Bethesda-based Landis Construction took home the “Best Exterior Design Solution under $100,000” in the Contractor of the Year Awards—an annual competition sponsored by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry—for this renovation in Silver Spring.

The house sits asymmetrically on a hill. To make the basement and backyard more usable, Landis added a deck and screened porch, flagstone walkway, French doors, and new first-floor windows. New siding on the deck and porch match the existing home’s cedar siding. Inside, the screened porch features an exposed retaining wall, which was intended to make the room fit into its natural surroundings.

What do you think? Does the project succeed at integrating inside and outside space well? And is it worth the $100,000 price tag?

The District’s first Target store in Columbia Heights had its soft opening on Tuesday. “Renaissance,” “revival," and “revitalization”—all buzz words of the week. [Columbia Heights News] We were at the store’s VIP opening event.

Speaking of revitalization, Major Adrian Fenty announced the move of the city’s Department of Housing and Community Development’s headquarters from Union Station to Anacostia as the first step in an ambitious development plan for “emerging neighborhoods.” [DCMUD]

Turns out the DC real estate market is “hot” for foreign investors. If only we were all getting paid in Euros. [WBJ]

A former warehouse in Old Town Alexandria is home to Virginia’s first LEED-certified condo building. The condos include a long list of sustainable features, including recycled pine floors, bathrooms tiled in recycled glass and limestone, and bamboo cabinetry. Carved out of an industrial structure built in 1910, the units are light-filled and open, with few walls—the bathroom is the only room that is completely private.

Naked Décor, a new home-accessories label by award-winning DC graphic designer Supon Phornirunlit, recently launched a series of eye-catching pillows. Have a thing for Great Britain? The “Live Like a Queen” pillow shows the queen on one side and the Union Jack in orange, brown, and white on the other. The “London Bridge” design offers Brit enthusiasts a Union Jack on one side with the bridge on the other. Animal-themed pillows include one with half of a dachshund on the front and the other half on the back. There’s also “Oh, Deer,” with the head of a buck, and “Red Kitty Cat with Button Eyes.”

If you’re sitting at your desk reading this, that means you’re not at the new Target at 14th and Irving streets, Northwest. And that makes me a little sad, because as of 8 AM today it’s open for business—and judging from a VIP sneak peak I got Tuesday night, it’s pretty awesome.

Okay, to be honest, it’s actually not that different from any other Target—but it is right on Metro’s Green and Yellow line, which makes it much easier for anyone without a car (i.e., me) to get to aisles of cute housewares and Jovovich-Hawk clothes. Here’s the lay of the land from the opening reception the store threw last night (plus a photo slide show).

Heather got by with a little help from her friends.

Now that I’d found my fixer-upper and decided that I was going to buy it with an FHA 203(k) construction loan, it was time to start talking with contractors to figure out what needed to be done—and how much it was going to cost. I started with a list from my real-estate agent of contractors his clients had recommended; each one came with at least two references. I also looked around on some neighborhood forums; Prince of Petworth was particularly useful.  

Then I started making phone calls. It was hard to find time to meet with contractors. Sometimes I squeezed in long lunches. I also overlapped meetings, trying to put as many in an afternoon as possible. My apartment was a mile away, so I scheduled several 7 AM meetings (of course my house was in the opposite direction of my office, making those days not only very early but also capped with a four-mile walk to work, all before coffee). Since I needed estimates before I could sign on the dotted line for the house, this made for some long weeks before closing.

Want to see more photos from Washington events and parties? Click here for Washingtonian.com's photo slideshow page. 

Every year, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry recognizes outstanding projects with its Contractor of the Year Awards. McLean-based BOWA Builders took home an award for the “Best Addition Over $500,000” for this whole-house remodel in Arlington.

A three-story renovation of the 1920s Dutch Colonial added more than 2,000 square feet of space, including an expanded kitchen and new family room, breakfast room, and sunroom. In the basement, the family added a gym and mahogany-and-stone wine cellar. But the nautically-themed master bedroom suite is the most unique part of the house. A ladder leads to what the owner calls his “map room,” where he plans trips on his 50-foot cabin cruiser. Windows and a balcony surround the octagonal-shaped room, which has views of the Washington Monument.