homeowners what they want, assessing the situation, and getting to work.

When the firm was called in by a repeat Holtz customer to help finish the transformation of a 12-foot-by-15-foot bedroom into a high gloss library, complete with floor-to-ceiling built-ins, Ebright knew he had his work cut out for him.

Fan Home Renovation Top-to-Bottom

When Nick and Lee Ann bought their home in Richmond’s Fan district earlier this year, they knew it was solidly constructed but poorly finished.

“In my opinion, previous owners cheapened the house by failing to hire high-quality finishing contractors,” he says. “The bones of the house are pretty darn good, and the overall condition was good, but the house suffered for a number of years with poor paint jobs over poor paint jobs.”

Nick and Lee Ann were aware of H.J. Holtz & Son’s reputation, but they did their due diligence before calling the company for an estimate.

 

Scheduling Painting and Wallpapering Projects

Scheduling and executing projects for H.J. Holtz & Son is a multi-step process that involves many people and, often, many changes.

“There are so many factors [at play],” says Production Manager Kelly Kutchey. “People get sick – both customers and staff – and weather can affect outdoor projects. We have spreadsheets for all our jobs, because everything relates; when something happens to delay one job, that affects others.