Comfort Zone
Everyone has a comfort zone. Whether indoors or out, in a book or on a hike, the key to this sanctum is knowing when…
Annapolis Icon
When the Annapolis Yacht Club—long a fixture on Spa Creek by the bridge to historic Eastport—was gutted by fire in 2015, architect Leo Wilson,…
Sense of History
A couple looking to retire to the Chesapeake Bay area fell in love with a scenic property on a bluff overlooking the Chester River…
Classic Beauty
A commercial builder and his wife, an interior designer, purchased a nondescript spec house while it was still under construction. They had fallen in…
Water’s Edge
Inspired by the natural beauty of the Potomac River, George Washington once wrote that no estate in America was “more pleasantly situated” than his…
Calm Vibe
Tracy Morris knows her way around a color fan deck. The designer often lends her paint-hue prowess to spec-home builders seeking palettes with broad…
DC Revival
In 1999, Ken Crerar and his husband Peter Garrett lucked into finding their forever home in DC’s Wesley Heights area. The renovated and expanded…
Slice of History
The long-awaited Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial is now open to visitors. This newest addition to DC’s monument landscape creates a park-like, four-acre plaza amidst…
Home Improvement
LIVING COLOR Twenty-one hues, ranging from quiet neutral to lavish bold, make up BEHR Paint Company’s Color Trends 2021 Palette. Organized into themes—Casual…
Under Foot
Considering new flooring? Below, FineCraft Contractors offers a rundown of current popular options. HARDWOOD PROS—Versatile, great look, easy maintenance, high resale value. CONS—Loud…
Up on the Roof
A client purchased a vintage row house in Northwest DC’s Adams Morgan neighborhood with the goal of converting it into four airy units—including a…
A Remodeling Checklist
“How long will my project take?” As a home-remodeling specialist, Jonathan Lerner of Meridian Homes hears this question all the time. The answer, he…
Under Glass
The owners of a Victorian home in Chevy Chase had a problem: The glass pool house on their pristine property had become an eyesore….
Fresh Look
“We were asked to add curb appeal to a 1970s house in Rockville,” says Mike Winn of Winn Design+Build. “It had recently undergone an…
Modern Makeover
A couple searched years for just the right contemporary abode before finding—of all things—a 1922 Sears kit house in Cleveland Park that fit their…
Poolside Retreat
DC clients with an older, stucco-and-brick home were unhappy with its dated pool house, which was visually disconnected from the aesthetic of their vintage…
Climate Control
When it comes to waterfront construction, Lynbrook of Annapolis, Inc.’s Dennis Ulrich selects the following building materials with the weather in mind: Corrosion-resistant, stainless-steel…
Checklist: Build
Custom-building projects come to life when an architect designs a house, bids to contractors and the one chosen builds it. In a custom-building project,…
Before+After: Build
“We had to sign a waiver before entering, and you could see the sky from inside in places,” recalls architect Anne Decker of the…
Leveling Up
When it came time to design the basement of a custom home in Garrett Park, GTM Architects and builder Pat Keating of PKK Builders—who…