by HJ HOLTZ | May 13, 2026 | Client Work, Commercial Painting
Every project is important to H.J. Holtz & Son team members. But some touch the soul more than others. That was the case for Holtz craftspeople participating in the creation of a new chapel on the campus of Saint Gertrude High School in Goochland County.
“A lot of folks who work here are faithful people, and we take working in a church very seriously,” says Kelly Kutchey, Holtz production manager. “A project like this definitely adds a little weight to the work.”
Saint Gertrude relocated from its original home in the city of Richmond to its current campus in 2023. After a period of fundraising, the school turned to finishing its worship space in 2025. Named the Sullivan Chapel in honor of donors, the focal point of the space is the high altar, where hand-applied gold leaf provides a glowing backdrop for the school’s original wood crucifix and flanking angels.
Holtz team members painstakingly applied each piece of 23.5-karat gold leaf in the chapel – covering the front sanctuary wall and edging arches and wall elements. Gold leaf was also applied to the alcoves holding statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph.
Kutchey says the project required 4,228 linear feet of gold leaf, each piece 4.25” wide. Laid side by side, that quantity of gold leaf would span the length of 14 football fields. “[Applying] that amount of gold leafing is not something we do all the time,” he says.
Applying gold leaf is challenging, Kutchey says, because it is so delicate. But even before the work could begin, the Holtz team had to source the material. “We had to find a supplier who could provide the amount we needed,” he says.
The company found SeppLeaf Products in New York City and developed a relationship that went beyond a simple purchase. “Lauren Sepp was extremely helpful,” Kutchey says. “We had experience with gold leaf, but because of the size of the job, we had to train more people. Lauren helped with that.”
Part of the training included how to handle the leaf. “It’s incredibly thin,” Kutchey notes. “A cross breeze through the space would blow it to pieces. You have to handle it with tools, not bare fingers, because it’s so delicate and will tarnish just like solid gold.”
In addition to applying the gold leaf, H.J. Holtz & Son team members installed six murals, painted, and stained a door. The scope of the project meant that Holtz often had half a dozen workers in the space daily for months.
A fall 2025 article in a school magazine notes a goal of the chapel’s design was for it to be beautiful, to reflect the glory of God. That’s a goal that Holtz team members strive for every time, Kutchey says.
“We always try to make everything look beautiful, whether it’s running white trim or adding wallpaper,” he says. “We want crisp, straight lines – clean and beautiful. Whatever we do, we want it to look the best.”
by HJ HOLTZ | May 7, 2026 | Client Work, Residential Painting
When Matt and Meg purchased their first home last year, they loved the visual interest found on the first floor but felt let down by the more austere bedrooms, which didn’t have the same details and character. The couple turned to artificial intelligence to help them imagine something different and then enlisted H.J. Holtz & Son to bring their vision to life.
“We didn’t have an unlimited budget, but we really wanted to make the home ours,” Meg says.
Meg uploaded pictures of the home’s interior to an AI program and “played around” with ideas she and Matt contemplated, like carpentry features, paint color, light fixtures, and furniture placement. “We were able to make sure everything would fit and look the way we wanted,” she says. “What I came up with wasn’t perfect by any means, but it gave us a general sense [of the finished room]. The process was very affirming that what I envisioned would look okay.”
With a plan in mind, the couple found H.J. Holtz & Son – “probably via AI,” Meg laughs. “We looked for a highly rated local business that offers painting, wallpapering, and carpentry,” she says. “Holtz was one of the first that popped up. We liked that the company had been in business for a long time and can offer all those services at once.”
That’s just what happened. Holtz team members worked in the family’s three occupied bedrooms, reflecting the couple’s daughters’ personalities in their rooms and transforming the primary bedroom into a relaxing retreat.
“We wanted to make each of our children’s rooms feel safe and special,” Meg says. In one bedroom, the carpentry team added tongue-and groove wall panels with a scalloped edge chair rail. That room also features Benjamin Moore New Born’s Eyes paint and Green Planet x Jill Delavan wallpaper. The other daughter’s bedroom now includes picture molding, Laura Ashley wallpaper, and Benjamin Moore’s Strawberry Freeze paint. Crown molding finishes both rooms.
For the primary bedroom – the couple’s oasis – the Holtz team called in electrical partners to replace sconces and an overhead light, then added crown and picture molding before painting the room Benjamin Moore Hunter Green. “The primary bedroom is really tall,” Meg says. “The picture molding makes it feel less cavernous.”
In a final touch, the couple had Holtz paint the dining room Benjamin Moore Washington Blue and add a medallion around the ceiling light. The team also refinished the home’s double front doors.
Meg and Matt are delighted with the changes.
“We plan to be here for a long time,” she says. “We wanted high-quality workmanship from a business that could manage all of the things we wanted to be done. Their craftsmanship is amazing, and we loved that it’s all collated.”
by HJ HOLTZ | Feb 6, 2024 | Carpentry Services, Client Work
As a designer, Emily Wood knows the value of built-in custom cabinetry. “It makes rooms more usable, it adds interest,” she says. “And if you want built-ins, don’t sacrifice on quality.”
So when a client asked Wood to help her make the most of her new home, Wood knew who to call for a variety of cabinetry needs: H.J. Holtz & Son.
“They are the best,” Wood says. “The Holtz team built everything to our specifications. Josh Hastings was amazing and made our requests a reality.”
The client, a single woman in her 20s, had just purchased a ranch home that had been gutted and updated. “As a first-time homeowner able to make all the decisions herself, she was really ready to explore all her options,” says Wood, principal of Wallace Wood Interiors. “She wanted the spaces to be welcoming and lasting, able to roll with life changes.”
Together, Wood and the client talked about practical uses for all the rooms, and eventually called in the Holtz team to create built-ins for three rooms: the sitting room, the laundry room, and a room that is both office and guest bedroom.
“We’re both very big on multi-use spaces,” Wood laughs. “We kept going back and forth between the use for that room. We ended up with a happy medium.
In that bedroom, open shelving hangs above the desk and wraps around a corner to another wall. A shelf was added next to the bed, to eliminate the need for more furniture. In the sitting room, the Holtz team built a banquette with drawers underneath that hugs one wall. “Wall space was at a premium in that room, with two wide door openings, plus windows,” Wood says. “The client isn’t a formal entertainer, so she didn’t want the typical loveseat and two armchairs configuration. This banquette balances the sofa on the opposite wall and provides functionality to an otherwise dead corner.”
Another creative approach is evident in the laundry room, where a waterfall countertop was built to create work space above the washer and dryer then drops to become a bench that can hold a laundry basket and hide a litter box below. Two additional cabinets on the wall complete the look. “There’s nothing better than having good storage in your laundry room,” Wood notes.
The process of working with the Holtz team was excellent, Wood says, noting that Hastings also worked with an electrician to install custom sconces in the bedroom, adjacent to the new shelves. “The communication was clear and efficient,” Wood says. “It makes for a seamless process from start to finish.”
Both Wood and the client are thrilled with the outcome. “I make the cost clear to clients up front, and she didn’t flinch,” Wood says. “Especially after everything was installed, it was very obvious it was worth the cost.”
Mission accomplished.
by HJ HOLTZ | Dec 18, 2023 | Carpentry Services, Client Work, Exterior Painting
It was time for her home’s exterior painting, and Robin knew just who to call: H.J. Holtz & Son.
Only a year ago, Robin and her husband had hired the local firm to paint the interior of their house, following a kitchen remodel. It was an easy decision to hire Holtz & Son then, too.
“We wanted to get it done, correctly,” she says. “We knew their reputation and knew they were good. I didn’t even think of someone else. They’re probably a bit higher in price than some, but we never worried about it; we just wanted it done right.”
Exterior painting requires a slightly different skill set from interior, though repairs often come into play in both situations. With exterior work, sanding and scraping can reveal unexpected damage from water, mold, and even animals. As the Holtz team prepped the exterior of Robin’s house, issues were uncovered.
“We’ve replaced boards here and there, but there was more extensive carpentry work that needed to be done than was expected,” she says. “The carpentry guys are so good; they have such great attention to detail.”
One fun aspect of the exterior paint job, Robin says, was changing the look of the home, which her family has lived in for 25 years. Previously, the house was gray wood clapboard with black shutters, white trim, and yellow doors. Now, the house is blue with black shutters and doors, and pearl gray trim, which was suggested by a member of the Holtz team.
Robin had seen the blue on an acquaintance’s house, which has fiber-cement lap siding. Wanting the same hue – Deep Ocean – but not the siding itself, Robin requested a sample from the manufacturer, and the Holtz team had Sherwin-Williams Emerald Rain Refresh paint tinted to match their wood siding.
“The color is spot-on,” she says.
Robin says it was a pleasure to work with Holtz painters again. “Their people are very nice; they must be treated well,” she says. “They’re so considerate, clean, and very punctual.” During the exterior project, Robin was startled when the team replaced patio furniture and planters every day, as they were finishing work. “I told them that wasn’t necessary,” she says. “But they said they wanted to make it right for the evening, in case we wanted to use the patio.”
There was a gap in time from when Robin and her husband signed the contract in early 2023 and when the painting happened in the fall. “We knew we would have to wait,” Robin says. “We’re very in tune with keeping up with our property, because it’s an investment. We’re not going to let things languish. And they did a really good job.”
by HJ HOLTZ | Oct 31, 2023 | Client Work, Carpentry Services, Wallcoverings, Wallpaper
The unfinished third floor in the house had been useful over the years. With easy access to the second floor below via a wide stairway, the attic was a great storage spot for boxes and bins. Plus, it had two dormer windows that offered light and created a feeling of openness.
But the family now needed more from that space. An attic renovation was in order.
“My clients are almost empty nesters, but the kids come home all the time, and friends come with them,” says Ashley Hanley, principal of her own design firm. “The couple also has younger nieces and nephews, and they were running out of space for everybody to sleep.”
The solution? Turn the attic into a welcoming bunk room with built-in sleeping and sitting areas, and architectural details to elevate the look and feel of the space.
Hanley was familiar with H.J. Holtz & Son’s carpentry division, having worked most recently with the team on a project in Williamsburg that included a custom mantel, shiplap, and built-in cupboards. “I have used and loved the company so many times,” she says. “These clients had Holtz’s carpentry team build custom radiator covers for them, so it was easy for them to get on board.”
For the attic renovation, the Holtz carpentry team created three built-in twin beds, window seats that open for hidden storage, and a chair rail and beadboard. The team also fashioned a new railing for the staircase leading into the room, setting the tone for the refreshed space above. Holtz painting and wallpaper teams finished the room, adding whimsical “Cornwall” wallpaper by Anna French, which Hanley selected.
“The room really has that Mary Poppins attic feel,” Hanley says.
Hanley has worked with H.J. Holtz & Son since early in her career and quickly noticed that Holtz was different from other home services firms.
“I always knew Holtz & Son was really good, and I also knew they were expensive,” she says. “But after deciding to give them a try, I was just blown away by their professionalism. If something is wrong, they’re going to fix it; they’re not going to fight me on it.”
And she is delighted the company continues to expand its carpentry division, making projects like this attic renovation possible.
“Finding a good carpenter is really, really hard,” Hanley says. “Builders use the good ones and don’t like to take on smaller projects. This is such a smart part of the business for Holtz & Son to lean into.
“Everybody is nice, friendly, and talented,” she adds. “They are really proud of the work they do. It’s always a pleasure to work with incredible craftsmen.”
by HJ HOLTZ | Oct 10, 2023 | Client Work, Carpentry Services, Residential Painting
Kristen Ziegler wanted to avoid making the same mistakes twice.
In her first home renovation, she hired H.J. Holtz & Son to paint the house’s exterior after the painter who worked on the interior retired. She knew of the company’s high-end reputation, but soon found the craftsmanship and attention brought by the Holtz team to be worth any added expense.
So it was an easy decision for Ziegler to turn to Holtz & Son to help her renovate her new residence, a condominium in a 1914 apartment building. The original intent of the building was intact, but Ziegler wanted to restore the space with historical accuracy. “My first home was also my first renovation; I wasted some time and money in the learning process to get things right,” she says. “This time, I knew how to do things properly. It’s so hard: you don’t know what you don’t know.”
Painting the walls would be simple enough, Ziegler knew. The challenges were in the space’s woodwork. Trim around windows and doors was buried under layers of old paint. Crown molding at the ceiling wasn’t original to the apartment. And the baseboards were clearly also replacements; they were nearly two inches taller than the original baseboards in the building’s shared stairwell.
Working on a tight timeline, so Ziegler and her husband didn’t have to find a place to live between the sale of their previous home and moving into the new condo, the Holtz painting and carpentry divisions fabricated and painted new historically accurate baseboards, sanded and repainted all the home’s trim, and replastered and painted the walls after the inauthentic crown molding was removed. Later, after the couple had moved in, the Holtz team stripped and repainted exterior balcony French doors and painted the living room fireplace.
“The Holtz team was able to figure everything out – all the different parts – without me having to manage it,” Ziegler says. “They see other things that need attention and go above and beyond to make sure it’s complete. No detail is left unaddressed.”
As founder and principal of Minima – a firm that specializes in helping people declutter, organize, and redesign their spaces – Ziegler has an eye for detail. She credits Holtz craftsman Ricky Reid for working diligently to ensure that the new baseboards were aligned perfectly. “There are no straight walls here,” she says. “He got the trim to look straight and have the shadows look right. It was double the cost it could have been, but I’m so glad I did it.”
Ziegler is pleased with the finished project and even the process of getting there.
“I’m not an easygoing person, especially when it comes to renovations, but I’m kind,” she says. “I could tell they appreciated that, and they never got upset with me over my high standards. There’s no drama [with the Holtz team]; they show up on time and solve problems. They take pride in what they do.
“As a business owner, I value really strong customer service and really strong quality of service,” she adds. “I feel like they share those same principles, which brings peace of mind during complex projects.”
Find Minima at www.minimaonline.com
