Light House Studio: Expanded Community Engagement

Light House Studio is a Charlottesville non-profit organization that offers filmmaking classes to young people, empowering them with the skills and confidence to thrive as storytellers and citizens. Alexander Nicholson is proud to have contributed to their effort. We recently completed a contemporary three-story addition at Light House Studio’s Vinegar Hill Theater.

Alexander Nicholson has spent several years rejuvenating Light House Studio’s downtown headquarters. The new addition, the final stage of our transformative project, takes advantage of a steeply sloped site overlooking the intersection of Water Street and Ridge Street. Two levels of learning space are tucked into the hillside behind a new glass entrance hall. Inside, a dramatic industrial stairwell leads to a pair of classrooms that feature a permanent greenscreen, numerous computer stations, and areas for creative collaboration. A third-floor terrace offers young filmmakers a dedicated spot for outdoor shots and elevated views of the city.

 The thoughtful building expansion was envisioned by Wolf / Ackerman Architecture + Design, a local firm with a commitment to community service. Their team specified materials and construction techniques that balanced Light House Studio’s functional and creative needs. Alexander Nicholson was happy to work with a trusted design partner to bring the project to life.

Several months after beginning construction on the addition, the reality of the coronavirus pandemic set in. Project Manager Drew Dunnington was faced with significantly extended material lead-times, and the responsibility of managing the health of everyone on site. Careful scheduling decreased exposure risk and kept the project on track.

With the new spaces now ready for primetime, Light House Studio will be able to expand its influence, offering filmmaking classes to more young people than ever before.  

If you’re interested in building in the community, reach out to us!

Keeping Up With Chris Davis

Chris Davis is a project supervisor at Alexander Nicholson, and has been with the company since 2004. Above all, Chris enjoys building large, high-end custom homes with lots of unique details. Working at Alexander Nicholson gives him that opportunity.

“My favorite project was one where we built a 45-ton wooden bridge, then picked up a farmhouse to move it to another location on the farm. Then we built a large farm center to house cattle and equipment on the property. Finally, we built a large custom home with a lot of detail and a complicated landscape. Work like that is really rewarding and gives us a result that is really fun to show,” Chris said.

“Being part of the A/N team is like having another family. In some weeks I see more of my work family than my real family! We have our disagreements and different ways of doing things, but at the end of the day I feel like we all have each others’ back and there is always someone there to help when needed.”

When he’s not at work, Chris enjoys hunting, watching football, and being outside as much as possible with his family. 

Stone English Tudor Home in Keswick

Alexander Nicholson is committed to developing lasting relationships with every client.  We have constructed two homes for this family in the past. When the same clients approached Alexander Nicholson with their desire for a downsized, lower-maintenance home crafted with the care and attention to detail they had come to expect from our team, we eagerly rose to the challenge. Project Manager Mike Boggs and Site Superintendent Chris Graves led a 16-month effort to fulfill the detailed wishes of the clients. According to Boggs, “from the foundation and framing on, every aspect had to be thoroughly thought out and planned.”

Beautiful and skillfully detailed blueprints were drawn by Dalgliesh Gilpin Paxton Architects, calling for restrained elegance; the home is designed in a clean, contemporary English Tudor style, lending itself to the compact and low-maintenance requests of the client.

The Alexander Nicholson team integrated high-quality traditional materials with the best in modern conveniences. Cast stone, known for its use in the geometric tracery and trim found on the exterior of American Gothic chapels and university buildings, was employed at Mandeville to achieve Classically detailed interior walls, complete with arched niches, stone cornice and mantle, massive keystones, and a large curved hearth. Interior flooring and exterior patio surfaces are laid in genuine Travertine marble imported from Turkey, complete with its characteristic mottled and textured surface. The roof is finished in clay tile for an exceptionally long life. Final touches included motorized window shades recessed into the ceilings of the house, along with a host of other automated features integrated into the home’s electronics.

Alexander Nicholson is thrilled with the outcome of this project and is incredibly excited for the family!

Upgrade Your Outdoor Living this Summer

Spending a lot of time at home may make you dream about what your outdoor living space could look like. Alexander Nicholson has built many pools, pool houses and outdoor living rooms, allowing homeowners to expand their living space right in their own backyards. Add a fireplace to enjoy the space for most of the year. Enclose a pool house and let it double as a home office or gym. If you dream it, we can build it.

Featured partners for this project include landscape architecture by Nelson Byrd Woltz and architecture by Sutphin

Project Manager Michael Boggs Is a Man with Many Hats

Michael Boggs came to Alexander Nicholson in the winter of 2005 with a background in carpentry and miscellaneous construction. Over the next six years, he developed into a Lead Carpenter and was then promoted to a Site Superintendent. In 2011, Michael left Alexander Nicholson to start and run his own business. Later, he joined with another contractor and during that experience, Michael learned more about general contracting and project management. Due to that gained experience, he attracted the attention of area construction leadership, and was recruited to join the Alexander Nicholson team again in 2015, this time as a Project Manager.

In conversation with him, Michael said, “At Alexander Nicholson, everyone is given the opportunity to have their thoughts and ideas considered while always strategizing with the rest of the team to choose the best action or direction to take. I specifically enjoy contributing thoughts from others and the challenge of my own ideas. This helps me to realize other perspectives, other ways to achieve the same goal, and where my processes can continually improve. It keeps us balanced, open and aware. Many minds and perspectives are far better than one and together we all keep each other moving forward.”

Outside of work Michael wears many hats. As a single dad, he spends a lot of time with his pre-teenaged daughter. Passionate about the design and fabrication of off-road vehicles, Michael also helps develop and manage successful off-road events all along the east coast. Like many people who work in construction, Michael is continually working through projects at his own house. On top of that, Michael works with a local horse barn to develop skills with roping and riding in a western saddle. He has also been a consistent help to the Building Goodness Foundation. BGF is a nonprofit that builds schools, health centers, and homes in the U.S. and developing countries. Michael has volunteered with the organization leading building trips in Haiti and in other developing areas. In addition to volunteering, Michael is also a member of the board of directors of BGF. He calls the volunteer experience life-changing: “I spend a lot effort in my own personal growth and development and in life as well as in my career. I enjoy helping others in their projects, being around good people and having new experiences.”

Renovation of Trinity Episcopal Church in Charlottesville

If you have had the chance to drive or walk down Preston Avenue between 2017 and early 2020, you may have noticed three phases of renovations that occurred at the Trinity Episcopal Church.

The first phase consisted of Alexander Nicholson completing the exterior grading, and adding a retaining wall to create an outdoor worship area, along with an addition of a new playground. This phase was a huge transformation for the church and had the added benefit of solving the many water runoff issues that the church faced for years.

The second phase included a complete refitting of the exterior finishes on the church. All exterior siding, windows, gutters, roofing, painting, exterior HVAC units, and flashings were replaced. During this phase, Alexander Nicholson also completed an upfit of the inside of the statuary steeple.

The third and most recent phase, completed in December of 2019, was the expansion of the sanctuary. The sanctuary was extended out into what was the Narthex, allowing additional seating for up to 50 people. The front porch was enclosed to create the new space for the Narthex as well as entry into the church. There were a lot of design challenges with creating structure for the new extensions and removing bracing walls to open the spaces up.

Garrett Irwin of Alexander Nicholson was the site superintendent, who worked with architects Jim and Cathy Loman. Together they worked very closely to find solutions to challenges in order to keep the project moving progressively forward. Pastor Cass Bailey was involved in all phases and was great to work with throughout the whole project process.

Historic Renovation: Charlottesville Builder Transforms Vintage Carriage House

In collaboration with Bushman Dreyfus Architects, Alexander Nicholson worked to transform a vintage carriage house into stunning guest quarters. A three-bay garage with a storage loft became a finely appointed home office, home gym, full kitchen, full bath, and luxurious living area. Guests can exit through a folding 13’ door to a limestone terrace overlooking an exquisite infinity pool.

Project supervisor Stuart Squire said, “This project was rewarding as heck and fun to create. I feel very fortunate and take great pride in being able to work with our own local, highly-skilled trade and design people to put in place the fine finishes on this carriage house.”

Building from a balloon-framed garage, the team maintained the vintage exterior’s charm while adding an interior element of modern comfort and luxury.

Local Firm Chooses Charlottesville Builder for Downtown Office Addition

When Indaco Risk Advisors wanted to grow their downtown Charlottesville business, they turned to local builder Alexander Nicholson to add an addition onto their already-coveted address. Since there was nowhere to go but up, Alexander Nicholson worked with Wolf Ackerman to design a second floor that would be a seamless addition to the single-floor offices already occupied.

The newly added 2,300 s/f space includes 10 private offices, a conference room, and a second-floor patio.  Unique interior features of the new space include the creation of an open-air internal staircase and 12’ floor-to-ceiling windows in each office, providing the Indaco staff with much natural light.  The exterior consists of Resysta cladding, a bio-based wood substitute that offers the warmth and feel of wood, but the sustainability and durability of hardwood.

Indaco is pleased to be settled in and using their new office space, which was completed in November 2019, well before the end of the year.

Stuart Squire: Long-Term Employee Enjoys Giving Back

Stuart Squire has been with Alexander Nicholson for more than 25 years. Stu started with the company in 1994 as a journeyman carpenter. Before that, he lived in Massachusetts where he owned a small construction business.

Stu says he enjoys working with local nonprofits. “I’ve been fortunate to be involved with projects that have very much been in line with my personal values. I’ve worked with interesting people and for worthwhile endeavors.”

 “I thrive when I’m working with a team of committed peers. It’s great to be competitive in a good, spirited kind of way,” he said.

When he’s not at work, Stu likes to dance, listen to music, work out at the gym, and spend time outside hiking and bike riding with his partner, Dawn. Stu also enjoys volunteering with Alexander Nicholson’s community partner, Building Goodness Foundation.

Dawn Anderson and Stuart Squire

Restoration Redux of Kirklea at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Ivy, Virginia

Twenty-two years ago, Alexander Nicholson oversaw the renovation of a Victorian house located next to St. Paul’s Church in Ivy. At that time, the church was converting the property into offices and needed to rework the space to make it comfortable and efficient.

In 2018, St. Paul’s church came calling again, this time for a more significant redesign and renovation of the house. The most recent improvements include replacing the roof, upgrading the heating and air conditioning, finishing out the unused space on the third floor, and installing a copper roof built to last for a hundred years. The project took about 10 months to complete.

“The history of the house is interesting – it was the home of the Archdeacon Frederick Neve who had it built in 1904. Many years later when the house was for sale, a parishioner of the church bought it and gifted it to the church,” said Quarles. “The Episcopal church has called on us multiple times for projects and we, along with Train Architects, have enjoyed a longstanding relationship with the people, there.”

Kirk Train is the architect for this project. Train and Alexander Nicholson have partnered on many projects with St. Paul’s, including the renovation of the main parish hall over 20 years ago.