Full Home Remodel in Massachusetts Heights, Washington, DC
Project Overview
The mother of two young boys had recently moved from a nearby DC neighborhood to this 100-year-old terracotta-roofed home in Cathedral Heights–conveniently located near her boys’ school and her place of work. The home had been subject previously to a questionable renovation which left the rear 2-story sunroom/porch/office unsafe and in disrepair. We needed to tear the addition down and rebuild from the ground up in order to address the issues with the engineering. Apart from the structural deficiencies, the house’s original trim, windows, and doors had indelible charm, and in the course of our renovation, we salvaged and restored all these unique elements, including reusing wainscoting panels from the initial construction.
Design + Layout
On the first floor, creating flow from the kitchen, through the butler’s pantry into the dining room was of particular importance, making moving between the spaces easy, and creating a convenient layout for entertaining. On the second floor, we combined 3 rooms, creating a large walkthrough primary suite, and on the third floor, we refreshed the bed and bathroom, bringing everything up to energy code, and created a new playroom with a clear view of the National Cathedral across the street.
Style + Finishes
The highlight of this home renovation is certainly the kitchen, with a custom arched plaster hood overlaid on a polished Caesarstone backsplash, white inset cabinetry and a large 4-person island. Both soft and bright whites respond brilliantly to the light coming in from the abundant windows. In fact, because of the many windows, there are several vantage points on the first level from which one can see directly from one end of the house to the other due to the window alignment. We planned throughout the process for specific lighting fixtures and locations to facilitate placement of artworks in the kitchen and around the home, adding to the custom built and bespoke appearance and functionality of the renovation.