A new custom home built by Natelli Homes for the Darvish / Fallahi family was recently featured in Bethesda Magazine. The details and character of the home fit the client perfectly. Take note of the spectacular iron railings, the tile-work in the bathroom and the enormous kitchen with stone and marble countertops and WoodMode cabinets.

www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Magazine/September-October-2011/Dar-House/

Fee free to contact me at Bob@NatelliHomes.com

Natelli Homes is pleased to display one of its newest product lines in Arlington this weekend.  The Ashley model is designed and developed for narrow lots in areas such as Arlington and Bethesda.

The original home was demolished in the latter part of 2010 and we are already getting prepared for the Owners to move in their new home.  This hand-crafted home was constructed to the same standards as the ultra-custom homes that Natelli Homes builds throughout the Washington metropoliotan area.  With four finished levels, five full bedrooms and an expansive recreation room and den in the basement, there is a surprising amount of room for families.

Please join us this Sunday, May 15th between 1:00 – 3:00 p.m at 1909 N Quebec St in Arlington, VA.  This will be a one- time opportunity to see the most current new home design and quality from Natelli Homes.

Feel free to contact me with any questions at  Bob@Natellihomes.com

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

Arlington, Virginia is such a great location for anyone in the metro DC area.  Quick access to downtown Washington, great neighborhoods, interesting regional restaurants and an abundance of good schools make this one of the most desired places to live in D.C.  Unfortunately the age of the housing stock makes it more difficult for a family to find exactly the right fit for a home.

One of the many strengths of Natelli Homes is the ability to provide exceptional value without sacrificing quality.  Builders have many way to cut costs during construction, but our standards are not going to change whether we are building a custom home for millions of dollars or a home for a client with lower budget.  In fact, many of the vendors and subcontractors used on projects at both ends of the price spectrum are often the same.

Especially in Arlington and Bethesda, we work with clients to evaluate the potential to renovate verses the possibility of tearing down an existing home and building new.  Building new does not mean building expensive; one just has to be smart about making the right choices.

This home will have  engineered floor systems spaced at 16″ on center, not 24″ on center just to meet the minimum code requirements, clad aluminum windows with Low-E high performance glass, hot water recirculating water lines and many other features that are always included in a Natelli home.  The home even incorporates a split zone heating and air conditioning system to address the needs of particular rooms when needed, not just blast air throughout the home when the fan comes on.

We will keep you posted about the progress and features of this fine new home in future posts.  Feel free to contact me at Bob@NatelliHomes.com or visit our website at www.NatelliHomes.com

Fireplaces are wonderful complements to any home. When the resources are available for stone or antique mantles, the attention to detail becomes all that more crucial. Steep roof lines and exotic stone work make for beautiful design features, but a chimney and flue that leak quickly become a damaging and very costly repair job. Spending the time and energy to do it perfectly from the outset, is the name of the game.

The chimney block at right has been waterproofed completely, before any finished veneer is applied, and the through-wall flashing has been wrapped around the block and stepped-down to accept the stone and brick that will create the finished surface. The entire structure is fabricated to repel and channel water off the roof, before any stone veneer is applied or brick laid.
Knowing that the construction of a chimney has been given the same attention as the fine millwork and details within the home can be very comforting for an owner. When striking stone work is coupled with contrasting roofing tiles and dramatic angles, the home becomes a movie set in the making.

But it cannot be overstated. If your builder treats a chimney and fireplace as just something else that has to be done, then find a builder that understands how to build that one-of-a-kind fireside masterpiece.

This marriage of an antique French fireplace to a flue and chimney system, that are works of artful design and engineering, will create a stunning atmosphere of warmth and singularity for many years to come.

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

Faced with the task of heating and cooling a home of any size, geothermal systems make an incredible contribution to energy efficiency and practical applications.  Not only will they save money over time but they significantly reduce the demand on the electrical grid and the gas services in a community.   Given the energy issues in our world, its good to know that there are ways to make tremendous reductions in the carbon footprint of any new home or renovation.

In this project five wells were drilled to provide the heat exchangers with a water inflow that is roughly constant in temperature, about 50 degrees F.   Heat pumps work like a reversible refrigerator, sending the heat from ground water to the home in winter and swapping the heat from home back to the ground water in summer. Boilers work to boost the temperature of water. One of the wells prior to being connected to the home appears in the adjacent photo.

The following photos depict the installation of radiant heating systems that, by concept, date back to the Roman Empire.  When combined with geothermal systems, and today’s technology, radiant systems can drastically improve the comfort of modern living areas at a much lower energy cost.  Small tubing filled with heated water is recessed into prefabricated panels. The panels are mounted on the subflooring and contain an aluminum backing that radiates the heat of the water upwards.  The rooms will warm from the floor to the ceiling, heating the entire space. This will allow the owners to be comfortable at lower thermostat settings on the primary heating system.  This installation also helps eliminate cold feet syndrome – that malady that occurs when your body is warm, but your feet are freezing.

This system is installed in the kitchen and dining area, spaces where families and friends often congregate.  These flooring elements should be carefully coordinated with the cabinets, floor supply ducts and even flooring patterns in the tile and wood.

A great link that explains the physics behind geothermal: http://smart-nrg.com/geothermal.php Not only is this the “green” thing to do but it saves a lot of money in the long run.  You might check with your tax advisor about the incentives available for these installations.

We enjoy hearing from our readers.  Feel free to contact Bob@NatelliHomes.com or visit our website at www.NatelliHomes.com

There are many fine contractors in the world, but what separates a good builder from a great builder is service; and service starts with communication.  When a building agreement is signed with a client, we ensure that the client knows what he or she is getting.  We even provide a detailed list of exclusions, almost as a reminder of items they might have considered so there are no mis-understandings.  Natelli Homes goes to great strides to ensure the client has written specifications, an understanding of the variables (allowances) in the contract and clear knowledge of the materials we will use and the length of time the project will take.

It is important that the client knows what his / her decisions will be, the timing for those decisions and the budget for any remaining variables.  Natelli assists the client to make complete decisions at the beginning of a project so we can execute sub-contracts earlier, build the project quicker and coordinate the myriad number of items with more accuracy.  No matter how large or small a project may be, if a client can focus on the details and decisions early, the project’s success based on building quality, coordination between the trades, minimizing errors and speed of construction will grow exponentially.