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Michael Tierney (left), owner of Battlefield Homes, looks over construction plans with William Cain of Jennings Construction, an Orange County contractor.
Custom-built archways (above) frame a scenic view of Lake Anna in Morgan II subdivision. The house (below) stands tall on the shoreline.
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THE FREE LANCE-STAR
BUILDER Michael Tier- ney is as enthusiastic about the beauty of houses he builds as he is confident about how well they are built. He's got 35 years of experience in the industry, so he should know what he's doing.
But that's only part of it. The key is that his company, Battlefield Homes, builds only about 30 houses a year. And that allows him to get to know every family he's building a new home for.
"I've worked for national builders, the ones who might build 500 or 600 homes a year" in Northern Virginia, he said. "That wasn't for me."
When the housing market cooled down in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Tierney was doing some soul-searching about his own future in the business.
"A friend gave me some advice. He said, 'When times are tough, do what you know.' What I know is building houses," Tierney said.
As many builders did, and still do, Tierney saw the potential of residential construction in the Fredericksburg area. And by 1991, here he was, starting up Battlefield Homes in Spotsylvania County.
To raise awareness of his new business, he needed someone with marketing and advertising experience. He called on Chesapeake Marketing & Design, run by a woman who in 1993 became Maxine Tierney. Their companies merged along with their lives, and they are now co-owners of both Battlefield Homes and Battlefield Land Development L.L.C. on Cherry Road off State Route 3 at Five-Mile Fork.
Tierney noted that as area land has become scarce and lot prices have soared, more communities are being built by one or two builders.
Tierney would rather be the guy people call when they want a custom house built on their own lot or one that Battlefield helps them find. Most of the houses Battlefield builds are on large lots next to or near water. And they are generally large, though Tierney emphasizes that he gives the same attention to detail on any house he builds.
"We do them all the same, no matter the price," he said, right down to every design detail and piece of trim.
Tierney said he did remodeling work for years in Alexandria, where he picked up Colonial design ideas that are apparent in the moldings he uses in his homes today.
Every home is custom designed on a CADD--computer-assisted design and drafting--system, which means buyers can easily assist in the preparation of house plans, he said.
Battlefield has built homes in Fredericksburg and in Spotsylvania, Stafford, Orange, Caroline, Culpeper and Louisa counties.
Tierney also acknowledges that his homes are not the cheapest buyers will find, but believes owners will be glad to have spent a little extra.
A bit of security that buyers of Battlefield Homes get for free is the knowledge that Tierney and his company are not going away any time soon.
The Tierneys have recently completed a house on a 50-acre tract on Ni River Reservoir that he refers to as the "family compound." On 10 cleared acres, he built a very special house for his sister and her family that includes a suite for their mother. The Tierneys' own new home nearby includes a suite for Maxine's mother.
"This is all for family, keeping family together. There's nothing more important than that," Tierney said.
Tierney's sister, Kathy Notarnicola, is clearly tickled with her seven-bedroom, six-bathroom home, which she loves to fill up with family and friends.
"We have big family feasts here at least three times a week," she said.
There is space for everyone and everything, from a multitiered home theater to small cubbyholes where the kids can explore and keep their secret things secret. The house has lots of glass for natural light, and includes features such as pocket doors. The views of the Ni River are plentiful and gorgeous, and promise to be even more so with the colors of autumn.
Notarnicola, who returned to Virginia after many years in Dallas, said the decision to bring family members together reflects a trend that's taken hold since Sept. 11, 2001. Unity seems to be a good antidote for uncertainty.
Tierney left the impromptu tour of his sister's house to check on the excavation of a new lot, an indication of his desire to be intimate with the construction of his houses from the ground up. It also gave his sister the opportunity to speak freely about him in his absence.
"He likes to say that the only thing he leaves behind is his reputation. That's so important to him," she said. "His subs have been with him for so long that they understand that, too. They know not to leave even a cigarette butt lying around."
Across the compound's grassy field, Maxine Tierney laments that the house she and Mike have built remains a work in progress, though it is already clear that this will be a special place as well, once the last furnishings and landscaping are in place.
From the water wall in the great room to the unique figures that serve as kitchen-cabinet hardware to the textured wall treatments, every decor feature is unique to their home.
By the time the holiday season rolls around, both houses should be ready for some festive family gatherings.
To learn more about the company and where it is building, visit battlefieldhomes.com.
To reach RICHARD AMRHINE: 540/374-5406 ramrhine@freelancestar.com
