Virginia Highlands Tudor Expansion

We’re going to take this 1930’s Tudor in Virginia Highlands and preserve the integrity & character of the house while adding a second storey. In order to do this, the entire roof of the house is getting demolished, a new staircase will be built, and the back wall blown out for a large gourmet kitchen. It will be going from a modest 2 bedroom/1 bathroom to a 5 bedroom/3 bathroom. We’ll be restoring all the original components of the house like the 2 panel doors, crystal knob hardware, original light fixtures, and original woodwork. We’ll be insulating with a soy based foam and adding salvaged antique components to the new second storey.

Artful Fireplace Reconstruction

We have been hired to restore the entryway mantel in this large and spacious 1920s Craftsman bungalow in the Kirkwood neighborhood. Over time, the original oak mantel has acquired multiple layers of paint and we’re going to remove the mantel, strip the paint, sand it and put several coats of shellac on the piece. Once it is has been brought back to the warm glow of the original oak, we’ll reinstall the piece. In the meantime, the tiled hearth is falling down into the crawl space and the face of the hearth is missing the original tile. We are going to demo the hearth and rebuild it structurally. When it is sound and we have a cement base, we are going to use reclaimed antique tile to create a one-of-a-kind artful mosaic, with a salvaged cast iron surround installed as well. We will mason in the brick to the cast iron surround and run a gas line to the hearth and install a set of vent-free gas logs. We’ll take the fireplace from a crumbling tired hearth to a piece of art that the homeowner and guests will see upon entering the home. Our next custom project in the house will be crafting and install custom barrister quarter sawn bookcases with wavy glass.

We have done lot of work on this house previously (new roof, strip her original woodwork, replace her fireplace tiles) and are back to work on it again, to do some different projects. We are being hired to refinish her original oak floors, repair some odds and ends throughout, and fix her sump pump and plumbing problem.

Kirkwood Horsehead House

This quirky one and half storey California style bungalow is located on Warlick Place in Kirkwood and was originally built by Frank Ruggles in 1910. It suffered the neglect of the last 100 years and was turned into a triplex in 1984. Still, it retained gorgeous woodwork, a stunning Victorian mantel, original windows, heart of pine floors, and unusual details. The back end of the house suffered severe structural damage and was razed and expanded to create a 5 bedroom/3.5 bathroom house with a 2 car drive under garage.

Virginia Highlands Modern Maple Kitchen

We gutted and redesigned this large kitchen in a Virginia Highlands Craftsman bungalow. This was a 1970s era gallery style kitchen with little storage space, outdated cabinets, and linoleum floors. The space was underutilized so we designed a spacious and useful clean-lined kitchen to maximize the cabinetry for the homeowners. We added a large pantry cabinet, breakfast nook, and eat-in bar in spaces that were completely unused. In the adjoining room, we added a butler’s pantry with wine rack, wine chiller, and glass cabinets. To further enhance the design, we ran the upper cabinets to the ceiling and topped the lower cabinets with sleek dark granite, and a travertine backsplash.