Whole House Update in Chevy Chase, Maryland
Project Overview
After considering a larger remodel, the homeowners decided instead to focus their energy on making smaller updates throughout the house. They hired Christopher Patrick of Christopher Patrick Interiors for the interior design work. We were brought on as the contractor once the schematic design was complete.
Design and Layout
Because Christopher was the designer on the project, our work was minimal. After providing an initial estimate we worked through the pre construction steps with both the homeowners and design team. As the drawings became more detailed we were in constant communication, providing feedback on cabinetry details, construction feasibility, and cost implications of various layouts. The process went quickly and smoothly, and we soon entered into a construction agreement and ordered the necessary materials.
Style and Finishes
As you can tell from the photos, Christopher has a unique, colorful, and playful style. We knew it would be a fun project to build.
Construction and Final Product
This was a unique project for us, in that rather than building an addition or completely renovating a whole house, bathroom, or kitchen, we focused on smaller projects throughout the home. New recessed and pendant lighting was added throughout. When installing lighting and switching in a renovation where the walls and ceilings remain largely intact, there is always plenty of patching. There was a large cabinetry component including a full wall of built-ins in the living room, a banquette in the dining room, and a window bench and dresser in the bedroom. We changed the swing of several doors to make the hallways easier to navigate – easier said than done when working with original doors. A barn door was also added to the master bedroom closet, and the walls re-arranged. Paint colors were changed in many rooms, and the bathrooms received new cabinetry, fixtures, and updated electrical. The biggest challenge was maintaining a clean job-site and adequate dust protection, since we were working in multiple rooms throughout the house. We managed to keep things clean and everyone happy by installing plastic barriers at all doors and cleaning regularly. We did make one mistake, and damaged the floor in the master bedroom. We resolved this by offering to sand and re-finish the flooring. It turned out that the homeowners liked the new color so much that they decided to refinish the entire floor.
What the Customer Said
“We are so glad to have crossed paths with Four Brothers Carpentry. We hired them to build a variety of built-ins, bathroom refurbishment, and constructing a kitchen nook. The quality of their work is outstanding and the project went smoothly from start to finish. We also liked their low-key, no-nonsense approach — no hard sells, no attitude, no problems — just nice people doing great work. We would absolutely use them again and strongly recommend them to others.”
