In early February, we talked about a kitchen in progress in our blog.  See, “New Bethesda Kitchen & Family Room”.  The room was drywalled and primed, but hardwood was not installed, tile flooring was still in the warehouse, kitchen cabinets were not set, appliances were nowhere to be seen and final paint colors has not even been selected.

In just 45 days, Natelli staff and crews quickly completed the project sooner than the client expected.  Everything behind the scenes was planned and organized and the job moved efficiently and with ease to full and proper completion.  Our clients are happy, the project looks great and we have already toured the kitchen with another client. 

You might hear a lot of stories about the remodeling project that never ended, the one where the contractor never showed up or the subcontractors did not perform.  The Washington DC metro area is full of competent and professional renovation contractors (and unfortunately many from which these bad stories eminate), and I am proud that Natelli Homes is one of those remodeling firms that out-performs our clients expectations.  The key is staffing.  Our Supervisors and Project Managers know how and when to help clients with the myriad decisions that go into a project and ensure that decisions don’t delay the project.  This is not an easy endeavor and the skill comes with experience and industry intelligence.

When you consider your next renovation project, kitchen or bathroom make sure you find a professional contractor with decades of experience who can give you examples of their success like this one.

Feel free to contact me at Bob@NatelliHomes.com or visit our website at www.NatelliHomes.com

Having handmade, custom cherry bookshelves in your home would tend to draw someone to the home office just for the ambiance they create.  Design elements of bookshelves can be beautiful, functional and intriguing.  With a little creativity and some master carpentry, we found a way to have a secret passage in our homes.  Bookshelves can be placed anywhere; in an office, a hallway, or outside a bedroom perhaps.  The fun part is making a functional door through the cabinets that is not apparent but can provide some utility and mystery in the home. 

In this case, the cabinets are installed at the top of a cantilevered, custom, handmade walnut staircase, but are also accessible to another room through a hidden doorway designed into the bookshelves.  The bookshelf design features floor to ceiling columns,  full caps and bases with adjustable shelves that are certain to be filled. 

On one side of the hidden door you see the bookshelves.  On the other side, the door face will match the design of the solid core doors used throughout the home. 

Feel free to e-mail me with your questions and comments.  I can be reached at Bob@NatelliHomes.com or visit our website www.natellihomes.com.

“A picture is worth a thousand words”

We have seen and heard this phrase for decades, perhaps centuries, and I really doubt anyone questioned its meaning because it is so obviously true.  Whether conceived by Frederick R. Barnard in the publication, Printer’s Ink, in 1921 or it truly evolved from a Chinese proverb (“a picture is worth ten thousand words”) or perhaps it should be added to the many credits of Confucius, it needs no explanation.

With that in mind, tell me what you think:

Before & After

 Feel free to e-mail me at Bob@NatelliHomes.com or visit our website www.natellihomes.com where valuable coupons will be available through the month of February.

The weather this January and February has been unique to say the least.  We have had the predictable snow and windy cold days, but to have near 70 degrees this past Friday makes me think of summer.  For those who planned ahead, they will be enjoying a new pool and pool house this summer to combat the intense heat of August in metro DC. 

This project in Bethesda, MD, was planned last summer so we could coordinate the permits and begin construction in the fall.  Overall winter temperatures were pretty forgiving for construction so we made good progress.  The lot has some intense topography so retaining walls anchor the ends of the pool terrace.   At one end, the pool house masks the fact that the project is cut into an 8′ tall slope.  We used full masonry walls for the pool house to make it easy to clean and practically a maintenance-free structure.  The walls will have a stucco finish with tile and stone accents.   

A curvilinear concrete retaining wall with field-stone veneer levels the other end of the project and creates a lawn area adjacent to the pool for recreation and casual seating. You can see the stone masons taking advantage of the warm weather in the adjacent photo.  We will excavate the pool soon which fits between the pool house and the wall in the photo on the left.  The before and after images of this project will be dramatic so I’ll continue to share the progress as we get closer to completion.

Feel free to contact me at Bob@NatelliHomes.com or visit our website at www.NatelliHomes.com where you can find valuable coupons for the remainder of February.

Natelli Homes is finishing a replacement window project in Potomac, MD.  The painters are touching up the new trim and casings and the windows are being cleaned, soon ready for the installation of the window treatments.  I asked the client how things were going.  Without hesitation he said, “I immediately felt the difference”.  The house is measurably warmer in every room.  The cold air whistling through the old french doors is gone and the storm windows filled with bugs and dirt are no where to be seen - the house is quieter, warmer and feels like new.

In this home, rather than install insert windows, we did full replacements because the existing windows were so poorly insulated around the perimeters. We filled the jamb-space with expanding insulation and then applied new trim on all the interior surfaces.  Rather than “picture frame” the windows with casing, we installed proper sills with returns and a back-band on the casing to really make the trim punch.

One of the aesthetic benefits is without a doubt the architectural improvement of the windows.  In the photo on the right, look at how the grilles add significance to the window.  We elected to space the lite opening of each window a bit larger than the standard sizes offered by the manufacturer.  Having larger openings enhances the view but still gives the window the detailing it needs.  The grilles have clean profiles and the arrangement resonates with tradition.  Even the shadows from the muntins add character to the room.

It’s easy to justify replacing windows and doors in a home.  Just make sure you sweat the details or your investment may not reach its full potential.

Feel free to contact me at Bob@NatelliHomes.com and visit our website at www.natellihomes.com.  We have some on-line coupons available for the month of February.

There are many reasons to replace old windows and doors in a home, but the architectural value of windows can’t be overlooked.  Window grilles in particular change and enhance the persona of a home.  Removable grilles can be provided for ease of cleaning,  grilles can be sandwiched between the panes of glass so they provide an apparent division of divided lites, but the most pronounced and historically accurate use of grilles is a permanent application on the inside and the outside of the glass.  This type of grill, also known as “Simulated Divided Lite”, produces the authentic look of a traditional window with milled wood and clad components separating the pieces of glass.  Windows with Simulated Divided Lites are significant, they have appropriate mass and are recognized by any layman as quality products that enhance the character and value of the home.

In this home in Potomac, MD, we installed new JeldWen custom sized clad windows with true divided lites.  The existing windows in the home did not have any grille divisions in the glass.  The window openings were effectively black holes in the facade – the home needed some architectural content.  Including windows with grilles immediately changed the look of the home.  The window openings took on a character;  the grilles added color and visual interest to the front elevation.

Using replacement windows with grilles is an easy but often overlooked change to the home.  We get used to how things are sometimes and need to consider options that may not have been considered before. There is a lot more about the architectural potential of windows that we will cover in a future post such as the size  and layout of the window divisions, the type of grilles to use and even the color, but for now just admire the architectural transformation of this home with the simple addition of grilles in the windows.

Feel free to contact me at Bob@NatelliHomes.com or visit our website at www.natellihomes.com, where some valuable coupons for bathrooms, kitchens and windows are available for the month of February.

Arguably the most important rooms in a home are the kitchen and family room.  Families tend to congregate, eat, play, laugh, argue, watch TV and use computers in these rooms.  Dining Rooms are used a couple of times a year and Living Rooms almost have no purpose at all.

For this property owner in Bethesda, like the vast majority in the Washington, D.C. metro area, they needed an affordable expansion of the kitchen, family room and breakfast room.  This project included a family room addition about 20 feet square that adjoined the kitchen and breakfast room.  The family room connects to the kitchen through an open counter-top and two cased openings as you can see in the adjacent photo.  The breakfast room is large enough to house a generous table and will include a wall-mounted TV and wireless computer connections.

This project is ready for the finishes.  The drywall has been installed and primed, the sub-floor has been screwed and prepped to receive the wood flooring and equally important, the home is clean and safe.  A clean project is a safe project.  The windows are ready to be trimmed with casing and stool – this project is ready to continue on its speedy schedule.  Check our posts in a week or two - I will be sure to include some photos of the completed cabinets and trim.

Feel free to e-mail me at Bob@NatelliHomes.com or visit our website at www.natellihomes.com.  We have valuable on-line coupons for kitchens, bathrooms and windows that will not be available for much longer.

Lots of people pause about renovating a home because they worry about how long it might take, interruptions to their family and perhaps the cost.  One of the easiest additions is over an existing garage.  If the existing home was constructed properly it should support the new living space.  There is a lot of foot-print to work with and the demolition is minimal.

In this project located in Potomac, MD, we removed the existing roof and had the new room built in a manner of a few weeks.  The Owners were concerned about disturbance during the forthcoming holidays, but good planning and project management got the job under roof well before the deadlines.

There is a lot of room over a garage.  A Master Suite with closets and a large bathroom will easily fit in the space.  Alternatively two bedrooms and a shared bath would work as well.  The living spaces can easily be enhanced with dormers and vaulted ceilings.  This is truly one of the most logical additions one can make if added bedroom space is a necessity.

The bottom line here is simple.  Don’t overlook the obvious.  There is easy inexpensive space over a garage.  I’ll talk about the inside improvements in a future post. 

Feel free to contact me at Bob@NatelliHomes.com or visit our website at www.NatelliHomes.com

 Most people enter their homes through the garage; simply press a button in the car and quickly get into the home. It’s simple, effective and we hardly give it a second thought. But the vast majority of the people, even our good friends, usually come to the front door when they visit.   The front door and a covering / portico can be the first impression for a visitor.  Not only are they a measure of the appeal of the home but they provide a needed function by giving shelter from rain and snow.  The covered area lends itself to kicking the elements off our boots and catching our breath after running through a downpour.  Although I don’t have a photo included in this post, one of my favorite views of homes is in the evening when the cone of a downlight or the reflection from a well placed sconce accentuates the architecture of a portico.

Transforming the entrance to a home is not easy.  One needs to consider the existing architecture, overall mass of the home, the owner’s preferences and the materials to be used.   In the example on the left located in Potomac, Md., the home did not have an apparent entrance.  The front door is almost hidden in the fascade and the shrubs block the entrance.  The walkway is not even visible.  Visitors might actually have been confused as to where and how to approach the home.  We all want to feel invited, but in this case a visitor does not know where to start.

Construction on this project was significant but the results speak for themselves.  The driveway was changed from asphalt to pavers, new landscaping was installed, stone knee walls frame the walkway and a new concrete foundation with local flagstone paving was built to support the covered portico with stained rough-sawn cedar posts. 

What results is an architectural invitation and an obvious arrival court.  The materials all complement one other.  The textures of the stone paving lead to a natural expectation of the look and feel of the cedar posts and the copper roof will fade to an earthy patina.  Finally there is a single focus, an obvious arrival point;  the invitation to the home we were always looking for.

Feel free to e-mail me with your questions and comments.  I can be reached at Bob@NatelliHomes.com or visit our website www.natellihomes.com

Natelli Homes recently completed a kitchen renovation to a home in Potomac, MD.  We used custom WoodMode cabinets, Kashmere Gold perimeter granite countertops with antique honed finishes and professional grade Wolf, Subzero and Dacor appliances – all high-end components that would make any kitchen stand out.  The Woodmode cabinets with a distressed Cottage White finish on the surrounding wall and base cabinets make the rich wood-tones of the island stand out.

The existing kitchen was limited in width so the client made some creative decisions to make the island the most notable feature in the project without harming valuable space.  The cherry cabinets in the island are a rich Burnished Tuscan Sun finish from WoodMode’s array of custom options and finishes.  At the end of the island is a maple butcher block that the client found in an antique shop.  We studied the butcher block with our WoodMode kitchen designer and made a custom base that would look as if they were both designed with the original cabinets. 

The most challenging part of the project was the custom zinc top.  Knowing that zinc is a soft metal that can scratch and stain unless properly cared for, we debated for several weeks with the client about that choice of material.  Finally after much discussion on the pros and cons, we carefully measured for the top and made a template for the zinc manufacturer.  Even in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, not many firms are experienced or qualified to make a zinc top, so we ended up using a firm in Texas.  The separation from DC to Texas was not very comforting as all dimensions and details had to be confirmed over e-mail or the phone. Obviously the top came out great.  It is a beautiful, completely unique feature in what could have been an outstanding but somewhat typical kitchen renovation. 

Credit goes to the client for knowing what they wanted, researching the issues and sticking to their instincts.  We are pleased to have been a part of another beautiful kitchen renovation with different challenges and such notable differences in the finished product.

Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.  I can be reached at Bob@NatelliHomes.com or visit our website at www.natellihomes.com