On Site: Open House

The Builder: Relative Theory

Courtesy Rosenthal Homes Building the Potomac, Md., residence was a family affair for Rosenthal Homes. Andy Rosenthal, the company’s president, oversaw the project, working with the architect and engineer on structural coordination. “He’s on every jobsite at least once a day,” says his wife, Emily, who helped the clients and interior designer Roy Lykes reach decisions on finishes, cabinetry, and other details. “More often at this house, because it’s very contemporary. The cleaner the lines, the less you can hide.” One of the Rosenthals’ sons, Neal (above right), supervised the home’s construction, while the other, Josh (above left), juggled some site work with his marketing and financial duties.

The Rosenthals have a simple but effective strategy for making their family business work: Each person specializes in the area that best suits his natural skills. “I have an entrepreneurial spirit,” says Josh, who worked in direct marketing for seven years before joining the company in 2003. “My brother doesn’t want to sit in an office. He wants to build beautiful houses.” As for the site-based work done primarily by Neal and Andy, Emily thinks they make a perfect partnership. “Andy has the knowledge and experience, and Neal has the energy and enthusiasm,” she says. The family’s teamwork has paid off: The Rockville, Md.-based company is 16 years old and busier than ever.

Details: Into the Light

Strict observance of the Jewish Sabbath can create an interesting set of challenges. During this 24-hour period, adherents avoid the operation of electrical devices: the act of switching on a light, for example, or turning on an oven. But home technology has made it easier for observers to follow these laws without living in the dark or forgoing a cooked meal. Like many observant Jewish households, the Potomac residence operates on a whole-house lighting control system—in this case, Lutron’s HomeWorks. Builder Rosenthal Homes worked with local home technology consultant Integrated Media on programming the system to turn the lights on and off at predetermined times on the Sabbath, so the owners don’t have to do it themselves. It even adjusts automatically to account for the changing times of dawn and dusk throughout the year.

HomeWorks also turns on a warming drawer in the kitchen, so the owners can prepare a meal earlier in the week and then heat it on the Sabbath without breaking any rules. The system plays a useful role during the rest of the week, too: It controls the outdoor landscaping illumination and provides several different lighting scenes for entertaining.