Highlight From the Cville Power Issue
Dan Rosensweig, Director,
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville
Dan Rosensweig knows the area building community better than most, thanks to his job at the head of the area’s Habitat for Humanity organization and his role as the chair of the Charlottesville Planning Commission, and he named a young standout doing impressive work: Mike Ball. “For almost a decade, Mike has been well-known and respected in the relatively small circle of the local building and trade world,” said Rosensweig. “However, in the past few years, as a result of a bold move he made, he’s really started knocking it out of the park and has thus become a hot commodity among local residents looking to build or renovate. He left Artisan Construction, where he was a project manager, and hung a shingle, determined to build a business focused on quality craftsmanship and personalized customer service. He went from not really knowing if he’d be able to make it for six months to two years in being widely known for doing some of the best work around. People are really happy with his hands-on approach. On top of that, he is a genuinely nice, caring person.”
Salvaged heart pine gets a few new uses
The concept of using salvaged wood and repurposing it is not a new one, but often the only option is to reuse it as flooring. This proved impossible for Mike Ball of Element Construction and one of his clients. “The owner had some old heart pine from a cabin that he had dismantled in Keswick, but there wasn’t enough of it to use as flooring,” Ball said. “We had to think outside the box.”
Your First Renovation Project
by Lauren Thompson
A few years ago, my family decided to overhaul our kitchen and bring it out of the 1950s (and trust me, we’re not talking about the en vogue Mad Men 1950s). When we finally decided to take the plunge, we quickly realized we were in over our heads. “Oh, is that wall load-bearing?” (more…)
May ABODE: Mike Ball takes a house to a higher plane
Cate West Zahl’s article featuring Element Construction in the May 2012 issue of Abode
When you walk into Mike Ball’s stunning, open-floor home located in the heart of Downtown Charlottesville, you immediately see the lush green of the backyard. The self-taught contractor, who started Element Construction after years of working for Artisan Construction, bought the space in 2008.
Getting the Look
photos by Christian Hommel
A postwar kitchen joins the new century
When Jon and Lauren Thompson bought their Rugby neighborhood house three years ago, it was more than 60 years old and “in need of significant updates” throughout, said Jon. “The kitchen was the low-hang-ing fruit.” (more…)