by HJ HOLTZ | Nov 14, 2023 | Residential Painting, Employees
Fredy Vigil came to H.J. Holtz & Son 10 years ago at the suggestion of his friend Juan Villanueva. Both are still with the company.
“He told me there was a lot of work here, and everyone was treated well,” Vigil says.
Vigil already had plenty of experience; he had been working as a painter for nearly 10 years when he switched employers. He says the most compelling reason offered by Villanueva was the assurance that at H.J. Holtz & Son, he wouldn’t face random days off without pay because of erratic work load. Instead, he would be guaranteed steady work.
Once he joined the Holtz & Son team, Vigil spent a few years learning the Holtz method, then became a foreman, leading project teams. He enjoys that role, he says, because he can run the job using his approach, which includes plenty of communication.
“At the end of the work day, I let everyone know what we’re going to do the next day,” he says. “That way, they know what to expect.”
Vigil has also enjoyed the chance to develop his painting skills. He is now one of the Holtz painting team members with extensive experience in working with the Fine Paints of Europe (FPE) product line. When painting with FPE coatings, the environment has to be carefully controlled – to prevent dust and other particulates from marring the surface – and the application has to be deliberate and precise.
“I liked the challenge of learning something new,” Vigil says of working with FPE, adding that he enjoys talking with people about that paint line. “We have to educate customers about what’s needed.”
When he’s not in a customer’s home, Vigil can often be found in the spray booth, an enclosed space where furniture and other objects are painted in a climate-controlled environment. “I really like being in the booth, because when I finish, I can see the good quality of the paint job,” he says. “And it’s nice to be on my own sometimes.”
Vigil also appreciates the family atmosphere of the company, noting that he was able to get to know current president Rick Holtz’s parents and sister when they were working with the company. “That makes me want to stay,” he says.
Happy 10th anniversary, Fredy!
by HJ HOLTZ | Oct 2, 2023 | INTERIOR PAINTING
Mark Twain is credited with saying “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” While Twain likely wasn’t thinking about home improvement projects, his advice holds. The beginning point of any change to your home is to have a conversation about what you want and need, because no work can happen until there’s a plan.
At H.J. Holtz & Son, we’d like to encourage you to consider the interior painting or interior carpentry projects that could be accomplished this winter. Here are our top 5 reasons why you should call us now:
- The sooner you contact us, the sooner you lock in dates. We want to accommodate your work window. Maybe you want to have a fresh space for your Super Bowl party – or maybe you don’t want to start until after that big game. Maybe you want a transformation to happen over spring break, when you’re out of town. Once your contract is signed, you’re on our schedule.
- Book now, and lock in 2023 labor rates. One of the things we pride ourselves on at H.J. Holtz & Son is our ability to train and retain quality craftspeople. That requires regular pay increases. We don’t know yet how our pricing will change in 2024, but like any other business facing increased costs in supplies, gas, and utilities, we doubt our prices will drop.
- If you have a signed contract with us and we can’t do the work this winter, you’ll be first in line for spring. Even with a plan in place, schedules can shift. Maybe something changes in your life, or maybe an unknown repair issue surfaces that needs to be addressed. Once we’re working with you on a project, we’re going to see it through, no matter how long that takes.
- Think about upcoming occasions. Look at your calendar for 2024. Are you planning to host any special events in your home – a graduation, bridal or baby shower, retirement party, anniversary celebration? Even if there’s nothing planned, it’s good to be ready for the unexpected, like a visit from future in-laws or a cookout to welcome a new neighbor. You want your home to look its best every day, and we do, too.
- We have craftspeople ready to work. Unlike many other home services companies, we keep our employees year-round; we don’t have seasonal layoffs. In winter months, our exterior team members are more available for interior work, which means we can handle more jobs simultaneously. When our calendar is full, that’s when we’re our most efficient.
Channel your inner Mark Twain today, and give H.J. Holtz & Son a call to start your project – 804-358-4109.
by HJ HOLTZ | Sep 26, 2023 | Exterior Painting
While cold weather often means homeowners turn their attention to indoor projects, it’s possible – and may even be essential – to paint some or all of a house’s exterior during the winter months.
“Paint is the protective coating over top of the wood substrates,” says Thomas Freeman, sales representative for The Sherwin-Williams Company. “Wood, when exposed to the elements – whether moisture or sun – over time, is going to rot. The paint is what protects it from rotting.”
While prolonged exposure to moisture can lead to problems at any time of the year, the issues become more pronounced in cold weather, as ice crystals form and expand, enlarging cracks. Because damage occurs under the surface, it can be easy to miss.
“You can have structural issues, not just damage to windows and siding,” Freeman says, adding that masonry may also suffer and should be part of any exterior assessment.
For many homeowners, their house is their largest investment. The exterior should be surveyed regularly, but especially as colder and wetter weather looms, to ensure that cracks are sealed and small issues are repaired, either through caulking or painting. H.J. Holtz & Son offers this exterior review at customers’ request. Necessary repairs, including replacing rotted or damaged wood, can be handled by the in-house carpentry team.
If painting is required, the good news is that certain premium exterior paints can be applied at temperatures as low as 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Sherwin-Williams offers four options: SuperPaint, Latitude, Duration, Emerald, and Emerald Rain Refresh. “Each has different characteristics with durability, how they work, and how they perform in different weather conditions,” Freeman says. “Some are even self-cleaning.”
These premium exterior paints can be used at lower temperatures and resist moisture in just two hours – 50% faster than typical exterior paint. Still, Freeman says, it’s important to pay attention when painting in the winter.
“In summer, painters can start as early as 6 or 7 a.m. and work until 5 or 7 p.m., as long as they’ve got sunlight,” he says. “But just because the sun’s up in winter, it doesn’t mean conditions are conducive to painting. You need to start later – to make sure it’s warm enough – and you need to finish earlier, to give the paint time to dry before the sun sets and evening dew creeps in.”
It may take more days to paint a house’s exterior in the winter, but the actual number of hours needed may not be as high as it seems, as work hours are stretched over more days, to ensure painting is happening with optimum conditions. Prep work can take a bit longer, as it’s not wise to leave wood exposed, waiting for paint. A crew is more likely to prep in sections, rather than all at once.
The key, Freeman says, is to hire painters who know how to work in winter. “Some guys aren’t responsible about waiting for the right conditions,” he says. “[Company president Rick] Holtz isn’t like this, fortunately. He’s going to get it right whether he makes money or not. Not all these guys are.”
by HJ HOLTZ | Aug 22, 2023 | About Our Company
It was an opportunity too good to pass up.
For the past 10 years, H.J. Holtz & Son President Rick Holtz had kept a casual eye on commercial real estate listings, contemplating a change.
The company’s location at 3106 Moore Street in Richmond, within easy reach of several major thoroughfares, was a sweet spot when the company moved there in 2002. Situated at the corner of Moore and Summit streets, the lot offered a large side parking area – necessary for the company’s trucks – and a large building that could accommodate both office and shop areas.
But 20 years is a long time. Over the last two decades, Holtz & Son has grown, adding more trained painters and paper hangers, and expanding its carpentry division to provide wraparound services, as so many home projects require wood repair.
Beyond the front doors, the neighborhood changed, too. When the company moved in, Scott’s Addition was filled mostly with light industrial businesses and warehouses. A scattering of homes and restaurants were on the edges, but the district attracted little attention.
The area began to shift in the early 2000s, as a few warehouses were converted into apartments. Growth slowed during the Great Recession of 2008-2009, but developers quickly returned with more aggressive plans. In 2017, the city changed the neighborhood’s zoning from light industrial to mixed-use, allowing for a bevy of businesses to fill the area.
Now, Scott’s Addition is a hive of activity, day and night. That’s not bad when the Holtz team is looking for lunch, but it creates significant barriers to Holtz & Son expansion.
“There’s just nowhere for us to go,” says Rick Holtz. “We’re hemmed in on every side. And there’s no way I could afford to buy out any of our adjacent neighbors. The property values are just too high.”
Already feeling pinched in the space, the Holtz & Son team faced even greater demand during and after the COVID pandemic, as people upgraded and improved their homes. “Suddenly, everyone was inside their houses, looking at the walls, and realizing they didn’t like what they saw,” Rick Holz says. “Demand doubled. We want to meet demand, for both clients who have worked with us before and new clients. But that became really hard to do.”
Even though much of the work the company does is in customers’ homes, a surprising number of tasks happen in the shop.
“We need space to prep and spray cabinets, build and paint furniture, and paint all types of items our clients ask us to paint,” Rick Holtz says. “We’ve used every inch of the space we have here. There’s just nowhere to go.”
He had almost given up on finding a new location when he had lunch with his friends who work with Benjamin Moore and Spectrum Paint. “My friend and associate Rob Reynolds mentioned that he had a friend who was retiring and might be interested in selling his building,” Rick Holtz says.
He quickly acted on the tip, finding Old Dominion Body Works, just off Hull Street Road, near its intersection with Chippenham Parkway. With almost 12,000 square feet, the shop is double the size of Holtz & Son’s current location.
“We’re acquiring a down draft spray booth, and we’re able to give the Holtz Built carpentry division, which is growing so fast, an even larger dedicated space,” Rick Holtz says. “We’re also going to be able to have multiple projects of varying sizes going at a time, which enables us to finish a job faster. That’s good for the customer who wants their project to move quickly, and it’s good for the customer who’s waiting for us to get to their project.”
H.J. Holtz & Son closed on the sale in May and renovations began immediately. “We’re serving as our own general contractor and are doing as much of the work ourselves as we can,” Rick Holtz says. “Really, we can do it all, except for the plumbing, mechanical and heavy-duty electrical work.
“It’s exciting for our team to work on our own space,” he adds. “We’re getting to show what we can do, and we’ll get to enjoy the finished product. We’re really having fun with it.”
Stay tuned … there’s more to come.
by HJ HOLTZ | Apr 5, 2023 | Carpentry Services, Residential Painting
Photo courtesy of Todd Wright
The homes presented in the Garden Club of Virginia’s 2023 Historic Garden Week share many characteristics: they have elegant spaces, they have carefully designed plantings, and they are impeccably maintained, inside and out.
H.J. Holtz & Son is proud to have helped numerous homeowners through the years – including two on this year’s tour – prepare their homes for the hundreds of HGW ticket-holders who come every spring to see not only their gardens, but also their homes. Holtz craftsmanship will also be on display this year in Charlottesville at Carr’s Hill, the residence of the president of the University of Virginia.
“We know our clients want to show their homes at their best every day,” says company president Rick Holtz. “Garden Week takes that up a notch, because these are public tours.”
The origins of Historic Garden Week date to 1927, when the Garden Club of Virginia hosted a flower show to raise money to save trees planted by Thomas Jefferson at his mountaintop home of Monticello. That first effort netted $7,000 – the equivalent to roughly $117,000 today. In 1928, the club raised money to help save Kenmore, the Fredericksburg-area home of Betty Washington Lewis, George Washington’s sister. In 1929, multiple houses and gardens were opened for a “pilgrimage,” with ticket prices going to fund restorations of historic properties and gardens throughout the state. This year’s Garden Week comprises 29 tours organized and hosted by members of clubs from Virginia Beach to Roanoke, from Martinsville to Middleburg.
Richmond, as in years past, has three tour days: April 18, 19, and 20. Tuesday’s tour, in the Westhampton neighborhood, includes 6407 Roselawn, where the Holtz team has assisted with painting and carpentry work. Thursday’s tour, along Three Chopt Road, includes 6207 Three Chopt, another property where Holtz craftspeople have completed projects.
Company president Holtz says he’s always pleased when a client reaches out for assistance prior to Garden Week. “It’s usually someone we’ve worked with in the past, who knows we can come in for touch-ups,” he says. “Sometimes, people will use the fact that their home is going to be on tour as a reason to do a project they’ve been putting off, like painting exterior trim or shutters, or the front door. Everyone wants their home to look good as people are walking up to the entrance.”
It’s common for homeowners to think about improvements prior to big life events, such as a wedding, graduation, retirement party, or the birth of a child. Rick Holtz advises those considering fresh painting or wall coverings as well as carpentry repair – which is managed by the in-house Holtz carpenters – to reach out well in advance of the special occasion, so there’s ample time to complete the project.
“You don’t want to rush into making decisions about color or décor,” he notes. “From our years in business, we know that a selected paint color, once it’s on the wall, may appear to be a different hue, based on the way the light is hitting it. We all want time to make sure that the final project is done to everyone’s satisfaction.”
For more information about the 2023 Historic Garden Week, visit vagardenweek.org. Tickets are $50 per day if purchased in advance; $60 per day at the tour headquarters.
