The jury described this renovation as an inviting transformation that is welcoming to visitors. The homeowners purchased this nondescript 1970s Colonial and began planning the remodel before they even moved into the house. The family of six really enjoys the outdoors, so their priority was to extend the house into the two-acre wooded site. The final result, notes architect Jim Rill, presents a more pleasing atmosphere for experiencing the outdoors. Rill converted the garage into the family room and built a separate 2,300-square-foot garage with an office. The breezeway that connects the house to the garage contains a playroom.
To boost curb appeal and create a house that fits the homeowner’s style, Rill chose a shingle style with a Craftsman feel, using French doors, brackets, and overhangs. “It looks more like a series of cottages molded together than one big shingle-style house,” he says.
Rill and his team also added what has become a signature for Rill & Decker Architects — a front terrace. The stone terrace and brick walkway capture the best views of the site, which is appealing to visitors and allows the family to connect to the community. “We don’t think of the front of the house as just a facade you pass through to get into the house. It feeds out into the land and becomes another room,” Rill says.
Category: Whole-house remodeling, over $500,000
Location:
Potomac, Md.
Contractor:
Conrad Zink, Bethesda, Md.
Designer:
James F. Rill and James Murray, Rill & Decker Architects, Bethesda
Interior Designer:
Debbie Kernan, Distinctive Design, Potomac
