We first met this homeowner to inspect a degraded old group house in D.C.’s Palisades neighborhood. As a remodeling focused design/build firm, we don’t usually recommend tearing down a home, but dutifully wrote the proposal anyway with the bad news. Shortly after that, he bought the home and hired our firm to design a new home on the site.
Our customer had a pretty clear vision of what he wanted: a well designed, well constructed Bungalow to blend into the neighborhood. In addition to fidelity to the Craftsman spirit and ideals, our client required the integration of sustainable design principles, energy efficiency and quality throughout. He also wanted to recreate the dimension and feel of his living/dining room complex in his Mount Pleasant home.
The homeowner’s initial request of 2400 square feet did not accommodate the design program’s requirements. At the completion of design, the project had expanded to 4500 square ft. Care was taken during design of the home to ensure that the massing was both in keeping with the neighborhood and the Bungalow aesthetic. Instead of going up, the home extends inconspicuously toward the rear of the lot. The home won the NARI CotY “Grand” Award Winner 2011. [If you love the landscaping, which includes a rain garden, contact Landis Garden Design.]