An Old Village Core and a Newer Edge
Richmond grew outward from a historic village core, and the newer subdivision streets wrap around it. The difference shows up the moment we start pricing. In the core, houses have been altered, re-sided and added to over a long stretch of years, so what sits behind the exterior wall is an unknown until we open it. That pushes a lot of core projects toward a freestanding deck, which carries its own load on its own posts and never touches the house framing. On the newer streets the house wall is predictable and a ledger is straightforward, but the ground around it is not. Yards on newer lots often sit on material that was moved and replaced during construction, and that decides how we treat the bottom of every footing hole.

