Downtown Renovation

Downtown Historic Home Renovation

105 year old home, located in the historic district of downtown Charlottesville, a few steps from the Commonwealth office in court square. This home was originally a residential property, and was later converted to a commercial office space. An investor that works with Commonwealth Contractors purchased this property in early 2025.

Materials:

• On the exterior of the home we utilized James Hardie paneling, and lap siding with a smooth finish.
• New Pella® windows
• New Pella® door system with sidelites and windows and transom
• Matched and patched the aged brick
• Slate
• Microbeam LVLs
• Simpson® strong tie hardware and connectors
• Interior Solid core hardwood doors
• Moen® Plumbing Fixtures
• Merillat® Cabinets

Construction Techniques:

• One of the reasons this home was on the market other than already being converted to a commercial space that had one bathroom and no kitchen is that the basement ceiling height prevented the basement from becoming livable square footage. With a little ingenuity we completely demolished the existing slab in the basement, hauling off several tons of concrete, and excavated 8 inches of dirt. 
• We demoed two sump pumps that were designated to each of the two levels of the basement for flooding. We replaced these with a duel-pump sub-pump on the lower level, that would push the lower level newly roughed-in bathroom up to meet the new, gravity fed configuration from the previous floors. This drain line then exited out of the side of the house where we excavated along the side of the house and connected to the public utility line.
• Poured a new insulated slab.
• Uncovered and demolished the previous drain line on the property.
• All supply lines are PEX custom shower layout with controls adjacent to shower heads and hand showers.
• The walls were built with CMU walls, and lined with full brick walls.
• In order to bring this to 2021 code, Commonwealth Contractors applied poly iso foam boards with furring strips, and masonry screws. We used rockwool insulation between all floors to improve sound dampening.
• Given the extra depth from the new insulation on all exterior walls, Commonwealth framed out encasements for each window and door. We opened the first floor plan by utilizing a 20ft beam system.
• We demoed an existing brick wall for an opening to a future studding room. Reframed study’s exterior wall to receive three new windows bringing in natural light.
• We demoed several layers of existing flooring to discover a two-inch oak floor resting on top of a 45-degree 1”x6” subfloor - standard for this time. After we discovered it we matched that flooring profile, and matched it with the entire layout.
• We completely demolished the entire second floor and configured a new layout with two private suites. Both suite bathrooms were completed with premier finishes, including a 7/6” long custom shower and water closets.
• The primary suite has a staircase up to a finished dressing room with additional storage. The basement was framed out and refinished. New egress system applied to the basement. Closed cell applied to each basement masonry wall. 
• We excavated all exterior walls of the building 8/6” down, and repaired and sealed foundation walls. 
• Added in a new natural gas line supplying the fireplace and new kitchen range.
• We built a large platform deck using Timbertech®. Hardscaped backyard area.
• Installed a French door system into the existing brick shed.
• New gutters, downspouts, and French drains.

Design Features and Areas:

• Open first floor layout private study with slate floors. Fireplace with slate surround and hearth. 
• Increased glass packages for more natural light.
• Two suite second floor layout. Finished basement areas.
• Outdoor living area.
• Level 4 finishes.
• Conversion of a historic residence (that had previously been converted into an office) back into a residence
• Added 2.5 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms, and a kitchen