Purchasing or building a new dream home is not always an option. Maybe the location of your existing home is just right, but renovations, additions, and even restoration is needed to transform the house you have into the home you want. Whatever the reason, remodeling a house gives homeowners the freedom to create a home they’ve always dreamed of, and there are plenty of talented builders throughout the region ready to help.
Each year the Home Builders Association of Maryland Remodelor’s Council (HBAM) and the Maryland Improvement Contractor’s Association (MICA) acknowledge the best projects in the region through awards that recognize excellence in design, construction, and quality. ChesapeakeHome’s annual coverage celebrates a selection of the best.
Gilday Renovations - MICA Royal Award Residential Addition Over $250,000
Welsh Construction Remodeling Company
MICA Royal Award
Entire House Remodeling Over $100,000
and Residential Kitchen Over $100,000
When a fire damaged this Greenspring Valley home, the owners decided not just to restore it but create their dream home.
Because the homeowner wanted to go green with renovations, wooden beams were recycled from the original home and simulated slate roofing, fiber-cement siding, synthetic trim boards, high-efficiency windows, a three-zone HVAC system, and a tankless water heater were incorporated.
Welsh Remodeling expanded upon living areas, dramatically transforming the home’s footprint and roofline by raising the roof to create a Great Hall, complete with clerestory windows, a second floor studio-bedroom, two additional fireplaces, and French doors with custom-designed transoms. Photography by Alain Jaramillo
Van Deusen Construction Company
MICA Royal Award
Entire House Remodeling $500,000 to $1 Million
& HBAM Award of Excellence
Whole House $700,000 to $800,000
This 1970s colonial has always been home to many large parties, but the floor plan this Harford County family had learned to live with for so many years just wasn’t working for them anymore—a small kitchen and many small rooms divided the space, making it difficult for guests to navigate. The steep inclines of the lot prevented any large first floor expansions. An interior overhaul provided the family with an open floor plan, taking advantage of views of the beautiful backyard and providing a better traffic flow, and offering larger kitchen and dining space. A second-floor addition gives the family the extra space they desired, with updated bathrooms and a new master suite. Photography by Coyle Studios
American Contracting Services
MICA Royal Award
Residential Interior
The goal of this remodel in the Bolton Hill neighborhood of Baltimore City was two-fold: to renovate the basement, adding living space to the home; and to improve the back entryway to that space on both the exterior and interior. The owners now enjoy a full bathroom with shower, a brand new kitchen with a custom-built, moveable island, and a reconfigured rear entrance that allows for views of and easy access to their backyard garden. Photography by Bill McAllen
Gilday Renovations
MICA Royal Award
Entire House Remodeling $500,000 to $1 Million
At just 19 feet wide, this 100-year-old home in the Tenleytown neighborhood of DC needed to be structurally reconfigured and rebuilt on the interior. Gilday Renovations worked to maximize the existing space and preserve the vintage architectural elements that make the home unique, but also blended them seamlessly with contemporary furnishings and concepts.
The master suite was reconfigured and expanded upon. The first floor was leveled and refreshed with Brazilian mahogany flooring, laying the foundation for a richly warm, yet simple Eastern-influenced vibe throughout the main living spaces. The kitchen is truly the heart of this home: the homeowner, a chef and wine seller, now has a space to entertain clients and friends with an expanded work area and top-of-the-line appliances. Photography by Kenneth M. Wyner
Gilday Renovations
MICA Royal Award
Residential Addition Over $250,000
On the homeowner’s wish list for this addition were: an open floor plan in the main living spaces, the creation of a screened porch, and the construction of a new master suite. Honoring the original architecture of the home, Gilday Renovations fashioned a rear addition in the style of the front elevation of the house, which included everything the client had asked for, providing better access to the outdoors and better flow from room to room. Photography by Kenneth M. Wyner
Owings Home Services HBAM Award of Excellence Kitchen Addition $251,000 to $300,000
Bluehouse Architecture, LLC
HBAM Award of Excellence
Kitchen Addition $200,000 to $250,000
Desiring more space to entertain and interact with one another, this Frederick, Maryland family called upon bluehouse architecture to construct an addition that would allow for a larger kitchen and eat-in area. The addition provides two spaces: one for food preparation and one for dining, yet they are open and accessible to one another. A wet bar is convenient to both the kitchen and backyard. The overall design of the new space provides better work and traffic flow and allows plenty of natural light to filter through, granting an increased connectivity to the outdoors. Photography by David Arthur
Owings Brothers Contracting Co., inc.
HBAM Award of Excellence
Exterior Remodel $125,000 to $175,000
This 1980s two-story house, once typical and plain, has been transformed into a fresh and unique home that the owners had always wanted. Rather than tear down the original façade, Owings Brothers Contracting Company built a front entry cover so that the originally flat elevation now had greater dimension with the addition of two large reverse gables within inset box bay windows. Stonework covered the existing brick and the front entry cover is accented with a copper roof. The home’s new exterior is strikingly different, and the ultimate embodiment of what it means to add curb appeal. Photo Courtesy Owings Brothers Contracting Co., Inc.
Azola & Associates
HBAM Award of Excellence
Historic Renovation, $1 to $2 Million
The Ruscombe Mansion, built in 1866 by James Tyson of the Tyson Companies of Maryland, has had only a handful of owners in its 143-year history, but had been drastically modified to fit diverse needs and was affected by a fire in 1955. When the Azola Companies took control of the mansion in 2006, the renovation goals were to not only restore the architectural details of the original building, which had been covered by years of remodeling, but to also allow for modern upgrades, including increased electrical service, new HVAC systems for each floor, and wiring for phone and data in each room.
The team created reproduction templates to replicate the original crown moldings, three-part door casings, and two-part baseboards. Historic photographs provided evidence of the original floor plans, including the grand staircase, all of which have been rebuilt in keeping with a mansion steeped in tradition and history. Photography by Anne Gummerson
Wall To Wall Construction, LLC
HBAM Award of Excellence
Addition $251,000 to $300,000
This 1909 Victorian was worn and dated on the outside, and the homeowners desired some 21st century amenities on the interior. To remedy the aging exterior, Wall To Wall Construction forwent natural cedar siding and trim in favor of lower maintenance modern vinyl materials that still retained the home’s charm. For the rear addition, the architect added dramatic rooflines with steeply pitched gables, dormers, and shed roofs in keeping with the original architecture, and added a great room, master bath, laundry and mudroom, and a covered rear porch with deck. Interior millwork was replaced and customized to replicate the original trim, honoring the home’s turn-of-the-20th century design. Photography by Mark Wieland
James Contracting, inc.
HBAM Award of Excellence
Outdoor Living $101,000 to $150,000
While this suburban family liked swimming in their backyard pool, there was no comfortable place to retreat from the hot sun, and no landscaping or architectural interest to enjoy during their time outdoors. James Contracting engineered a handsome—and functional—roof above the existing deck, ultimately extending the use of this yard. Photography by Larry Canner
Owings Home Services
HBAM Award of Excellence
Kitchen Addition $251,000 to $300,000
This lovely home on Gibson Island faces the Bay, so it was important to both the owner and Owings Home Services to create a space that capitalized on the unparalleled views, but also maintained the integrity of the home’s original design. Restructuring and enlarging not just the kitchen, but also a sunroom and bath, proved challenging, as the framing of the sunroom features remarkable barrel-arched ceilings and the construction of beams necessary for the extension on the overhangs. The addition provides light and airy spaces for the owners to relax from the inside out. Photography by Curtis Martin
Starcom Design Build
HBAM Award of Excellence
Outdoor Living $51,000 to $100,000
While these homeowners love the outdoors, they were finding it hard to enjoy their backyard: not only had the constant and direct sunlight aged their pressure-treated deck, but they had nowhere to sit comfortably where they would be shielded from harsh sun and insects. Starcom Design Build installed a new, maintenance-free deck that improves the overall aesthetic and doesn’t splinter underfoot. The addition of a screened porch and pergola adds architectural interest and provides shaded areas, allowing the owners to spend less time maintaining and more time relaxing in their outdoor space. Photography by Betty Weickgenannt
Chesapeake Home Remodeling, LLC
HBAM Award of Excellence
Bathroom Remodel Up to $50,000
The owners of this ‘90s home had one request of Chesapeake Home Remodeling for the remodel of their guest bath: keep it open and airy. While this plan sounds simple enough, it’s no easy task for a windowless room. The design was kept fresh and streamlined with the selection of pedestal sinks, sleek chrome fixtures, and a convenient linen closet, while integrating a large skylight allows natural light to fill the space, fulfilling the wish for a cleaner, brighter bathroom for guests to enjoy. Photography by Steve Sortino
Robert Kutner Associates, inc.
HBAM Award of Excellence
Front Entry Addition Up to $100,000
After living in this home for 25 years and overseeing multiple additions in those two and a half decades, there was one major thing this couple still desired: an entryway with an abundance of natural light and plenty of space to greet guests at the front door. To establish this space, Robert Kutner Associates removed the existing structural walls on the first and second floors and constructed a front addition to create a two-story foyer. They then designed an open railing allowing natural light into the area. The exterior was dramatically changed with a large roof overhang and new stone front porch, but the use of cedar siding and trim seamlessly blends with the home’s original façade. Photography by Robert E. Kutner
Delbert Adams Construction Group
HBAM Award of Excellence
Specialty Up to $50,000
The entrance to a hilltop brick estate nestled in Maryland’s horse country, while still elegant and historic, had begun to show its age. The wood rot and disrepair prompted the owners to call upon Delbert Adams Construction Group to restore it. With painstakingly delicate care and attention to detail, the renovation included isolating problem areas, protecting others, and meticulously matching and replacing corbels that had worn over the years. The final product brings the front of this home back to its original 1925 grandeur. Photography by Dean Ray Studios
Annliese Scott is the Assistant Editor for ChesapeakeHome.
For a full gallery of all winning projects, go HERE.
For a full list of winners and company contact information go HERE or visit the Maryland Improvement Contractors’ and Home Builders Association of Maryland websites (marylandremodelers.com and homebuilders.org)
