Category: Whole-house remodeling, $150,000 to $300,000
Location: Falls Church, Va.
Contractor: Jeff Beuttel, Construction Innovators, Columbia, Md.
Designer: Charles M. Moore, AIA, Moore Architects, Alexandria, Va.
The architect/contractor team crafted such a dramatic transformation of this 1940s neo-Colonial house that the final structure is barely recognizable, the judges said. The original house had box-like rooms and bad circulation. The homeowners asked the architect to expand the space on both floors to better suit family activities.
The new floor plan adds 1,200 square feet to the home, including space claimed from the original garage, which now houses the new kitchen, plus a rear family room and breakfast area addition. The architect also reconfigured the existing living room and dining room to make them more open and connected.
The judges noted that the architect added a contemporary element — the breakfast area — to this otherwise traditional house. The one-story box is set at a 45-degree angle to the main house. Clad in vertical wide board siding, it contrasts with the main house's horizontal siding and brick. A steel handrail along the top of the box adds to the modern look.
