Month: July 2009

Color cups

Need some indestructible cups, for kids or clumsy guests? Want to make sure your style’s equally unassailable? ’50s-vintage melmac cups and saucers from Antics bring cheery hues and retro flair to your kitchen, all mid-century-like.

 

 

 

Smart reductions

Little books for little spaces: Mimi Zeiger’s Tiny Houses is seven square inches of “microgreen living,” showcasing homeowners the world over who are simplifying and shrinking their lives to fit into homes under 1,000 square feet. Get ready for wee floor plans and mini-innovation, from treehouses to boathouses, and prepare to feel positively gluttonous about that walk-in closet.—Lucy Zhou

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lush (and selective) life

For those of us who were around when the great drought began half a decade ago, it’s been a treat to see a little mud during this remarkably rainy season. But Nature is two-handed if she is anything, and the boons of moisture and moderate temperatures (albeit with the ambiance of Mumbai) have also fostered abundant foliar diseases.

Abundant rain this year also means abundant foliar diseases.

Copious rainfall and high humidity mean fungal spores will splash and paint alarming blotches all over the leaves of dogwoods, photinias, roses, witch hazels and tomatoes. It’s just that kind of year. It’s way too late to spray fungicides after symptoms appear.

Although they’re bad news for plants that are mostly foliage, fungal diseases in general do not do long-term harm to trees and shrubs, merely disfiguring their leaves for a season and freaking out the anxious gardener.

For the long term, keep it clean at the base of susceptible plants. Remove debris and re-mulch each year so spores don’t over-winter. Avoid pruning dogwoods and witch hazels when leaves are wet because it spreads diseases and further stresses the plants. Wait for winter dormancy to thin for good air circulation. Pull yellow leaves from the bottom of tomatoes on a dry afternoon (smokers, wash your hands to avoid spreading tobacco mosaic disease) and mulch thickly with clean fluffy straw.

This lush season brings to mind Jefferson’s remark that in the new world of America, “Gardens may be made without expense. We have only to cut out the superabundant plants.” Seedlings abound—annual larkspur, poppy, cleome, cardinal vine, tassel flower and verbena left to go to seed last year are popping up like Chia Pets while perennial hosta and hellebore have skirts of hardy babies at their feet.
 

JULY IN THE GARDEN -Don’t mind the spots. -Thin the annuals. -Weed it.

In late summer I’ll prick off the little hostas and hellebores and transplant them a foot or so apart, but annuals need to be thinned early. I learned this lesson well with radishes which I sowed early enough, but neglected to thin to the recommended 1-2 inches, thinking, “What could go wrong with radishes?” Gargantuan top growth overwhelmed meager taproots which supplied hardly a decent tang worth harvesting.

Yet the gardener resists culling tender shoots, not only from innate indolence, which is a factor for some of us, but because a nurturing habit is the kernel of gardening. For myself, as long as I have a compost pile, I have little compunction in discarding plants. Let them rot and feed the soil. When you’re dealing with diseased foliage, however, burn or otherwise discard it rather than composting.

With flower and vegetable seedlings come also chickweed, henbit, mugwort and other weeds which must be eradicated before they choke out our favored pets. Large uniform plantings of groundcovers like grasses, junipers or spireas can be mulched with landscape fabric (which, unlike black plastic, allows water to permeate) or newspapers (which allow soil amendment) topped with a couple of inches of shredded hardwood. But mixed borders where plants have varying habits and cultural requirements need to be cultivated by hand.

Done properly, hand weeding can be therapeutic, even Zen-like. Yanking the tops off five-foot weeds growing in baked hardpan will definitely turn you off. But if you time it right—moist soil, small weeds—and have the proper tools—soil knife, trowel, customized kitchen implement (no gloves; you need finger contact)—and suitable stool, kneeling mat or strong back, you can clean up a bed in short time with immediate results and no harm to the environment. Top it with compost to amend the soil.

Chisel away the excess and the garden will emerge.—Cathy Clary

Canned heat

Up to your eyes in Jersey Boys or Beefsteaks? While popping open a jar of store-bought tomatoes might be easy-peasy, you’d be surprised at how simple and rewarding at-home canning can be. Grab your biggest pot, and your biggest, reddest bushel, and get ready to can-can your surplus Romas away. Believe us—you’ll be thanking yourself come December.

1) Pick fresh, fleshy tomatoes. Even though they’ll be cooked, this isn’t the place for mushy runts—quality canned tomatoes call for quality produce, period. Romas are recommended for having less skin and water, and thicker, meatier walls.

2) Sterilize, sterilize, sterilize. The dishwasher will do, or you can toss your jars, lids, and rings in a pot and get boiling. You should also start heating up your tomato juice as well as your canning pot (filled half-way with water), lid on.

3) They make for chewy sauce, so take the skins off after a quick one-minute dip in boiling water and then a dunk in a bowl of ice.

4) Fill the jars leaving a quarter-inch of headroom, add two tablespoons of lemon juice to ward off spoilage, and fill to the brim with hot tomato juice. Use a spoon to get rid of air pockets, then close it all up. Always use new lids!

5) Arrange the jars in your canning pot, cover with at least an inch of water, and boil for about 40-45 minutes. Once done, lift them out and let them cool overnight in a draft-free place, then check that the lid is sealed. If it pops, it’s not, so refrigerate and use quickly. No pop means your juicy reds are ready for stowing.—Lucy Zhou

Fragile fruits

Once cherries have appeared at City Market, set your alarm clock and watch the sky for crows—the tree fruit is coming in! Small tree fruit such as apricots and plums can be very difficult to grow and sell in Virginia—even under the best of circumstances, they are extremely perishable, and don’t take kindly to late frosts nor wet weather. For that reason, most orchards in Central Virginia tend to focus on peaches and apples based in part on lengthier seasons and heavier fruit. If you see apricots or plums, snatch them up and eat them quickly—they won’t be around for long!
 
If competitive fruit shopping isn’t your thing, taste the fruits of the season with Jam According to Daniel (accordingtodaniel.com) on Saturdays at the City Market and Tuesdays at the Forest Lakes Market. Daniel scours the countryside for fruit and herbs to transform into artisan jams such as White Peach + Hibiscus, Damson + Italian Plum, and Lemon Apricot; buy a few extra jars to push to the back of the cupboard for those seasons without fruit.—Lisa Reeder

Sleek street face

We’re always drawn to siding alternatives other than plain ol’ vinyl or wood. This aluminum-clad wall turns what could be a forgettable rancher in Meadowbrook Heights into a real head-turner.

Abundant rain this year also means abundant foliar diseases.

Prospect Hill Plantation Inn and Restaurant’s Tart Apricot

Shortbread Crust:

1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
dash of cinnamon
2 cups flour
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup apricot preserves, heated and strained

Beat egg and sugar in mixer until fluffy. Add vanilla, cinnamon and small amount of butter, then fold in flour and butter a little at a time until mixture forms a ball. Knead dough a few minutes and press into a buttered 12-inch pie tart pan. Bake at 375 degrees 15-20 minutes or until firm and golden. Do not over-bake. Set aside to cool completely, then brush with jam.

Mascarpone filling:

1 egg
1 cup sugar
16 oz. mascarpone cream cheese
1/2 tsp. almond extract (or 1 Tbs. Amaretto)

Whip egg and sugar until fluffy. Add extract, then cheese, a little at a time until smooth. Spread cheese filling evenly onto crust, then top with your choice of any of the following: peeled apricot or peach halves, peeled and sliced kiwi or apple, berries, halved strawberries (or any combination of the above) and fruit preserves to match. Firm fruits such as apricots, apples or pears need to be cooked in simple sugar syrup to soften. Arrange fruit in pattern all over cheese and glaze with melted, strained jam. Chill at least one hour. Serves 12.

Bird is the word

A professional knife kit contains many old friends, such as peelers and sharpeners and Band-Aids—but it may also contain some lesser-known tools. Until researching this article, I didn’t know the name of my “peach knife”—that is, the small, sharp paring knife that can skin a peach, peel an apple, pit a cherry and split a plum right in half.

One name is the bird’s beak paring knife, so named for the curved blade with a sharp point at the end; it is just the tool for peeling ripe fruit as the curved blade hugs the round contour of the fruit, causing fewer bruises and drips. The bird’s beak is also great for hulling strawberries, and (with a bit of practice) will yield smooth peeled potatoes of every shape and size.

The newly relocated and retooled Happy Cook at Barracks Road Shopping Center offers reasonably priced bird’s beak paring knives with cheery, painted handles by L’Econome. The new, larger location (just across the way from the old location) highlights artisan kitchen products of all types; it also features a demonstration space that will showcase local chefs and food producers. (See thehappycook.com).—L.R.

Your best side

As the recently departed Ed McMahon amply proved, everyone loves the sidekick. Give your sofa or easy chair a supporting act to be proud of with one of these side tables from local shops.

Ebonized tea cart with mirrored shelves, c. 1940s, from DeLoach Antiques
$550

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mid-century-style metal and wood table, from a set of three, from Patina
$175

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beverly side table with Greek-motif legs and wedge-shape inlay from Kenny Ball Antiques
$405

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cherry side table made locally by Dan Mauro, sold at The Artful Lodger, $700
 

One of the great things about being an architect, it seems—aside from the chance to design one’s own dwelling—is the ability to discuss that dwelling in all kinds of interesting terms.

A courtyard is enclosed by one of three L-shaped concrete walls that form the structure of Parcel X, Peter and Nancy Waldman’s North Garden home.

Take, for example, the house of Peter and Nancy Waldman, which he (a professor in UVA’s School of Architecture) designed in 1994 and describes at different times as a moving van, a campsite, a warehouse, a textbook and a future archaeological dig. Each is an apt comparison in some way, but first it helps to know some basics about the industrial-style, metal-clad house built on nearly four sloping, wooded acres in North Garden.

Waldman explains, standing inside his kitchen, that the structure (called Parcel X) is essentially formed by three interlocking L-shaped concrete walls. Facing the kitchen sinks, one is looking at the southernmost of those walls. The others are set into the hillside so that they define an elongated rectangle, roughly half of which is a large open public space, the other half bedrooms and bathrooms. Gauzy curtains divide the two zones.

Considering its narrow shape and open interior (with 14′ ceilings) gives rise to the first of Waldman’s descriptions: “It’s a moving van. It’s long and thin, with ribbed sides—a storage box,” he says. Rather than define rooms with walls, he explains, he and Nancy do so with groupings of furniture. “It’s expandable,” Waldman says. “This house can go from seating four to 16….I can move furniture and the dining room can become a living room or a dance area.”

There is simplicity not only in the house’s shape but in its common materials—steel, concrete, glass and copper. And if shifting rooms around at will is reminiscent of nomadic camping, so too is the close relation between Parcel X and its surroundings.

On site

The house responds directly to its site in some ways (for example, the concrete stairs between the lower and main floors appear to sit on and follow the natural slope of the hill, connecting inside and out) and more poetically in other ways (the verticals of the copper siding, like those on a standing-seam metal roof, echoing the verticals of the poplar trees that grow nearby). The sounds of the outdoors, too, enter the space unexpectedly: Snow muffles what is usually an echo-prone interior, while rain is easily audible falling on the metal roof and rushing under a manhole in the concrete floor. In very cold weather, the steel structure creaks.
 

The main floor is split between this huge public area (with constant daylight through the north glass-block wall) and the bedrooms. The south wall serves as a de facto art gallery.

Meanwhile, outside is a lovely Albemarle landscape, spreading before the house in the sunny southern direction. The obvious thing would be to invite the view in through large frontal windows, but instead Waldman placed the biggest windows in his home at the east and west ends, which are nearly all glass.

“You have to appreciate it [the view] in small parts,” he says. “I didn’t want to feel like a little king. I wanted to make the inside a landscape of its own.” The southern view enters in a few selected spots, through modestly-sized windows. And it can be taken in from a semicircular southern-facing deck where potted plants share space with a concrete-block chimney.

Below the deck, on the lower level, the kitchen resembles a cave, a foil to the pavilion feel of the light-filled main level. “I try to use very fundamental things—heavy and light. Caves and tents,” says Waldman. The kitchen squats under a 7′ ceiling and is sandwiched between a straight poured-concrete wall and a curved concrete-block wall, so that it is narrow at both ends and fatter in the middle, with a few small windows. “The kitchen is a very cosy modest space,” Waldman says, though one gets the feeling from the way it is stocked that it likely produces notable meals.

Luminous life

Above all, Parcel X explores the effects of sunlight. Waldman remembers a crisis early in his career, just after he’d completed his education in the European tradition of architecture that revels in light—a sensible program for a part of the world where sunlight is scarce. Serving in the Peace Corps in Nancy’s native Peru, however, Waldman encountered a different paradigm. “It’s constantly bright,” he says. “They made architecture to make shade. I had to start from scratch.”

A skylight punctures the roof, whose structure is laid bare as part of Waldman’s “obsession with accountability.”

Time spent living in Houston furthered this exploration (he designed a house there called Parasol House), and Parcel X both protects its occupants from direct light (by limiting windows on the south wall) and allows a large amount of indirect light to enter (by making the north wall almost entirely of translucent glass block). Waldman recalls also an earlier memory, from his parents’ Manhattan apartment: “There were nine huge windows on the north. One in the dining room faced south. As a 4-year-old I would hit the carpet to see dust rising [in the sunbeams]. Removed from nature, I began to make sense of it.”

The basic movement of light through a building during the sun’s daily travels is commemorated here by strategically-placed openings that align with the sun’s morning, noon and evening positions on the winter and summer solstices. “There’s something about the extremes of marking the solstices….It’s given me orientation,” says Waldman. “Architecture can confirm where you are in the world.”

Where we are here is a hot, humid climate, and so trees that have grown up to the west since Parcel X was built are welcomed for their shading. Inside, concrete floors retain warmth in winter and are cool on the feet in summer.
Nighttime brings its own set of effects. Outdoor lights shine on the glass-block wall, making a glow on the opposite wall’s copper wainscoting and framed art. “[They become] like 101 windows,” says Waldman. “We use a lot of candles. I expected the glass block to glow but not the artwork.”

In the private part of the house, two bedrooms on the main level are topped by a loftlike third. These sanctuaries within the house are lit partly by a skylight over the loft, which is shaped like a teepee (which references again the idea of camping) or, alternately, a volcano (a nod to Peru). Waldman had planned to stucco its sides, but when he noticed how light entered through its wire-lathe frame, he opted for translucent fiberglass instead.

Industry-driven

Like many other details—including a heavy door to the deck that travels on a track—the skylight was partly the work of Waldman’s students, who have contributed over the years to what becomes a living laboratory for their ideas. Too, says Waldman, the visible structure and systems of the house (steel roof supports, exposed ducts and wiring conduit) can act as a “textbook of things that are normally hidden,” helpful for students to see.

The kitchen is low-ceilinged and lets the sun in at strategic points, making it a foil to the light-filled main floor.

Parcel X’s industrial aesthetic permeates it on every level. Waldman compares it to the third house in the story of the three little pigs —the strong one made of brick, though in this case concrete provides solidity. It also means safety from fire. That was important to Nancy, who wasn’t keen to live in a wooden structure.

Though another of Waldman’s descriptions for his house is “warehouse,” the care with which details are mapped might be foreign to an actual place of storage. “There’s an obsession with accountability. Things line up,” he says, noting how the four-foot bays in the ceiling match up to the sections of the concrete floor and the grid of glass blocks on the north wall. In the same way, materials are bare here, unpainted and exposed. Contractors’ marks are left untouched on the roof beams. “They’re the people who built the house,” says Waldman. (Ace Contracting, that is.)

Made of Durarock—normally used as a tile backer, thus unseen—the south wall surface has a distinctly manmade, yet soft look, and makes a low-key background for numerous pieces of framed artwork. Waldman says he may someday plaster it and paint a mural, but for now it works perfectly with the house’s other details—metal-pipe stair railings, utility-style sinks, exposed copper plumbing. Corrugated metal forms the “ceiling,” and the kitchen lights are bare bulbs in white ceramic fixtures.

“You can live with humble materials. You don’t need rich materials to have a rich life. Let the sun do it,” Waldman says.

These materials also lend themselves to creative reuse—for example, a closet system built of wood from the forms used to pour the concrete walls. Waldman has also fashioned sliding laundry doors from common, inexpensive materials (hollow-core doors, joist hangers, and angle iron) mined at Lowe’s and then transformed.

Ultimately, the warehouse spirit of the place is more than balanced by the considerable warmth of its occupants’ possessions and style. The juxtaposition is perfectly summed up in the kitchen, where masks and Indian corn hang from copper pipe running along the concrete-block wall. And it’s evident in the way the cool grey interior of the main floor is offset by wooden antiques, animal-skin rugs, Peruvian blankets, floral-patterned furniture and a grand piano.

Says Waldman, “The furniture transforms something very humble into something that’s a bit of a joy.”

Remember the olden days when people used to drive around neighborhoods with their real estate agent in tow looking at properties? So 1992. These days, the only real way to search for homes (as with everything else in life) is online. And real estate blogs and search engines are making it easier than ever. Following is a round-up of the most popular local sources for tracking down properties in the Charlottesville area.

mycaar.com

The MLS (multiple listing service) arm of the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors, mycaar.com is regarded as the most mainstream search vehicle for Charlottesvillians.

Advantage: If the property is listed by a CAAR member—that is, 95 percent of the agents in town—it’ll show up here first. Potential home buyers are free to peruse listings anonymously, and search criteria are detailed to the point of superfluity—you can search for homes that feature flourishes like wainscoting and wet bars as by price and square footage.

Disadvantage: The listing agent wants your business, so they tend to leave out key details of a property in the hope you’re compelled to call for more information. For instance, a listing on mycaar.com won’t tell you if a property is in foreclosure, or how long the current occupant has lived there. For that, you have to deal directly with the agent.

realcentralva.com

The search feature of local real estate blogger Jim Duncan’s popular blog relies on data partially provided by Charlottesville MLS.

Advantages: The search criteria here are a little more helpful and creative than what’s readily available on mainstream search engines and other agents’ sites—i.e. the site provides information that actually matters to savvy buyers. For example, you can search by price drops, the number of days a property has been listed, and foreclosures. There’s even a green component—you can search for properties based on their “walk score,” that is, how easy it is to get to and from without a car. You can also choose to save searches and have them emailed directly to you, and Duncan promises to “never spam you.”

Disadvantages: Not many, though searching for price drops—which requires you to enter a specific percentage decrease within a designated timeframe—can be tricky. Try searching for a decrease of at least five percent, and know that Duncan is working to improve this part of his search engine.

realcville.blogspot.com

While not a search engine per se, the so-called Bubble Blog frequently highlights specific MLS listings and gives the insider drop on each.

Advantage: The blog is written anonymously, so expect refreshingly non-chirpy, non-glossed over and oftentimes ranty estimations of properties in question. For instance, the writers come right out and say things like renting rather than owning may be preferable in a market like Charlottesville and “Homeownership should not be associated with the qualities and achievements that comprise ‘The American Dream.’” You won’t find that kind of gimlet-eyed commentary on other real estate sites.

Disadvantage: They only feature listings they want to write about, and the tone is geared more towards those versed in industry vernacular—“move up buyers,” etc. Also, expect a lot of bold text, you know, in case you don’t get it.

craigslist.com

Advantage: A repository for “for sale by owner” properties, Craigslist appeals to buyers who prefer not to work with agents. 

Disadvantages: As with all things Craigslist-related, expect to wade through a lot of garbage before finding a gem. And even if you do find a “gem,” the information could be misleading—or the seller a crackpot.

Agent websites

Many real estate agents have their own sites and blogs equipped with MLS search capabilities.

Advantages: Perusing an agent’s blog or website is the quickest way to determine if this is a person you can actually work with. For instance, Pam Dent (jumpintogreenerpastures.com) specializes in horse properties, Roger Voisinet (cvilleproperties.com) frequently posts about green issues. And the agent can usually set you up to have MLS listings that fit your criteria emailed directly to you.

Disadvantages: In order to receive customized listings, you must give the agent your contact info.

Now we’re rolling

Plenty of projects are more important than a toilet-paper holder, but we still gave it a place on our big list of things to do. (This is notwithstanding my husband’s claim that the back of the toilet made a fine toilet-paper holder.)

Of course you can buy these things in all sorts of styles at any hardware store, but as usual we enjoy personalizing (read: complicating). We had some nifty old wooden drawer pulls—dark, carved items I picked up at a junk store, which must have come from a bureau or sideboard—and we decided to use one of them to fashion the TPH. It seemed that if we cut the pull in half, it would make two “arms,” perfect for holding the plastic spring-loaded rod that goes inside the roll.
 

Top: Forstner holes in the plate for the TPH; bottom: the finished product.

And it did. Cutting was tricky on our way-too-big-for-this-job miter saw, but we made it through sans injury. Next we drilled depressions (not holes) into the ends of these arms, into which the springy rod would fit. Then we cut a scrap of oak trim to act as a “plate” on the back of the holder. We gave it a quick sanding, and put two holes in with a forstner bit, for screws.

Finally, we glued the arms onto the plate, put two drywall anchor screws into the bathroom wall, attached the holder, installed the roll, and there it was! One little project, crossed off the list.

Shape shade

Remember when you were little and you’d make shadow puppets on the wall with your hands?…This project isn’t really like that. But, we’re betting that if the light were bright enough, the silhouettes you create would be like a new piece of art every time you turned on the light. In that way, we think this is a pretty bright idea.

Materials: One lampshade, cutouts from card stock paper (in any desired shapes), white Kraft paper (available at any craft store).

Tools: Glue stick, scissors, pencil.

1. Lay the lampshade on its side on the Kraft paper. (Make sure there’s enough room on the paper to roll the lampshade in a full semi-circle.)

2. Beginning at the side seam, roll the lampshade in a full semi-circle, tracing the top and bottom rims of the shade until you reach the side seam again.

3. Connect the lines and cut out the resulting semi-circle shape.

4. Glue your shapes in place on the Kraft paper.

5. With the shapes facing the inside, wrap the paper around the interior of the shade and glue the ends in place.

A hammer for every task

When it’s hammer time, choose wisely.

If you think the concept of using a hammer is pretty easy, well, you’re pretty right. Depending on the task, though, there are specialized hammers on the market that can make your job-at-hand an error-proof breeze.

When you just need a household hammer for hanging portraits or general carpentry, go with a 16-ounce claw hammer. For prying purposes, use a straight claw hammer; for nail pulling tasks, a curved claw hammer will work best to get those nails out smoothly.

If cabinet building is your calling, we recommend a finishing hammer with a smooth face so you don’t find yourself chipping the wood. In the case of delicate wood projects like putting furniture together, use a soft-face hammer. On some, the heads are interchangeable; you can find hard or soft rubber, plastic or copper faces.

For the wall-demolishing, stake-driving folks out there, sledgehammers are clearly your best bet. May we recommend using a fiberglass or graphite handle for its shock absorbency so that you won’t feel like the sledgehammer is sledging you.

Whatever your project is, make sure your eyes and body are protected. The checkerboard or mill-faced hammer is designed to help prevent nails and wood chips from flying around, but it can hurt the finish on your wood, so only use it if really necessary. A good hammer is worth the money, because the cheaper ones generally fall apart with extensive use. Priced between $20 and $30, they’ll guarantee a solid hammering experience.—Caroline Edgeton

Just getting to the house that Richard Hewitt is building for himself and his wife requires some work. The road starts out innocently enough, skirting a Crozet apple orchard, but quickly devolves into a rock-strewn, rutted beast which climbs a steep mountainside to the wooded spot that is Hewitt’s homesite. It’s here that the real work begins: Hewitt, the sommelier at Keswick Hall and an experienced contractor, is constructing a house largely of salvaged materials, and doing it almost singlehandedly.

Such conditions, of course, require ingenuity. For example, the normal procedure is to frame exterior walls, install windows, then add siding and trim. That takes more than one worker. So Hewitt built his exterior walls in sections lying on the ground, finished them right down to the paint and caulk, then jacked them up to vertical and attached them to each other.

The project also shows a love for historical detritus (perhaps honed when Hewitt spent time renovating houses in Portugal). The inside of the house resembles the Habitat Store (at which Hewitt is a regular customer): It’s stacked with porch columns, 40 French doors from Keswick that Hewitt’s using as windows, light fixtures and many other elements that will someday find their place in the scheme of things.

Hewitt has to be willing to take materials when they present themselves, not necessarily when he needs them. Take, for example, half of his roof shingles. “I was driving to Richmond on 64 and I was about 20 miles past Charlottesville,” he remembers. A palette of shingles had fallen off a truck, and the driver was busy trying to clean up the mess. Hewitt stopped to help and just happened to mention, when they were not quite finished, that he was looking for some shingles for his house.

The driver, of course, offered him the rest of his scattered stock, and drove off, leaving Hewitt to load as many as he could onto his pickup and then conceal the rest in the woods until he could come back. A police officer came along and questioned him as he was doing this. “You expect me to believe that?” he said in response to Hewitt’s explanation. “It’s too weird not to, isn’t it?” replied Hewitt. “Yeah, you’re right,” said the cop.—Erika Howsare

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“People say, ‘I can’t believe you built this all yourself.’ I’ve tried hiring people. But if they’re good, they cost a lot. If they’re not, you spend all day following them around. Since there are two jacks [when raising walls] and there’s only me, I have to go side by side. The wall torques a little. So I have to redo a little caulk and paint.

“I just found this [three-part kitchen counter] at Habitat—it’s from the Virginia Store in Stanardsville. When they were moving it, they thought it broke, but that’s just how it is. The chimney pots are from a Harlow Powell auction. Those are my favorite thing.

“The lumber in the roof is from a Better Living truck sale. The ceiling wood is from a lady’s fence. She said it was all taken down; just load it up. You can’t resist that. That light [a heavy green-shaded chandelier with fringe] is from over the billiard table at Keswick. Those doors are from Habitat; I think they were from a church.

“I end up using 99 percent of what I buy. This is the stuff [lumber] that came from the ark in Crozet [built for the filming of Evan Almighty]. It was in panels. That was the only time I got stuck up here; I had a 24-foot U-Haul in the creek. The flooring is from a factory; those lights were in a gym in Ruckersville.

“I went a little crazy on Craiglist. I have this amazing corbel collection. They’re from all over the U.S., mostly New England.

“The plywood came from the [renovation of] the Jefferson Theater. That was perfect timing. But there were so many nails in it. [When I was loading it] I had no gloves; I was bleeding. I had to get a tetanus shot.

“If you’re patient, stuff sort of falls in your lap.”