Published by:  Michael Ullrich  A.I.A. 

Part IV in a series that follows our renovation of a Chevy Chase, Maryland home.

While work on the breakfast room addition foundation approached completion,  the crew at Pagenstecher GROUP began framing on the second floor dormer expansion.

(refer to "Part III- the owner's suite" of this series to see 2nd floor plans)

The dormer expansion takes full advantage of available second floor space; making way for a new master bath and walk-in closet. 

The small gabled roof line breaks the linear form of the rear dormer, and is the joint between old and new. 

Before: the master suite had minimal light and view to the rear of the property.  The sloped ceilings made what would be considered a sizable bedroom feel compressed and much smaller than it actually was.

A new picture window brings in much needed daylight while improving views to the heavily treed rear yard.  A raised flat ceiling returns the bedroom  to its appropriate scale, giving an expansive new feeling.

Continue following Pagenstecher GROUP as work progresses on this Chevy Chase, Maryland home.

Published by:  Michael Ullrich  A.I.A.

Part III in a series that follows our renovation of a Chevy Chase, MD home.

As foundation grading, drainage, and waterproofing continues progressing on the first floor breakfast room addition, let's take a minute and review the planned renovations to the second floor of this Chevy Chase, MD home.

Most of today’s new homes incorporate the idea of an owner’s suite.  The suite includes; a sleeping chamber appropriately sized for a large bed (queen or king), walk-in closet(s) with ample storage, and a private bathroom. 

We work in a lot of older homes that often lack the modern amenity of an owner’s suite.  Such is the case at this Chevy Chase, MD residence.  The bedroom is comfortably sized, but it lacked adequate closet space, and shared a small hall bath with another second floor bedroom.  Not quite the private oasis the owners dreamed of.

Our plan for the second floor expands an existing rear dormer to create additional space for a private bath and new walk-in closet.  Recapturing some under-utilized eave storage space makes room for a second walk-in closet.  The result is a true owner’s suite that will be a calming space to retreat to at the end of a long day.

Continue following Pagenstecher GROUP to watch this Chevy Chase, MD home renovation take shape.

As an Architect who remodels older homes, I constantly adjust my design approach; to serve the differing circumstances created by the wide range of styles found in the Washington DC area.  Here are two very different architectural solutions for dining room storage and display, in two very different homes -- both in Bethesda, MD:

The first home received a formal, classically-inspired treatment, with storage cabinets and display shelves recessed into the wall.  Notice that the third bay of the built-in is actually the door to the kitchen!  The door panels are recessed into the vertical dividers of the cabinetry, creating a "paneled portal" effect.  Additional storage and serving surface are provided by a lovely breakfront.

The second home is a mid-century rambler, in which we replaced a single window with a group of 4 windows and a pair of skylights, framed by built-ins.  This is how we resolved the conflicting need for more light with the need to furnish along that same wall.  Notice the floating shelf separating the upper and lower windows; it provides serving and display surfaces, but it also allows us to treat the windows in entirely different ways.  The upper windows are trimmed-out and subdivided into 4 panes, reinforcing the traditional notion of what a window should be, while the lower windows seem to disappear in to the adjacent woodwork and serve as a place to display sculpture.  The lighted display cases in the surrounding built-ins serve to anchor  the entire composition.  
Every home and every client are different.  So my simple formula for pleasing architectural designs is this:  Unique Homes + Unique Clients = Unique Solutions.
 
Pagenstecher GROUP
10605 Concord Street, Suite 1
Kensington, MD  20895
301-933-9305
www.pagenstechergroup.com