Years before the rest of the world used “Zoom” as a proper noun or a verb, I was contacted by a couple that works with the State Department. They had been serving for years in Southeast Asia with their young family. The last time they lived in their own house in Arlington, VA, both their children were very young and had been able to share a room. Now the little house that they loved would be too small to accommodate a girl & boy that would soon be teens.

The neighborhood had upgraded a lot since they last lived there, and they were afraid they would look stuck in the 50’s. My challenge was to find more living volume inside the existing footprint, and update the curb appeal, all while they continued living a 12-hour time zone away.

I was able to get a design engineered that would replace the existing roof structure so that the non-habitable attic could contain 2 full-size bedrooms, a full bath, and a roomy area at the top of the stairs with lots of storage. This, combined with a complete lower level remodel to the kitchen & living area and a complete transformation of the exterior, was all planned, permitted, negotiated with contractors, selections of special order finishes, and started with demolition before they even set foot back in The States. The first time we ever met in person was watching the new roof trusses being set. This prepared me well for the two years of Covid that would require extraordinary communication and flexibility in order to maintain relationships and coordinate steps.