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Homes, in tandem with the lives lived within them, change and evolve. So do their landscapes, as the grounds around one home in the University area demonstrate.

The house has gone through its own evolution. Built in the early 20th century, it was designed by noted Charlottesville architect Eugene Bradbury, whose work includes St. Paul’s Memorial Church; Neve Hall, now Potter’s Craft Cider; Villa Crawford, the central structure at Keswick Hall; and the home of Brigadier General John Watts Kearny, aka the Lewis Mountain House. Bradbury houses are scattered throughout the Lewis Mountain, Venable, Barracks, and Rugby neighborhoods and give that area much of its character.

In 2018, the home’s owners hired Mary Wolf, principal with Wolf Josey Landscape Architects, to turn their lawn into a “more park-like space,” says Wolf. “The whole area was just lawn with grass.” She developed a comprehensive landscape plan, starting from the gravel driveway on the house’s east side through the back yard into the western side of the property. (The owner didn’t see much need to change the front yard: A decades-old boxwood hedge, massive shade trees, and the herringbone brick front walk fit well with the house’s Colonial Revival character.)

One of the characteristics of a Bradbury residence is its integration with the outdoors, and Wolf’s client wanted to keep that relationship between the rooms in the house and the spaces outside. So, outside the back door of the home’s central hall is a dining terrace, a flat lawn enclosed by a crushed gravel border, and two rows of dwarf boxwood. At the far end is a free-standing fieldstone hearth so that the dining space is useable virtually year-round.

A few steps down from the dining terrace is another flat space featuring what Wolf calls “a hornbeam allée.” It’s designed to offer a shadier lawn area, directly related to the sunroom on the western end of the house. Because it doesn’t have an assigned function, Wolf calls this “a more meditative space”—a spot to sit with a book or just walk under the trees. She chose hornbeams “because they’re a native species, and we wanted to rely heavily on native plants. Also, they’re not huge trees and can take heavy pruning so they can be shaped to the space.” The geometric feel of the two terraces is softened by the existing shrub border along the house—classic hydrangeas and ferns, to which Wolf added autumn bride, tufted hair grass, sedge, and native (or mountain) pachysandra.

These garden spaces, although only a few years old (they were installed just before the pandemic hit) are lush and thriving. Wolf credits the siting; the terraces are on the house’s northeast side, and by retaining the existing tall trees and shrubs along the property line, “they get a good mixture of sun and shade.”

Creating the two terraces required a good deal of groundwork. The lawn’s natural slope had to be stepped to make two distinct flat areas (the hornbeam allée is lower than the outdoor dining room), and both those spaces had to be slightly angled to ensure good drainage. Michelle Smith Fine Gardening did the planting installation; Andy Guercio did the hardscaping.

Finishing the terraces completed Phase 1 of Wolf’s landscape plan. Then came another evolution: In 2020, the house was sold to new owners. A young family, they had some changes to make—the sunroom on the the house’s west end was converted into an open-air porch, and while the new homeowners liked the idea of a more open lawn area on that side, “they also saw it as the perfect spot for a pool,” Wolf recalls. The only other specific direction she received: Do what was needed to keep the huge existing sugar maple in the corner of the lot. (“Bartlett Tree Service came in to consult us with that,” Wolf notes, since both construction access and pool installation had to be handled without damaging the tree’s root system.)

With those adaptations, the revised Phase 2 began construction in 2020. Since the pool location required a level area cut into the slope, Wolf created a band of hillside garden beds. Alongside the hornbeam grove, below the border of dwarf boxwood, she installed a free-form pollinator garden with “a mix of shrubs and textures”—bluestar (Amsonia), coneflower, penstemon, anemones, fothergilla, bottlebrush buckeye, and peony.

On the other side of the steps leading to the lower lawn is another pollinator garden, this one featuring dwarf oakleaf hydrangea, bluestar, and grasses along with several small dogwood trees. A bluestone-and-fieldstone stair through the center leads directly to the saltwater pool with a corner hot tub. More bluestone paving surrounds the pool, expanded at one end to create a larger seating area. But there’s also enough room to leave a stretch of lawn on two sides as well. (For Phase 2, J.W. Townsend handled the landscaping and Heilbron Ramirez Masonry did the stonework; Charlottesville Aquatics installed the pool.)

Luckily, an existing border of shrubs and hemlocks along the property’s edge creates a screen between the pool lawn and the neighbors. “The owners didn’t want a fence installed—they thought it would close the space in too much,” says Wolf, so she added boxwoods to the mix to help anchor that border. That screen also enables the pool’s mechanicals to be tucked away out of sight. The result is the best of all worlds—pool, lawn, and garden—evolving along with the home and its family.

Lack of real estate inventory may have you dreaming of building your own abode from the ground up. But what does the home-building process actually involve? We spoke to local realtor Jeff Mattie, partner with Core Real Estate Partners, to get the lay of the land on building your own home.

First, Mattie says, you want to use a reputable and knowledgeable realtor to help you acquire the land. “You don’t know what you don’t know,” he says.

After purchasing that ideal plot, you can secure a study period, a predetermined period during which the land is off-market and undergoes feasibility studies. This study period can include everything from investigating utilities, well access, and septic feasibility to determining site costs like grading or other land work. “During this period of 15 to 30 days (sometimes longer), you get to ask a lot of questions to better understand your property,” Mattie says. 

Concurrent with the study period, you’ll work out financing details. There are a few financing options, Mattie says. You can pay cash for the land and get a loan for just construction or obtain a construction-to-permanent loan—where the land is financed up front and, once a certificate of occupancy is issued for your home, the loan rolls into a mortgage. 

It’s also time to choose a builder. With this choice, “you’re basically signing up for a 12- to 14-month marriage,” Mattie says. “You want to like them and communicate well because there will be difficult conversations.”

With this step, Mattie recommends that his clients decide if they want a higher-end, custom experience or a more standard, predetermined home plan that will save money. For a more bespoke design-build experience, you can opt to work with an individual architect or a design-build firm to get something tailored exactly to your lifestyle, Mattie says.

After feasibility and financials have been sorted, you’ll work with a settlement company or attorney to close on your land, which can take 15 to 30 days. Then, you’ll finalize architectural plans for your home, hire someone to install a well, and begin submitting permits to your city or county of residence. “Issuing permits can take 60 to 90 days—it’s a necessary step, but it can be difficult,” Mattie says. “There can be delays during the permitting and design phases—this needs to be considered and accounted for. But if you use that time to ask more questions and become more familiar with the whole process, it’s going to benefit you and give you a better understanding of your home.”

Once permits are secured, it’s time to break ground. “Every builder is different when it comes to the timeline for construction,” Mattie says. “Some builders need 12 to 18 months of lead time, some can start right away. It’s good to have conversations early on about exactly when construction can begin so expectations are clear.”

Mattie says the typical timeline for completion is 10 to 14 months for a custom build and less time for a more standard plan. As the homeowner, you can be as involved as you’d like to be in the construction process. Mattie recommends asking lots of questions and getting clear on expectations for frequency and types of communication. “Some people have weekly meetings, [while] some just receive email updates from their builder,” Mattie says. “One good question to ask is whether your builder has a dedicated project manager for your job or if a floating PM rotates around job sites.” (A dedicated PM is ideal, Mattie says.) During construction, you’ll be locking in a mortgage rate, navigating any issues at the home site, and eventually picking out finishes for your dream home. After that, get ready to move in!

Mattie’s key piece of advice for someone building their own home? “Ultimately, the more involved you are, the more questions you ask, the better understanding you’ll have of how your home functions—that makes for more effective homeownership. It can be overwhelming but it’s a process that anyone can navigate with the right people on your team.”

Whether you keep a roll of Forever stamps in your desk just in case or believe that a handwritten thank-you note or birthday card is still de rigueur, postage stamps continue to be part of our lives. Every year, the United States Postal Service strives to highlight this country’s history, arts, and culture with stamps that are beautiful, historical, educational, and diverse.

Along those lines, this year central Virginia has scored a three-pointer: One of the newly issued stamp series for 2024 features a local species, a local photographer, and a local graphic designer.

The four-stamp series, called “Garden Delights,” shows ruby-throated hummingbirds doing what they do best—hovering next to the flowers they are feeding on like tiny jeweled helicopters. (If you have ever been close enough to a feeding hummingbird, you know the soft whirring sound those hard-working wings make, pumping in an invisible blur. No wonder these tiny birds have to feed constantly!)

The images are the work of wildlife photographer Ben King, who grew up in North Garden just south of Charlottesville and lived there until this spring. For King, photography is an avocation—“It’s a way to share things that brought me joy with other people,” he says. As a nature-lover and a recently retired professional cyclist, his online portfolio contains many stunning landscapes from here and around the country—but it’s overwhelmingly full of the wildlife that he loves to capture, from majestic raptors to humble insects.

When he was contacted about using his hummingbird photographs for a stamp series, it was “an exciting surprise,” King recalls. “Hummingbirds are common, but there’s something magical about them—a sense of wonder.” The photos all show female birds—delicate and delightful, although they lack the male’s distinctive iridescent red throat feathers. And the light has to catch a male’s throat feathers at the perfect angle, or that area merely looks dark. 

Just as photographer King has to compose his shots, turning his photographs into a work of graphic art requires a designer—in this case, another North Garden resident, Greg Breeding. Breeding, who runs his own independent design firm called the Journey Group in Charlottesville, is one of four art directors who work for USPS. While the ideas for new series come from all over the country (USPS encourages public input), the chosen subjects have to work as stamps—making an impact as small graphics while still containing the necessary information.  

Breeding’s challenge combines gaining familiarity with the subject, searching for the appropriate artist, and coordinating the process from design through production to launch. It’s a process that can take years. Distilling a series down to a number of images (from four to 12) can be daunting—especially when Breeding has worked on subjects as diverse as religious Christmas imagery, heritage American farm breeds, the Harlem Renaissance, espresso drinks, and Buzz Lightyear. Sometimes he’s even part of the series’ launch as well—for this year’s “Dungeons and Dragons 50th Anniversary” series kick-off at Gen Con Indy 2024, Breeding will be available for autographs. 

Luckily, ruby-throated hummingbirds don’t have conventions. Every summer, they magically appear to visit at our feeders or in our back gardens.

Southern Development Homes turns 25 this year, and on June 14, the company’s founder and president, Frank Ballif, won Distinguished Builder of the Year from the Home Builders Association of Virginia. Ballif, who prefers to avoid the spotlight, recently spoke to Abode about Southern Development’s longevity, giving back to the community, and the future of C’ville housing.

Abode: What’s been the key to your long-term success?

Frank Ballif: Every year is different, so I don’t want to make too many bold assumptions about the future. I think one of the most challenging time periods was the Great Recession. That was not easy to make it through, but the key was lots of longstanding relationships with our trade partners. This community is a wonderful place to live and has a high quality of life. The University of Virginia is a huge factor in that it makes a lot of people want to come back and stay here until retirement. But this community, in general, has grown slowly. It’s been 1 to 2 percent over a long period of time, even through the recession. Getting approved neighborhoods is probably the largest challenge for anyone in this market.

But that challenge has its benefits.

For sure, and Southern Development has never been focused on rapid growth. We’ve been focused on finding the right neighborhood projects that meet a demand and working with the community to make them a reality. We build around 100 homes per year. One of the things we do that not everyone does is we develop and build—not always, but a lot of the projects where we are most successful are infill neighborhoods. Those present a lot of unique challenges.

How long have you been tied to this community?

I came here in 1996 to go to UVA, graduated in 2000, and have never left. Southern Development Homes started in 1999; I actually built my first home before graduating. One of the things that helped me get my start was an internship with a local developer, Dr. Charles Hurt. Through that, I got to know the greater community and saw where I could be a part of it.

What drove you into residential building specifically?

I was always interested in construction and land development, so my civil engineering major was right on target. And I have always liked residential construction because you are entrusted to produce most people’s largest and most personal investment. Residential construction is relationship-based construction. We’ve used the same trade partners over the years, and you get to know a lot of people—a lot of very interesting people.

What are some of the ways you give back to the community?

I’m on the advisory board for the Salvation Army Charlottesville. One of the things I love about the organization is they are one of the only local organizations providing overnight housing for those in the community most in need. Anyone who has been in Charlottesville the last few years has seen that need grow. One thing that we are working on is a plan for a major expansion of the Salvation Army, which I am enthusiastically supporting. With my volunteer time, I want it to be as impactful as possible. Homes for Hope is another, very different organization that raises funds for entrepreneurs living in poverty all over the world. We built a house for Homes for Hope that closed in April of 2020 and raised more than $200,000, which they anticipate will help thousands of families.

Is it important to you to tie your philanthropy to your profession?

Yes and no. We’ve done some very special projects for other organizations that our company has worked with; we support the Building Goodness Foundation, for example. For me, personally, I’m a Christian and very active in my church. When I look at local charity organizations, the ones that are the hands and feet of the people they serve are the ones I am attracted to. We also support Meals on Wheels and Habitat for Humanity. The Salvation Army does a lot of service that is not focused on housing. In general, I’ve just tried to focus our company’s charity efforts on impacting those most in need. The takeaway is, we are part of the community and value it, and part of that is participating in projects that do the most good.

You said you don’t like to make bold predictions, but maybe one or two?

In our business, we do have to plan pretty far into the future. For a lot of projects, we could work for 10 years before they become a reality. So we have a lot of communities in the pipeline that are hopefully coming in a couple years. One of our big concerns is trying to help create a mix of housing. Affordability is a major concern for everyone. But this is a great area, and I think it should continue on its slow growing path.

The homeowner of this Afton house envisioned an intimate and “materially rich” spot to rinse off after a day of working on the nearby farm. Mike Krop of Blu Haven Architecture took the idea and ran with it, creating an outdoor shower reminiscent of a garden arbor. 

From the timber home’s primary suite, a wood bridge leads into the heart of the structure, which is made of thermally modified slats and wrapped in a corrugated steel. Built by Against the Grain Woodworking, it sits on the home’s south side “to ensure its continued use into the swing seasons and to take advantage of visual privacy afforded by a large swale in the landscape,” Krop says.