Shannon Thompson laughs as she recalls that H. J. Holtz & Son team members initially spent more time in her new home than she did.
Thompson and her husband, Christopher, bought the house in Richmond’s Westmoreland Place neighborhood at the end of December 2018. They were moving from New York City to Richmond to be close to family, but at the time of purchase were spending the winter in Florida. Their time away created the perfect opportunity to redecorate the house from top to bottom with little dislocation.
Relying on her sister-in-law, local artist Anne Blackwell Thompson, Shannon turned to H. J. Holtz & Son. It was a leap of faith.
“I had to manage [the project] from afar,” Shannon says. “But with [Anne’s] stamp of approval, I felt totally comfortable having them go at it without being there.
“The whole house [had] wallpaper, which was beautiful, but just not us,” she adds. “[The Holtz team] was here before we moved in and after we moved in. They’re just wonderful.”
Over the past three-plus years, the Holtz team has painted nearly every inch of the house, including cement floor in the basement and garage – “They made it glossy; it’s really attractive,” Shannon says. The home’s exterior got the Holtz treatment this year, prior to the home being open for April’s Historic Garden Week in Virginia. Additionally, Holtz master carpenter Jeff Nonnamacker was called in for a special project.
“Rick and Jeff executed a vision for my office,” Christopher says. “I wanted two walls in our office to be a bulletin board. Jeff not only executed the project with craftsmanship, he brought ideas that we failed to consider, making it look even better than I imagined.”
Shannon appreciates the Holtz team’s professionalism and attention to detail, and says the relationship between her interior designer, Suellen Gregory, and the team couldn’t have been better. Recently, while the couple was again in Florida but preparing the house for Historic Garden Week tours, they decided to remove a door between the kitchen and dining room. Once the door was gone, a small corner of countertop was exposed that didn’t match the counter the couple had previously installed. Holtz decorative artists painted the revealed area to match, a modification so seamless that it went overlooked for days.
“I think I was home for a week, then it crossed my mind [to look],” Shannon says. “I didn’t even notice it. It was only because I remembered [that we had to fix the problem] that I went looking for it.”
Shannon credits Holtz project manager Roxy Reyes for her diligence in making sure the home was in top condition for the thousands of Historic Garden Week visitors. “She was just wonderful,” Shannon says, recalling that Reyes came to the house just days before it was open for tours to repaint two small areas. “She told me they were okay, but she knew [the team] could do better.”
Calling the Holtz & Son team is always an easy choice, Shannon says.
“As the team [of home helpers] we worked with grew and changed to what would become my personal dream team, the one constant, from beginning to end, was Holtz,” Shannon says. “Their collaborative abilities among the trades are unparalleled.
“They’re also kind,” she adds. “You’ll come home and they’ll help you carry in your groceries. If you’re out of town, they’ll roll back your recycling bin. I commend [company president] Rick [Holtz] on his professionalism and his work ethic; I feel like that shines through in their final product.”