Posts Tagged ‘Keswick’

Custom Home in the Final Stages »

Monday, November 15th, 2010

Here we are in the final stages of a custom home which was both designed and is being built by High Caliber Construction. With custom home building, the two most intense times during the construction process are (1) getting the home out of the ground and (2) finishing the home and getting a CO (Certificate of Occupancy).

When we were getting this custom home in Ivy out of the ground we ran into a major unforeseen vein of granite that necessitated our moving the foundation of the house 4′ to the left; this involved approval from the County and a bit more stone for a bigger hole.

More to follow on this custom home–

Bill Ware, President
High Caliber Construction
Custom Homes, Major Additions & Remodels, Historic Renovations
Charlottesville, VA

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Posted in Custom Home Building

Custom Homes in Charlottesville, VA »

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

Contrary to the national trend, High Caliber Construction has remained busy during the downturn. Lured by the world class countryside and quality of life, peeople are drawn to Charlottesville and Albemarle County.

Current projects for High Caliber include three custom homes– one in Ivy for a couple with 3 school age children, one a rebuild of an historic home in the Whitehall area and a 3rd is a retirement cottage for a couple out of Northern Virginia. In addition we have several major additions and several major remodels. Also, we recently did a full lead-abatement project for the Virginia Institute of Autism where our Certified Renovator-Lead designation came into full play.

Bill Ware, President
High Caliber Construction
Custom Homes, Major Additions and Remodels, Historic Renovations
Charlottesville, VA 22932

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Posted in Custom Home Building

Custom Home Building in Charlottesville, Virginia »

Thursday, September 16th, 2010

At High Caliber Construction, we encounter a wide variety of wants and needs in a custom home.

Lately, we’ve been seeing a lot of folks aiming to retire in the Charlottesville area. We are about to start a Design/Build on just such a project for a couple out of Northern Virginia who have focused in on an “English Country Cottage” theme and want to emphasize quality over quantity of square footage; there are many reasons why this is a wise approach. In contrast to a Design/Build we are just finishing up for a couple with 3 children, this cozy abode will feature a 1st Floor Master Suite and a finished basement that can be retrofitted later, if need be, with a chair lift.

Throughout this home will be elements of Universal Design (aging in place). Most of these design features are unobtrusive– 3′ door openings, lever handled door handles and plywood backed shower walls for ease of grab bar placement, for example. The joy of such homes is in the details that make a home warm and inviting– a wonderful prospect for this couple who will be trading a townhome in a busy city for a country cottage surrounded by pines.

Sherri Tracinski, our Architect, and I never tire of custom projects. Each is different, whether it be a home, an addition, a remodel or an historic renovation. Be sure to take a look at each of the featured projects on our website– they each have a story that our clients are willing to share.

Bill Ware, President
High Caliber Construction
Charlottesville, Virginia

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Posted in Universal Design

Charlottesville Best Place in America to Retire »

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

That’s right! www.Kiplinger.com has named the Charlottesville area in Virginia the best place in America to retire. This goes along with a number of other occasions when Charlottesville has been named the best place in America to live !

My family and I are most fortunate to live in Western Albemarle County where Charlottesville is the County seat. Over the past several years, we have built several custom design/build retirement homes here for folks who have realized, in advance of talking with us, that the Blue Ridge Mountains and Charlottesville are among the garden spots in the world. One of those custom homes was built for Mark and Elaine Baker, a well traveled couple who moved here from Michigan. Still another home was built for Myles and Randi out of the Northern Virginia area; they plan on making their home a retirement home in about 10 years; in the meanwhile, they spend weekends and holidays here. We are currently in the design stage for another couple out of Northern Virginia who decided to retire here after exploring up and down the East Coast.

With our associated Architect, Sherri Tracinski (an Architect and an Architectural Historian), we are able to team up with our clients, not only on custom homes, but also on major addditions, remodels and historic renovations. Please explore our website; every client featured here is available for reference and every project available for on-site review by prospective clients.

Bill Ware, President
High Caliber Construction
Charlottesville, Virginia

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Posted in Custom Home Building

Charlottesville Virginia in the Spring »

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

In the spring a young man’s fancy may turn to “love,” but for High Caliber Construction our thoughts are definitely turning to building custom homes. In beautiful Albermarle County we have had 2 major and 2 minor snowstorms which started in December and ended in February, making this warming trend in March most welcome.

We broke ground today on a custom design/build in conjunction with our clients and our associated Architect, Sherri Tracinski. Set in a 6-acre glen with a great fishing pond and a hillside view featuring wonderful rock outcroppings, this family home has both traditional and craftsman elements and features an exterior in oversized brick and Hardieplank. The Main Level has a 16′ X 32′ vaulted Great Room with a marvelous rock fireplace as its central feature along with a southern Dining Room and a contemporary Kitchen; views of the pond and hillside are available in every room; the 2nd Floor has 3 Bedrooms and 2 full Baths while the Terrace Level harbors a 4th Bedroom, a Home Office, a full Bath and a Rec Room; above the oversized 2-car garage is a full Apartment.

In addition to this custom home, High Caliber Construction is also involved with a Master Bath remodel in Glenmore, a Kitchen remodel in Charlottesville and is just in the beginning stages of an Historic Rennovation in Louisa.

Bill Ware
High Caliber Construction
Charlottesville, Virginia

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Posted in Custom Home Building

Albemarle County, Virginia »

Monday, January 18th, 2010

Albemarle County, the county surrounding the city of Charlottesville, lies at the foot of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains and is just a short drive away from the Shenandoah Valley. It is here– and in the surrounding counties of Fluvanna, Nelson, Greene, Louisa, Orange and Madison– that Bill Ware and High Caliber Construction are building custom homes as well as major additions and renovations.

As the first decade of the 21st century has unfolded, we have seen more and more interest in “Green” products and systems. Among these are Solar Hot Water systems which are coming closer and closer to High Caliber’s Common Sense ConservationSM parameters (3 to 5 year payback).

Residential Solar Hot Water systems begin with the collection devices which are typically located on the roof; these devises generally fall into either the “flat panel” or “evacuated tube” categories; for our neck of the woods, the flat panels and evacuated tubes are similar in efficiency and price. Both types of systems typically utilize a well-insulated, high-efficiency hot water tank which, fueled by either electricity or gas, provides the “backup” energy for water heating.

These Solar Hot Water systems generally range in the $8,000 to $9,000 price range for a 4 to 5 bedroom home and would appear to have an 8 to 12 year payback period (at current utility costs) with an expected life of around 15 years. It would not take much of a spike in energy costs to put this in the “standard equipment” category.

Bill Ware, President
High Caliber Construction
Charlottesville, Virginia

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Posted in Charlottesville

Charlottesville and High Caliber Construction »

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Charlottesville, nestled at the foot of the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is the home of Mr. Jefferson’s architectural masterpiece, Monticello, and the equally significant University of Virginia. Consistently ranked at the top of the list of “best places to live and work” in the United States, Charlottesville is the special place that I came to love during my years at UVA where I graduated from the McIntire School of Commerce.

This calm and cultural city called to me and my wife, Lisa, for years as we pursued our careers in Virginia Beach. We visited Charlottesville often and I couldn’t help but observe that as we passed Williamsburg on the way to Charlottesville that I would feel as though I was headed “home.” On the return trip, I would find myself looking over my shoulder for one last glimpse of the Blue Ridge.

In 1994, Lisa and I, along with our 2-year old daughter, made the leap from the Beach to the Blue Ridge. My work at the Beach, both as a real estate broker and as a builder, had been productive but the constant call of the Mountains and the University was too powerful to wait for retirement down the road—we came “home.”

My love of building and architecture became High Caliber Construction in the year 2000. Custom homes, major additions and renovations are our areas of emphasis. We have worked with several local architects and designers and are always delighted to work with our clients’ architect or from stock plans. We do have a close relationship with local architect Sherri Tracinski; Sherri is both an architect and a architectural historian (degree from UVA), giving us a strong team capability when it comes to renovations of historical homes as well as authenticity in the building of style-correct new homes.

If you explore our Website, you will discover that each of our featured projects has a commentary from the clients along with a notation as to whether or not the clients are “available for reference” and/or the home is “available for viewing.” Happily, all currently featured projects are a “yes” for both categories; this gives future prospective clients the chance to review a wide range of projects as well as to chat with our past clients about their experience with High Caliber Construction.

If this special place, Charlottesville, is in your sights, be sure to contact me for a no-obligation no-cost introductory meeting.

Bill Ware, President
High Caliber Construction
Charlottesville, Virginia
Cell 434-960-2384
Email: bill@highcalibercustombuilders.com
Web: www.highcalibercustombuilders.com

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Posted in Charlottesville

Homes of the High Caliber Kind »

Friday, August 14th, 2009

Every month on this page, I will examine an element of design, materials or construction that will pertain to one or more of the following 3 categories:

  • Custom Home Building
  • Common Sense ConservationSM
  • Universal Design

In each of these articles the subject will be explored in non-technical terms for the benefit of a broad audience. “Custom Home Building” will be revealed as a separate and distinct method of “creating” a special place to live. “Common Sense ConservationSM” will reveal the real world benefits of elements of design and construction which conserve both the planet and the clients’ bank account while “Universal Design” will bring to light features that will increase the long term “livability” of a home.

For now, “Welcome” to High Caliber Construction’s Website and Blog; I sincerely hope that you will find this useful in your quest for a “home of the High Caliber kind.”

Bill Ware, President
High Caliber Construction
Charlottesville, Virginia

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Posted in Common Sense ConservationSM, Custom Home Building, Universal Design