Michael Nash Custom Kitchens and Homes in Fairfax took home an award for “Best Kitchen Under $50,000” in the Contractor of the Year Awards— an annual competition sponsored by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry—for this renovation in Alexandria.

One of Washington’s premiere architects, Robert Gurney was just awarded an American Institute of Architects Housing Award for this contemporary home in Bethesda’s woodsy Glen Echo neighborhood.  The only Washington-based architect to win an award this year, Gurney also garnered the most votes in The Washingtonian’s top architects survey, which was published in March.

In the Barnaby Woods neighborhood in Northwest DC, Gurney is creating another masterpiece—for himself.  To read how he is transforming a 1934 center-hall Colonial into an all-white brick and metal contemporary, click here.

Chevy Chase-based Wentworth Studio took home two Contractor of the Year Awards for this Bethesda renovation:”Best Residential Addition under $250,000” and “Best Kitchen $100,000 to $150,000.” The awards are an annual competition sponsored by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

The new owners of this 50-year-old Carderock home wanted to open up the kitchen, family room, and breakfast area. Wentworth knocked down the wall between the kitchen and family room and added an island and eating counter. They expanded the breakfast room and added floor-to-ceiling glass on three sides. To maximize the view of the wooded backyard, Wentworth raised the roof over the breakfast area. The updated kitchen has a glass tile backsplash in earth tones, black granite countertops, and teak cabinets. See our photo slide show below.

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?

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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.

In the February issue, Michael Tardiff writes about this dazzling renovation. A young couple took a quirky gem from the 1950s  and—with the help of local architect Travis Price—turned it into a light-filled modern home.  

Click here to see a slideshow with more than a dozen pictures of the renovation.

In the January issue, Michael Tardiff writes about the renovation of a 50-year-old ranch house in Potomac. Rather than tear down the original home and build anew—which would have cost more than $2 million—the owners demolished a third of the house and added a second story. The renovated home is larger than what they had planned to build, but cost about half the original estimate.

Click here to see more pictures of the renovation by David Haresign of DC-based Bonstra Haresign Architects.