Zelaya Properties LLC

In March of 2021, we purchased a Zelaya remodel in Alexandria and would absolutely do it again. We love our home and appreciate the experience of working with Rachel and Jay on what was an unconventional purchase and subsequent work on the home. We looked at many homes in Alexandria but knew we wanted to purchase our house from the moment we saw it. Rachel showed us two houses that she and Jay were working on in our neighborhood, and both were distinctly unique from any other homes we had seen. The layouts emphasized open living, convenience, and bright spaces. The design themes and choices were thoughtful and artfully realized, and it was clear that Jay emphasizes high-quality, solid construction. The house we chose was unfinished, and Jay went out of his way to work with us to get it to the move-in stage as fast as possible and on our schedule. Likewise, he worked with us to address the inevitable growing pain issues with new construction several months after purchasing the home. We’ve worked with several contractors on other projects, and Jay is the rare professional who will stand by his work and stick with you until any and all issues get resolved.

Jay did the renovation to my 4 unit building back in 2013. 8 years later I am still finding things that were not done to code, or were done differently than what was told to me. The dryers were vented into the attic instead of to outside, microwave vents were not vented at all. He put closet doors on the back door of each apartment, instead of an exterior door, and told me he couldn't find an exterior door that would fit. I later learned this was not true, as there are exterior doors in a small size, the only problem is that they cost more. Jay refused to give me the allowance for each item, so I was guessing as to what I was able to spend. The sub-contractors were pulling me aside throughout the renovation to tell me what was happening behind the scenes. The more infuriating part was I was told that the project would take 2-3 months. It took us 8 months just to get permits. His secretary admitted that the hold up was that she had been the person calling to check in on them, but they wouldn't give her any information since her name was not on it. Once I finally called the city to follow up, permits were issued within a week. I have now learned that all permits are to be issued within 30 days, so a professional contractor should have realized that something was wrong after 8 months (and I supposedly I even paid for an expediter). Painting the property took 5 weeks, cabinets were put on incorrectly, the wrong sinks were ordered, and these are just some of the delays. The 203k inspector, the electrician, and other sub-contractors told me that after my project, they refused to work with Zelaya Properties again. I would stay far away from this company, and any properties that they have touched.

We were fortunate enough to purchase a home that Zelaya Properties had remodeled back in 2019. It has been three years and it's still hard to believe this beautiful home is ours! From day one it was obvious Jay and Rachel, and the rest of the team are extremely talented. Each home they design seems to be unique in it's own way and we feel like we own a home unlike any other in DC! We had the pleasure of meeting Jay at settlement. From our conversations it was very clear that he and his team are extremely passionate about their work and they put every effort into crafting the best home they can. We are also extremely thankful that Jay has stayed in touch over the years and has even offered his expert advice on a number of occasions. If given the opportunity, we would 100% love to work with Zelaya Properties again. Thank you Jay and Rachel for making the home owning experience so pleasant and rewarding!

I live at a Zelaya property above in Alexandria, Virginia. Other people marvel at the details and contractors have noted the quality of the roof work among other details. The experience of first walking in and noticing the wood floors, fixtures, and other improvements made on a lovely home from the post-war period drew me in. The developer made wise decisions about where to spend money. From the lighting, closets, and appliances, to the coordinated bath and kitchen details - the property gets me compliments constantly. My full fenced in back yard and patio has been a godsend for backyard fires with friends during this pandemic. I highly recommend seeking and considering purchasing their homes - they have a winning design and development strategy.

I was on Zillow and saw what looked like the most beautiful home that was soon to be completed. I only saw photos of the drawings and the construction but it was enough for me. I HAD to jump on it! My agent went over immediately, to his surprise, the house had just finished construction 2 days prior, fully staged and ready for move in. He said, "this is the one, you have to come see it." When I walked in, I knew it was the one I had dreamed about. The 10 ft ceilings and the all white kitchen with a quarts waterfall island sold me instantly! The master bedroom feels grand with 13 ft ceiling and a stand alone bathtub. I tell you, you won't find that level of detail in a 1.3M home in Arlington. The amount of work Jay and his team put into our home is incredible and makes us feel like we purchased a custom house. You won't find a builder that puts so much love and high end quality into their projects. I guarantee you, you won't regret buying a Zelaya Properties home.

I recently purchased my first home and was lucky enough to buy one done by Jay and his team. You don’t know what love at first sight is until you’ve walked into one of his homes! The amount of detail and creativity put into my home is unmatched by anything I saw on the market. The blue exterior paint is the perfect combination of fun and sophistication! The interior is an incredibly warm, modern look. Jay and his team chose a BEAUTIFUL clean look in the kitchen with white cabinets, a classy, pristine backsplash, and gorgeous quartz countertops. Not sure if you all know how hard it is to find a master en suite in DC- but it’s HARD! Jay made it happen, not surprised. The tile in each bathroom is unique and charming! Really- I could go on and on. To top it all off, they have amazing customer service and are willing to answer and tend to all my “first-time home buyer” questions and needs.

Jay and his team did a great job in renovating our new home. We lived in Arlington in an appartment building. We have been looking for a modern/contemporary house in Arlington, with a budget $1M, for an year and a half. Unfortunately, there are two types of single family homes in Arlington - either total trash starting at $800K that requires significant renovation or new homes starting at $1.5M. We never considered Alexandria as a place to move. One night while I was searching for houses on Homesnap and Redfin I saw a house that was really well done with a modern look. I suggested to my partner to go and see the house at least for ideas if we decide to gut one of the many old and ugly houses in Arlington. We scheduled a tour with our realtor Valeriia Solodka from Redfin who I really reccommend. We were really nicely surprised of the renovation. Everything was done with a thought which really impressed us. Of course, we had to compromise on a few things but we love the house. Great job!

We worked with Zelaya Properties on the renovation of our 1928 bungalow in Alexandria, VA. My husband is a realtor and I'm an interior architect, so we were quite selective when looking for a general contractor to complete our project. Admittedly, our design included many custom details and specialty fixtures and finishes which we were quite particular about. Every detail as we drew it in our design documents was perfectly executed with quality craftsmanship and professionalism. Being a historic home, Jay and team had to deal with structural challenges and did so with ease. Thank you, Zelaya Properties, for taking our design and making it a reality, down to the last detail!

We contracted with Rachel and Jay after seeing some of their work flipping a property in Alexandria. We used Rachel as our realtor and designer and Jay as our GC. Bottom line up front: there was not a single other company that matched their professionalism, attention to detail, and overall quality at their price point. Zelaya properties went above and beyond from helping us map out our budget to pushing us on several design elements that truly made our property unique and have a fully custom feel. We recommend Zelaya Properties for anyone looking to a full-service construction company that will go above and beyond to make your project a "one-of-a-kind" masterpiece. This is an honest company committed to quality work and customer service. I wish Houzz allowed 6 stars.

We were looking for a new contractor after we fired our first contractor in the middle of the job for doing a shoddy/terrible job. Zelaya Properties had just remodeled a house behind us and we were impressed with the quality of work so we hired them to redo/finish our master bathroom. We could not have picked a better contractor - they were professional, prompt and just did such an excellent job that I could cry tears of joy with how easy they were to work with. Their attention to detail and expertise in home remodeling is superb. We were so impressed with the work on our our bathroom that we are hiring them again to do the rest of our home projects. Excellent excellent contractor!

We love working with Zelaya Properties--whenever we get the opportunity to photograph one of their projects, we know that we're going to be delighted with the design choices and attention to detail and quality. Zelaya has a gift of seeing a property for its potential, creating comfortably beautiful function out of wasted space, and elevating the value of the surrounding homes with their gorgeous work. It's rare to see this commitment to excellence.

I can't speak highly enough of Jay & Rachel - they hired me as a design consultant for a personal project and they could not have been more pleasant and professional. They have thorough knowledge of every sort of construction challenge imaginable (& this project presented it's fair share of challenges!) They are critical thinkers and excellent communicators - I would highly recommend them (and have!) for any residential renovation and would welcome the chance to work with them again.