Home Improvement, March 2012

7/30/2019 Home Improvement, March 2012

1/8

www.northernvirginiamag.com 57

By Jennifer Shapira

improvedyour home,

renovations allow professionals

and homeowners to exhibit

personal touches.



2/8

58 march 2012

ih a litle hard work, elbow rease and

some houhul discussions wih a sim-

paico conracor, an Annandale pair pu

heir samp on a cusom-buil kichen and brouh

new lie hrouhou he res o he house.

Some 30 years and a couple o rown kids laer,

hey were all oo amiliar wih heir houses limia-

ions. Now empy-nesers, hey knew i was ime or

a chane. They jus weren sure howor whereo

e sared.The kichen was job one, says David Foser, presi-

den o Loron-based Foser Remodelin. They oyed

wih movin and knockin down he house and build-

in somehin new, bu really here were a lo o

hins hey liked abou i, says Fos-

er. They had a wo-acre lo, hey

really liked heir propery, and he

house had a lo o memories wih i.

And hey didn really wan o sar

all over aain.

The open-and-shu case was made

o e sared updain, personaliz-in and makin every inch o heir

1950s-era home more livable.

in sink

Indoor renovaions are on rend o-

day or wo main reasons: I smarly

enineered, hey improve a home-

owners qualiy o lie and increase

resale value, when and i i becomes

ime o sell.

Wih an eye oward he uure,

homeowners can work oward a reurn on heir in-

vesmens. Even i you don plan o sell your home

or decades, here can be small and lare enhance-

mens o consider.

Expers say ha more homeowners are choosin

o say in heir homes and add on o heir curren

srucures raher buy a new house. The mos requen

improvemens ha people make are o kichens and

maser bahs, she says. However, over he las ew

years many homeowners eel ha hey shouldnmove ou o heir exisin homes. And has a direc

eec o he sae o economy, says McLean-based

inerior desiner Shanon Munn.

People wan o do somehin, bu hey wan o

do somehin ha improves heir

lie immediaely in he home ha

heyre in, she says.

Bu even houh renovaion may

seem like a bi word, small chanes

can make all he dierence in qual-

iy o lie. They can be simple xes

like a new coa o pain o hanginsome arul orbs above a new island,

o somehin more darin and expen-

sive like a whole-house remodel.

The las couple kichens ha Ive

worked [on] have been kind o lih

renovaions because people wan o

live in heir house while heyre do-

in i, says Munn. Tha means look-

in o uprade o a new counerop,

backsplash or hardware.

You can compleely chane he

imagine a kitchen where there is a place for everything,

and everything is in its place.

now imagine thats your kitchen.

while that sinks in, consider how one couple

achieved that kitchen and, ultimately,

a whole new house.

W

Annandale homeowner

o whole-house remodel

by David Foster, Foster

Rmodlin:

How long have you livedin your hom?"We purchased the home in

1983 and have lived there

ever since; 28 years."

At rst you were only in-

terested in a minor kitchen

remodel. How did you go

from that to a whole-house

rnoation?"[We] wanted a nice kitch-

en, and the existing home

did not provide the requi-

site layout. Additionally, the

with ted rogersQa&

courteSyoffoSterremodelinG


3/8

Top improvemenTsfor home renovations

I youre interested in making renovations toyour hom, xprts say ths ar th main ar-as to onsidr for bst rsal alu:

Modrn, Opn (Briht) Kithn:These days, it isimportant to have a unctional yet modern kitchen

(granite and composite stone countertops, adding

islands). Kitchen redos include state-o-the-art, well-

unctioning, sometimes proessional-grade stain-

less steel or custom integrated appliances. Light-

ing options have switched to elegant and artistic

pendants, and essential task lighting. Hang a pen-

dant with a splash o color that picks up your back-

splash, says Susan Nottoli, showroom manager at

Dulles Electric.

Finished Basement: From media rooms to rec

rooms, the exible use o a nished basement is es-

sential to a homes increase in value. Thats some-

thing people do to give themselves more living

Top Improvements continued on page 62

(Let page) Rogers' newly reno-vated kitchen. (This page) Atershots o the freplace and masterbathroom.

look o your kichen by putin in a new

backsplash or addin new cabine knobs

or pulls, she says. Consider a new sink.

I you can updae some o he elemens

and olerae some o he ohers, hose are

small renovaions ha can sill make a dra-

maic impac.

Thinkin abou uncion and how you

live in he space helps dicae he soluion,

says Jerry Levine, presiden o he Levine

Group and 2011 presiden o he Washin-

on, D.C. chaper o Naional Associaion

o Remodelin Insiue (NARI).

In he rs hal o he 20h cenury

even ino he 70shomes were much more

comparmenalized, says Levine. There

were desinaed aciviies or desinaed

spaces, and, dependin on he aciviy,

you moved rom room o room. People

don live like ha anymore. In he remod-

elin world, were ryin o chane older

houses o he more modern liesyle,

remarks Levine.

investment upgrades

When i comes o reurn on invesmen,

here are a couple o hins o acor in i

youre hinkin abou a remodel. I s no

jus abou garnerin he bes reurns; is

abou akin a close look a wha makes

sense or you and your amily.

Home improvemens can be classied

in one o wo ways, houh hey have been

known o cominle, says Levine. The frs

is he have-o-do projec. Tha is: Wha

does he house need rih now? Thas he

repair or uprade you know you need o

ake on.

heating and cooling system

was rom the original design

and needed to be upgraded

to the modern more efcient

units. We had looked at sell-

ing and purchasing a more

modern home; however, o

all the homes we viewed (and

we looked at quite a num-

ber throughout the region)

were poorly built and pos-sessed the cheapest xtures.

That, and poor insulation in

the existing house, made the

whole-house renovation the

logical choice."

You did a media room,

a new ireplace, master

suite, new kitchen and an

arts and crafts studio. What

is your faorit nw thinabout th hous?"I am quite pleased with ev-

erything about the house, and

it would be hard to select any

one thing. Surprisingly, it isthe little things that we en-

joy: the ltered hot and cold

water dispenser in the kitchen

sink, the heated master bath-

room foor and the wheel-

chair-accessible shower. On

a larger scale, it is the great

room that we created by re-

moving all walls rom the ex-

isting living room area."

What are your wifes favor-

it nw faturs?"She shares my thoughts;

however, as an artist, she

had track lighting mountedto highlight her many paint-

ings that are hung throughout

the home. Wanda had David

install DC power available to

the windows, which enabled

her to have remote-con-

trolled electric curtain win-

dow treatments."

How do you lik usin thgenerator? More to the

point, how do your neigh-

bors fl about it?"The generator is denitely a

convenience; however, with

the heating and cooling de-pending heavily on electricity,

having a generator powered

by natural gas was a no-

brainer. On Davids recom-

mendation we selected the

largest air-cooled unit avail-

able at the time, and we are

not sorry. A ew months ago

we lost power or two days.

We welcomed the neighbors

to charge their cell phones

and watch the nightly news

on TV. So I would say the

neighbors are happy to have

it available."courteSyoffoSterremodelinG(beofre&a

ftershots);dianarich/Shutter

Stock.c

om(

icon)

Beore shots o the kitchenand freplace.



4/8

60 march 2012

Free In-Home Measure & Design Consultation

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It all begins

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sTraTegiesfor finding excellent

contractors

I youre looking to remodel, or even

just thinkin about it, thr ar rtainthings to look or in prospective con-

tractors. The National Association o

the Remodeling Industry (NARI) ofers

som sustions.

How long have you been in business?Or how many projects like mine have you

completed?

Ask or reerences, but be cautious that

theres more to it than that. Find out who

theyve worked with, and what they thought

o the results.

Believe it or not, good communication is themost important skill a contractor or a contrac-

tor group can have, says McLean-based inte-

rior designer Shanon Munn. Sure, their crats-

manship should be admirable, and it should t

your style and needs, but i the contractor hastrouble returning calls or isnt able to produce

cost estimates in a timely manner, those are

immediate red ags.

No project goes rom start to fnish with-

out some kind of hiccup, says Jerry Levine,NARIs 2011 D.C. chapter president. He ad-

vises asking contractors to describe a time

when something went wrong.

The second ype o projec is he

wan-o-do projec, and hose are o

he ilk ha involves some discussionamon amily members abou how o

improve lie in he home. The key ques-

ion here, says Levine, involves how

lon you and your amily inend o say

in ha home.

Kichens, bahrooms and addiional

social spaces are he areas in a home

ha ypically boas he biges reurns

on invesmen. Homeowners wan o be

able o inerac wih riends and amily

while perormin oher asks, he says.

A kichen suis ha deniion perec-ly. Same wih a fnished basemen.

whole-house remodel

Foser ransormed he Roers work-

around kichen ino somehin sini-

icanly larer and much more work-

able. A well-placed arched window

overlooks he wooded backyard, pro-

essional-rade appliances were in-

salled, and a dishwasher and Sub-

Zero rerieraor are ineraed ino

Beore and ater shotso media room andlaundry room in thenewly built-out lowerlevel, both o whichhave cherry cabinetryor storage and orga-nization.

courteSyoffoSterremodelinG


5/8

62 march 2012

Sheds - Gazebos - Children's playhousesPavilions - Pergolas - Wood and poly lumber furniture

Built on site or delivered pre-built.

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Licensed - Bonded - Insured

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Call for freeover-the-phonequote or on-siteconsultation.

he Shaker-syle cherry cabinery. A

ranie-opped island invies conver-

saion and ood preparaion a amily

gaherins. A sraeically placed po

fller sis above he burners and cook-

op in a recessed ile backsplash. Foser

added all panries perec or sorae,

addin roll-ou shelves or convenien

ease o use.Foser alked wih he Roers abou

heir specic needs and, beore lon,

Mrs. Roers had a cabine ha housed

her dinin room ables leaves. She now

has easy access o hose exensions. (No

more oin around he house o car-

ry hem o and ro.) They were placed

in heir own cubbyhole, now close a

hand and well-siuaed.

As Foser alked wih he Roers

abou heir ineress, he bean o see

heir ideas ake shape. I became appar-

en ha hey had a prety subsanial

wish lis ha exended ar beyond he

kichen. Foser uided hem hrouh

an exensive whole-house remodel.

Beyond he houses oriinal oo-

prin, he buil an ars and crafs sudio

or he wies painin and sained lass

projecs reachable by a breezeway, buil

ou heir maser suie and, or all-ou

comor, he bahroom is oasy wih

heaed ile oors and a pos-showerbody dryer ha Foser locaed over-

seas. Foser even incorporaed one

o he wies sained lass pieces o

serve as an accen window in he mas-

er bah. The livin room and dinin

room were opened up or maximum

ow, and hardwood oors were in-

salled hrouhou.

Perhaps he mos imporan whole-

space, but add value to their home when the market does turn arond

and they can sell, says Amanda Welch, interior designer at McLean-

based Ambi Design Studio.

In-law suites: Many homeowners would rather have their parentsmove in with them than into assisted living. Build-outs that combine a

couple o bedrooms in a home to creating entire apartments or elderly

amily members is something David Foster has seen a lot o over the

past ew years. Doorways are widened, thresholds are rollover-able,

grab rails are added, appliances are placed at comort height; all o

these changes are examples o the need to make the aging popula-

tion more comortable.

Powder rooms: Dont underestimate the purpose this little room

serves. Aside rom the kitchen, its one o the most used and mostrequented guest spaces in the home. The easiest and quickest x is

to punch it up with a new coat o paint, suggests Bob Bell, a specialist

in contractor services at Home Depot in Reston. Hang a new mirror,

dress it up with a new vanity, or put in a new light xture. Showcase

pieces o a avorite photo collection. Express yoursel. This is a little

room can reect your personality. Change it as you see t.

Artistic use o tiles:Shanon Munn, owner o Ambi Design Studio,

says as the options continue to grow in ceramics and porcelains and

decorative tiles, theres a trend toward the extremes in size choices

that she is placing in kitchens and baths. People are either going with

the mosaic or the really large 18 by 24 tiles, she says. Homeowners

are choosing cool recycled glass or patterned ceramics to achieve a

custom look. And in the renovation o a master bath suite, warming

tile oors are practically a must-have.

Continued from page 59


6/8


house convenience, as heir neihbors

can ates, is he addiion o a enera-

or. So even i hey lose power, and hey

cerainly have hanks o recen winer

and summer sorms, everyhin rom

he rerieraor o he media room re-

mains powered up. Neihbors are wel-

come o chare heir cell phones and

une ino he news.

Mos imporan, he home suis

heir needs as hey row older, says

Foser, and is now maxed ou or

convenience. Window reamens are

remoe-conrolled wih he ap o a

ner. The wies painins are exhib-

ied hrouhou he house, and beterviewed hanks o he allery eel o

he newly insalled rack lighin. The

old wood replace in is oriinal red

brick surround was replaced wih a

dramaic sone as version; and he-

manle above, is a salvaed beam rom

he houses demoliion.

The newly buil-ou lower level in-

cludes he media room, ricked ou wih

he requisie lare-screen TV, a home

ofce and a coninuaion o he kich-

ens cherry cabinery. Foser ranslaedheir needs and wans ino a desin ha

maximizes heir usable space.

add some sparkle

Don underesimae he impac ha

lighin can have in a renovaion, says

Susan Notoli, showroom manaer a

Dulles Elecric in Serlin. In kichens

and bahs, people are sill putin in re-

cessed lihs, she says, bu she adds ha

odays opions are o hiher qualiy.

The Stella Collection rom Kichler Lighting,eaturing polished chrome with satin-etchedcased opal glass.

courteSyofkichlerliGhtinG


7/8

64 march 2012

remodeling 411

64 march 2012

kleppingerdesign.com

Lauren Leiss Interiors

The Pure Style LLC;

571-926-7825; www.

thepurestyle.com

Lee Design & Interiors

1020 King St., Alexandria;

703-683-7013; www.

leedesignandinteriors.com

Rachel James Interiors

8300 Boone Blvd., Suite 500,

Vienna; 703-848-9255; www.

rjinteriors.com

Shanon Munn, ASID, Principal

Amanda Welch, Allied ASID

Ambi Design Studio Inc.

McLean; 703-597-8401; www.

ambidesignstudio.com

Stephanie Kelley

Redened Design LLC;

703-851-2412; www.

reneddesignllc.com

Susan Nelson Interiors

1104 Jonquil Circle

Great Falls; 703-244-1601;

susannelsoninteriors.com

U Design for the Home

4735 Jeferson Davis Highway

Fredericksburg; 540-

710-2390; www.

northernvirginiainteriordesign.

com

LIgHTINg:Dominion Electric Supply Co.

14605 Lee-Jackson Highway,

Chantilly; 703-631-8300

5053 Lee Highway, Arlington;

703-536-4400

33 Fairax St. SE, Leesburg; 703-

777-1555

7471 Mason King Court,

Manassas; 571-921-1050; www.

dominionelectric.com

Dulles Electric

22570 Shaw Road, Suite 150,

Sterling; 703-450-5700; www.dulleselectric.com

Lamps Unlimited

1362 Chain Bridge Road, McLean;

703-827-0090; www.lampsun-

limited-mclean.com

THRIFT /SALvAge:Goodwill(Area Locations)

22405 Enterprise St., Sterling;

703-444-5186

2421-A Centreville Road,

Herndon; 571-346-1046

9960 Main St., Fairax; 703-349-

1806

ReMODeLeRS ANDcONTRAcTORS:Blue Moon Construction

23421 Spice Bush Terrace,

Ashburn; 888-209-8352; www.

bluemoonconstruction.net

Bowers Design Build

6715 Whittier Ave., McLean;

703-506-0845; www.

bowersdesignbuild.com

Case Design/

Remodeling Inc.

701 Park Ave., Falls Church; 703-

241-2980; www.casedesign.com

Dee David & Company

7906 Sycamore Drive, Falls

Church; 703-560-6601; www.

deedavidandco.com

Foster Remodeling7211-H Telegraph Square Drive,

Lorton; 703-550-1371; www.

osterremodeling.com

Micahel Nash Design, Build &

Home

8630-A Lee Highway

Fairax; 703-641-9800; www.

michaelnashkitchens.com

NVS Kitchen & Bath

8982 Hornbaker Road, Manassas;

703-378-2600

800 W. Broad St., Falls Church;

571-765-4450; www.nvskb.com

Sagatov Associates

400 N. Washington St., Falls

Church; 703-534-2500; www.

sagatovhomes.com

Sun Design Remodeling

Specialists Inc.

5795-B Burke Centre Parkway,

Burke; 703-425-5588; www.

sundesigninc.com

The Levine Group Architects

and Builders

2323-B Stewart Ave., Silver

Spring; 703-525-4646;

thelevinegroup.com

Tradition Homes, LLC

1497 Chain Bridge Road, Suite

100, McLean; 703-987-3444;

www.builtbytradition.com

TriVista USA

808 N. Danville St., Arlington;

888-814-8748; www.trivistausa.

com

INTeRIOR DeSIgNeRS:Kleppinger Design Group

2809-A Merrilee Drive,

Fairax; 703-208-2208; www.

2936 Annandale Road, Falls

Church; 703-663-2762; www.

dcgoodwill.org

Habitat for Humanity

of Northern Virginia

716 S. Glebe Road, Arlington;703-521-9890

7770 Richmond Highway,

Alexandria; 703-360-6700

4262 Entre Court, Chantilly; 703-

953-3747; www.habitatnova.org

Red Barn Mercantile

113 S. Columbus St., Alexandria;

703-838-0355; www.

redbarnmercantile.com

Salvation Army(Area Locations)

2421-A6 Centreville Road,

Herndon; 703-713-6691

10 C Cardinal Park Drive,

Leesburg; 703-771-33714915 Ox Road, Fairax; 703-385-

8700

11201 Balls Ford Road,

Manassas; 703-686-4607; www.

salvationarmyusa.org

The Cottage

105 S. King St., Leesburg;

703-443-0058; www.

cottageatleesburg.com

The Old Lucketts Store

42350 Lucketts Road, Leesburg;

703-779-0268; www.

luckettstore.com

AcceSSORIeS/OTHeR:Decorium

116 King St., Alexandria; 703-

4662; www.decoriumhome.com

European Country Living

1006 King St., Alexandria;

703-778-4172; www.

europeancountryliving.com

Green Front Furniture

10154 Harry J. Parrish Blvd.,

Manassas; 703-396-8560; www.

greenront.com

Le Village Marche2800 S Randolph St., Suite 110-A,

Arlington; 703-379-4444; www.

levillagemarche.com

Peacock Road

125 Mill St., Suite 4, Occoquan;

703-490-2244; www.

peacockroad.com

Pear Tree Cottage

130 Maple Ave. E, Vienna;

703-938-1331; www.

thepeartreecottage.com

The Keeping Room

8405 Richmond Highway, Suite

G, Alexandria; 703-360-6399;

www.keepingroom.com

The Nest Egg

11940 Grand Commons Ave.,

Fairax; 703-988-0944; www.

shopthenestegg.com

Urban Retreat

11409 Sunset Hills Road, Reston;

703-689-3404;

urbanretreaturniture.com

Valerianne

111 Church St. NW, Suite 201,

Vienna; 703-242-1790; www.

valerianne.com

Willow Street Decor

203 Washington St., Occoquan;

703-497-2070; www.

willowstreetdecor.com

TILe/FLOORINg:Architectural Ceramics

203 S. Union St., Alexandria; 703-

299-6200

7505-P Leesburg Pike, Falls

Church; 703-714-0161; www.

architecturalceramics.net

Barrett Tile Co.

9203-I Enterprise Court,

Manassas Park; 703-369-4114;

www.barretttile.com

Collins Tile and Stone

40405 Lenah Run Circle,Aldie; 703-965-2090; www.

collinstileandstone.com

Design Tile

8455-B Tyco Road, Vienna; 703-

734-8211; www.design-tile.com

Enterprise Bath and Tile

4094 Majestic Lane, Suite 121,

Fairax; 703-961-1044; www.

enterprisebathandtile.com

Fairfax Marble and Granite

13913 Willard Road, Chantilly;

703-378-1080

2720 Dorr Ave., Fairax; 703-204-2222; www.airaxmarble.com

Ideal Tile

929 W. Broad St., Falls Church;

703-237-8400; www.idealtile.biz

McLean Tile & Marble

6827 Tennyson Drive,

McLean; 703-734-7040;

mcleantileandmarble.com

Northern Virginia Tile Company

703-447-9380; www.nvtileco.

com

dianarich/ShutterStock.c

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8/8


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nishes now like brushed nickel and

bronzes, she says, which allow desin-

ers and homeowners a welcome oppor-

uniy o add punch and personaliy o

previously insiuional-ype xures.

She says hose rooms are also hospos

or suspendin pendans o all shapes

and sizes.Choose rom ar lass or a litle

splash o color, or look o pick up he

color heme in kichen backsplashes

or counerops, she sugess.

Notoli has seen a sure o ineres

in LED lihs over radiional incandes-

cen bulbs because hey produce less

hea and enery bu radiae he same

amoun o lih. LED lihs are more

desirable oday because hey are dim-

mable and have less o a blue ine,

casin a much warmer low han hey

did jus a ew years ao.

There are oher ways o express

archiecural deail when i comes o

lighin. Also in voue are ray ceil-

ins, where so lih bounces o he

crown moldin, or above or below he

cabinery. For a prety nighlih e-

ec, Notoli says, consider illumina-

in lass-ron cabines, which oers

he homeowner a chance o showcase

avorie dishes or vase.

small spaces, big impact

Washinon, D.C.-based inerior de-

siner Erica Rigio believes ha ev-

eryone has he rih o eel comor-

able in his or her space, no mater is

size, no mater is price levelwheher

rened or owned. To Rigio, everyone

is eniled o reside in a sae o com-

or and hih desin.

From her work on beauiyin a

powder room o ha o a rened wo-bedroom bachelor pad in Chinaown,

she says, wihou havin o spend a lo

o money, here are los o ways ha

you can eel ood in your space.

Wih permission o pain he walls in

he Chinaown aparmen, she creaed a

hip-urban-rero look in charreuse and

ray ones. She rocked her own hand-

made wall ar wih 45s she scored a he

Salvaion Army ha suied he room-

maes perecly. For ha projec she

shopped consinmen and IKEA. And

her mini-renovaion was a success.We me heir bude; we made i

work, Rigio says. We wen where

we can nd really rea dealssome

o i used, some o i no.

I was a quick-and-diry job, says

Rigio, who compleed ha projec in

record ime and wih a low bude. Bu

o he nished produc, she says he

bachelors were really happy!

Is rue ha home improvemens

can consis o lare-scale addiions, bu

here are also iny, smar desin moves

ha arise rom a houhul conrac-or or desiner who really undersands

your needs, and works o add jus a li-

le more comor ino your lie, oen

in ways so iny and unexpeced, ye so

welcomed, you have no idea how you

lived wihou hem.

And i you can e more ban or

your buck, so much he beter. In some

cases, you may have no inenion o

sellin, bu ha doesn mean you can

live like i.

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Home Improvement, March 2012