Professional Remodeler

Quality Addition

Ann Matesi, Contributing Editor -- 11/1/2006

The home's windows and exterior doors were replaced to boost energy efficiency.
After photos by Maxwell MacKenzie

ADDITION OVER $100,000

Remodeler and architect: Carnemark Systems & Design, Bethesda, Md.

Combining well-thought-out design changes with common sense value engineering principles, design/build remodeler Carnemark Systems & Design transformed this dated salt box home into a Craftsman-style residence that is as distinctive architecturally as it is accommodating of living space for the family that lives there.

The clients had four main goals, says company president and certified remodeler, Jonas Carnemark of the Bethesda, Md.-based firm. These included updating the front of the Falls Church, Va., home, creating an additional bedroom for their growing family, adding a screened porch and establishing a better flow for the indoor living space. "We were able to accomplish all of this and even get them one more bedroom than they had anticipated and still stay within our budget."

Before

The design reconfigured the home's traditional Cape Cod roofline to eliminate a pair of street-facing dormers that restricted room size and ceiling height in the second-floor bedrooms. The new exterior features a pair of distinctive gables connected by a shed dormer that brings in light and increases available living space upstairs. Other changes on the front elevation include a new entry and foyer; cedar shake shingle detailing; and horizontal clapboard siding. A 950-square-foot side addition provides the owners with space for a library and their highly-prized three-season porch on the main floor and two more bedrooms upstairs.

The 52-year-old home already had a rear addition that included a family room downstairs and a master suite above it that his clients loved. "But the spaciousness of the addition was not in keeping with the character of the rest of the house," says Carnemark. "We wanted to increase the sense of openness throughout the home to match the space at the back."

The original colonial-style interior trim, including the fireplace mantell, were replaced with craftsman details.

To accomplish this, the formal dining room was extended slightly into the side yard and reoriented to offer a better traffic pattern from the front entry into the kitchen, says Carnemark. "It also gave them much more dining space."

"In the end we achieved exactly what the client wanted," says Carnemark. "The home feels much more spacious inside but is not overwhelming in scale from the street."

« Return to Main Page | Print