In large remodeling projects there is a delicate balance between day-to-day minutia, and the end goal; which presumably is to create the most comfortable and efficient living space, while staying within budget. Onsite personnel such as the project manager and carpenters are particularly prone to losing site of the bigger picture, getting caught up in daily responsibil...

After much deliberation, the clients decided to go with the three bedroom floor plan outlined in Option 3. (See Floor Plan and Design post for floor plans of all 10 layouts that were considered.) When framing interior walls, one of the most important and often time consuming tasks is “laying out” the walls. Layout involves physically marking wall footprints on the sub...

While the client pondered floor plan options, we forged ahead with the necessary structural framing. Once the first floor replacement joists were set on the bolstered foundation configuration (see Foundation post),and the subfloor fastened down, we were ready to get to work on thestructure supporting the second floor. Our first task was toconstruct a support system to...

The most important part of any house is the foundation, which at 753 was in dire need of attention. The existing foundation was a variation of the traditional “pier and beam” model. Typically, a pier and beam foundation incorporates spot concrete footings (dug into the ground below frost level), upon which concrete or wooden piers sit. These in turn hold up support be...

During the design phase,our in-house designers work closely together with each client todevelop a plan that matches their functional and aestheticrequirements. We then produce conceptual and construction drawings andhelp to select specific materials and finishes, while staying withinbudget. This is one of the most important and time consuming portionsof the entire rem...

With our demolition permit hanging in the window, we were ready to start the dirtiest, but arguably most gratifying phase of the project: Demolition. With a crew of four, we predicted demolition to be complete within ten days. Ambitious? Slightly, but that was our plan. On day one, before the first dumpster rolled in, we knocked the majority of the lathe and plaster o...

Four Brothers is a proud member of the U.S. Green Building Council (https://www.usgbc.org/),and we emphasize sustainable green building practices during all our remodeling projects. A component in green building involves salvaging reusable and/or recyclable materials before actual demolition begins, and practicing “deconstruction” whenever possible. (Think of deconstr...

Just as Rome was not built in a day, a house cannot be rebuilt over night. (Rome also was not destroyed in a day, and houses are not worn out over night, but rather; from years of wear and tear, rowdy residents, and the subtle grind of the natural elements.) The District of Columbia is full of older brick homes such as 753, many built in the late 1800’s and early1900’...

Recently, Four Brothers began an extensive remodeling project on Fairmont Street in Northwest DC. From the outside, number seven-hundred and fifty-three is a stately, two-story brick row house. Step inside however, and what you’ll find is a jumbled mess (3,200 square feet of it), not to mention a thriving community of rodents. Over the next 12 months, our team has bee...