Chesapeake Home

The neighborhoods in and around our nation’s capital are home to some of the most beautiful residences in the Mid-Atlantic region. Accordingly, some of the world’s best residential builders and architects also live and work in this area. Each year ChesapeakeHome is proud to showcase the Maryland National-Capital Building Industry Association’s Custom Builder Awards. This year is no exception. While Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards were given in many categories, here, we feature the top winners.

Studio Z Design Concepts, LLC
Tallying four Gold Custom Builder awards in 2007, Studio Z distinguishes itself as one of the top firms in the region.  Two of the homes were custom designs built for specific clients and two were speculative homes, however all exhibit Studio Z’s attention to detail and ability to convey traditional styles in a contemporary way. PHOTO GALLERY

Traditional Custom Home: This 8,000-square foot shingle-style home appears much smaller from the street and fits in with the traditional, historic neighborhood.  Light-filled, inviting, and warm spaces are elegant yet family-friendly. Formal living and dining rooms are balanced with a less formal eat-in kitchen and great room.  With plenty of room in the home for the whole family, the basement rec room was designed specifically for the kids, while the third-floor artist studio is all about solitude. (Builder: Sandy Spring Builders, LLC)

Speculative Luxury Custom Home 5,000-7,500 square feet: This combination Arts and Crafts/Colonial features fine craftsmanship and unique elements such as a fieldstone chimney, copper accents, and other traditional details. The home is a combination of formal and relaxed family spaces designed to be, above all, open, bright, and elegant. (Builder: Chase Builders, Inc.)

Custom Home 5,000-7,500 square feet: By working with a combination of many different architectural design elements, Studio Z created an original and unique yet understated exterior. In addition, the design prioritizes natural light without compromising privacy. The inclusion of specialty rooms for home entertainment, spa-like getaways, home office, yoga, and exercise customizes the home to meet the owners’ needs. (Builder: Patrick K. Keating & Company)

Speculative Custom Home 3,500-5,000 square feet: An updated four bedroom, three bath Bungalow in proportion to the size and dimensions of the vintage style, this home features four full levels of living space. It includes a play room, an exercise room, a traditional dining room, formal and informal living and family rooms, and a large open kitchen. (Builder: Carter, Inc.)

Block Builders
Block Builders won three Gold Custom Builder awards for two custom homes and one speculative home. PHOTO GALLERY

Speculative Luxury Home 5,000-7,500 square feet: This unique, traditional home fits in well with its established neighborhood and is loaded with features typically considered upgrades by most infill builders. The large, six bedroom, five and a half bath home also includes an open loft, study, butler’s pantry, and exercise room and is detailed with custom cabinetry, shelving, and paneling. (Architect: GTM Architects, Inc.)

Custom Home 5,000-7,500 square feet: Through creative roofline design, this large home appears smaller and also maintains its uniformity with existing homes in the neighborhood.  An open floor plan includes a dining room, living room, home office, large kitchen/family room, butler’s pantry, and mudroom.  To create a more traditional feel, the home features raised- panel detailing, wide casing, traditional door styles, an authentic pebbledash stucco exterior, cedar shake accents, and working wood shutters. (Architect: GTM Architects, Inc.)

Custom Home under 3,500 square feet: Built in the backyard of a larger existing home, this small new home was designed for the homeowners’ parents whose Old Town Alexandria home no longer suited their lifestyle. Featuring an open living room/ kitchen, bedroom, bath, large closet, and loft/study, this separate home takes the concept of an “in-law suite” to a whole new level. (Architect: GTM Architects, Inc)

Sandy Spring Builders, LLC
Sandy Spring Builders garnered two Gold Custom Builder Awards—one for a new custom home and one for a whole-house renovation. PHOTO GALLERY

Custom Whole House Renovation: This award-winning renovation called for a complete remodel as well as the addition of 50% more square footage to the existing home.  What’s more, the renovation and addition needed to evoke the colonial feel of the owner’s other home—a historic farmhouse—but be more formal. By reinventing the spaces, moving the fireplace, opening the foyer, and “finishing” the architectural details to create the patina of age, Sandy Spring was able to achieve a new old house for its clients. (Architect: Richard Leggin Architects)

Custom Home 3,500-5,000 square feet:  To create not only a perfect work-from-home environment where this single homeowner can entertain clients but also a place for his older children to call home, Sandy Spring Builders worked as a team with the client, architect, interior designer, and landscape designer. The award-winning home combines such elements as cathedral and tray ceilings, large windows, and custom beams to conceive a light and bright, yet warm place for business and family. (Architect: Studio Z Design Concepts, LLC)

Chevy Chase Custom Builders
Speculative Home over 7,500 square feet: This large, five bedroom, five and a half bath speculative home is a balanced mix of traditional and modern design—both inside and out. The interior features an open floor plan, hardwood and stone-tile flooring, a gourmet kitchen, a media room, and a great room in addition to a spectacular master suite. The exterior is detailed with a combination of siding, stone, and wood for an aesthetically pleasing combination of textures. (Architect: Mangan Group Architects) PHOTO GALLERY

Crescendo Homes, LLC
Speculative Luxury Home under 3,500 square feet: Nestled among older homes in the Edgemoor neighborhood, this smaller new home lives big with six bedrooms and five and half baths while reflecting a traditional “Arts and Crafts” style exterior. Designed for entertaining, the home features a dramatic multi-level stairway with an open floor plan and angled center hallway. Designer details include high-end cabinets and granite, intricate wood detailing throughout, and state-of-the-art pre-wiring for communications and entertainment. (Architect: Sutton Yantis Architects) PHOTO GALLERY

Rosemark DesignBuild
Custom Home 7,500-12,500 square feet: Sited high on a hill, this custom stone and brick house evokes a timeless style and offers panoramic views in every direction. Inside, a columned foyer, formal living and dining rooms, and a magnificent rotunda convey a sense of tradition and luxury. The gourmet kitchen features professional-grade appliances including two dishwashers, a warming drawer, a six-burner cooktop, and a grill. A first-floor in-law/guest suite can be accessed by an elevator that also services the other three levels. Outside, a beautiful flagstone patio with stone walls, a built-in BBQ, and a fire pit links to a huge Trex deck. (Architect: Cubellis DCA) PHOTO GALLERY

Emerge Homes, Inc.
Speculative Luxury Transitional: This seven bedroom, six bath residence combines the best of Georgian colonial architecture with contemporary features and a waterfront location. The front façade evokes tradition, while the back takes in the natural beauty of the nearby tidal waterway. Inside, formal dining and living rooms, a library, and luxury detailing combines with modern technology, a gourmet kitchen, a billiards room, an exercise room, and a home theater to continue the fusion of old-world with new. (Architect: Michael C. Hill) PHOTO GALLERY

Rosenthal Homes
New or Remodeled Kitchen: With kids grown and out of the house, this family home of 20 years was ready for a renovation that would realize its homeowners’ dream of a new kitchen. They wanted lots of light, bright color, a large eat-in area for informal entertaining, and a porch to enjoy after dinner. Rosenthal Homes and Mangan Group created a design that positioned double-sided cabinets in the peninsula near the eating area, allowing easy access to serving pieces from both the kitchen and dining area, and left the back wall open for an expansive tier of windows that open to a new porch. (Architect: Mangan Group Architects) PHOTO GALLERY

Chuck Sullivan Homes
Speculative Contemporary Home: Designed to fit on a narrow corner lot of an existing neighborhood in Cabin John, Maryland, this custom contemporary home complements other nearby modern architecture. Incorporating six bedrooms and five and half baths, the design for this large home not only is functional for a large family, but also considers environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. A tight building envelope, strategically-positioned windows, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, and bold, sleek aesthetics make this house “contemporary” in more ways than one. (Architect: Talaat Architects) PHOTO GALLERY

Hemingway Homes
New or Remodeled Bathroom: This neo-traditional new bath presents a modern take on traditional design. Classic features such as the luxurious free-standing bathtub and polished-nickel hardware balance more modern features, including an oversized steam shower with a ceiling-mounted rain-head faucet, a radiant heat floor system, and a tankless hot water heater. The vanity tops, floors, tub deck, and shower walls are clad in high-end natural stone throughout. (Architect: KAW Associates) PHOTO GALLERY

Chesapeake Living Treasures, Inc.
Transitional Home: This 5,000-plus square foot house on the edge of a steep cliff in the Chesapeake Bay “critical area” presents numerous design challenges. To create the client’s desired style “simple but elegant, contemporary blended with traditional,” Chesapeake Living Treasures constructed a casual home focused on family life, entertaining, and, of course, the bay view. Large decks suspended over steep slopes and the use of natural materials inside and out emphasize a connection to the outdoors. Inside a gathering room with a fireplace, an exercise room, a guest room and bath, a professional wine cellar and tasting area, two kitchens, and rooms for dining, relaxing, and just hanging out offer plenty of space to enjoy time with family and friends. (Architect: Ahmann Design Inc.) PHOTO GALLERY

Lessard Group, Inc.
Custom Contemporary:  To create a second home that paralleled the grandeur of its fabulous waterfront Severn River location, Lessard Group incorporated sleek aesthetics, bold angles, and modern technologies into its design scheme. The contemporary four-bedroom house is wrapped in glass, offering views of the water from almost any interior space. Special features include a central elevator; “smart” technology for audio, video, heating, cooling, security, and window shades; a roof-top deck with hot tub; an outdoor fire pit; an exercise room; and custom details throughout. (Builder: Whittington Design/Build) PHOTO GALLERY

2007 CUSTOM BUILDER AWARD WINNERS

Traditional Custom Homes
Gold Studio Z Design Concepts, LLC: studiozdc.com or 301-951-4391
Silver Bell Builders, Inc.: bellbuilders.com or 301-320-0850
Silver Lessard Group, Inc.: lessardgroup.com or 703-760-9344

Transitional Custom Homes
(Homes that combine both traditional and contemporary elements)
Gold Chesapeake Living Treasures, Inc.: chesapeakelivingtreasures.com or 410-586-0200
Silver Emerge Homes, Inc.: emergehomes.com or 202-857-9755

Contemporary Custom Homes
Gold Lessard Group, Inc. lessardgroup.com or 703-760-9344

Cusom Homes Under 3,500 Square Feet
Gold Block Builders: blockbuilders.com or 301-652-8566

Custom Homes Between 3,500-5,000 Square Feet
Gold Sandy Spring Builders, LLC: sandyspringbuilders.com or 301-913-5995

Custom Homes Between 5,000-7,500 Square Feet
Gold Studio Z Design Concepts, LLC: studiozdc.com or 301-951-4391
Gold Block Builders: blockbuilders.com or 301-652-8566
Silver Laurence Cafritz Builders, Inc.: cafritzbuilders.com or 301-320-0125

Custom Homes 7,500 to 12,500 Square Feet
Gold Rosemark DesignBuild: mtr.com or 301-953-3110

Speculative Luxury Traditional Homes
Gold Block Builders: blockbuilders.com or 301-652-8566
Silver Studio Z Design Concepts, LLC: studiozdc.com or 301-951-4391
Bronze Whittington Design/Build: whittingtondesignbuild.com or 301-657-5518

Speculative Luxury Transitional Homes
Gold Emerge Homes, Inc.: emergehomes.com or 202-857-9755
Silver Chuck Sullivan Homes: chucksullivanhomes.com or 301-718-9116

Speculative Luxury Contemporary Homes
Gold Chuck Sullivan Homes: chucksullivanhomes.com or 301-718-9116

Speculative Luxury Homes Under 3,500 Square Feet
Gold Crescendo Homes, LLC: crescendohomes.com or 301-654-0817
Silver Douglas Construction Group, LLC: dcghomes.com or 301-983-6947

Speculative Luxury Homes Between 3,500-5,000 Square Feet
Gold Studio Z Design Concepts, LLC: studiozdc.com or 301-951-4391

Speculative Luxury Homes Between 5,000-7,500 Square Feet
Gold Studio Z Design Concepts, LLC: studiozdc.com or 301-951-4391
Silver Hemingway Homes: hemingwayhomes.com or 301-229-4100
Bronze Studio Z Design Concepts, LLC: studiozdc.com or 301-951-4391

Speculative Luxury Homes Over 7,500 Square Feet
Gold Chevy Chase Custom Builders: 301-320-2800

New or Remodeled Kitchen
Gold Rosenthal Homes: rosenthalhomes.com or 301-762-7024

New or Remodeled Bathroom
Gold Hemingway Homes: hemingwayhomes.com or 301-229-4100

CUSTOM WHOLE HOUSE RENOVATION
Gold Sandy Spring Builders, LLC: sandyspringbuilders.com or 301-913-5995
Silver Meridian Homes: meridianhomesinc.com or 301-652-4440
Bronze Building Innovations, LLC: 301-967-9283

Dennis Hockman is the Editor of ChesapeakeHome.