Architects & Building Designers in Alexandria.

“Where to begin with my comments about Cathleen Curtin, the positive side, or the negative… well, that’s easy! There is no negative, so here are the positives!! Having scaled down a good bit from a larger home, and now residing in my interesting apartment in Old Town, Alexandria, I needed to make improvements and changes that would make this small place my haven. It began with getting bids on a bathroom renovation. Having contacted other architectural services and builders in the area that I knew, I found that the recommendations (and the pricing) were all over the place, and I really couldn’t tell what they were going to do. I also felt that they were not listening to me regarding the need to connect the bedroom space and my master bathroom. From the minute I ran this idea by Cathleen, she “got me” and she listened to me and she responded quickly. Within a couple days of our first meeting, she was back to me with a clear and concise overview and pricing. I was impressed with her level of detail, as well as her efficiency. And, this impression never changed thru out what became a much bigger project. Where the others all were going to expand my bathroom and take away space from my bedroom, Cathleen Curtin was able to give me all that I wanted, AND MORE, in the same footprint – saving money, time and probably a lot of unknown issues in this old building. Her creative use of space and layout resulted in a bathroom that I absolutely love, and others marvel at. Once deciding to work with Ms. Curtin, I realized that I felt safe and comfortable to do more of what really needed to be done to my living space. She gave me that comfort. Having had some experience with such projects in the past, it was knowing that she was not only the Architect, but also the Project Manager, that gave me the confidence to take this on. Always available for questions, and always quick to find solutions to issues as they came along, she drove this project hard and fast, and with a fabulous outcome. The project included not only the master bathroom, but a new laundry room, leveling the floors in my bedroom, insulation where there was none, built in cabinetry that eliminated the need for furniture in the bedroom, re-doing of floors, adding hardwood floors where they did not exist, brilliant storage cabinets, new lighting thru out, a life changing gas fireplace, creative kitchen solutions that make me love cooking again, a very special powder room, and so much more. I am thrilled in my new space – and enjoy it more than I ever dreamed possible. Cathleen was a joy to work with, a consummate professional, a willing ear, a great production manager, and attended to each and every detail of the project. On site every day, often several times, staying ahead of all contractors with selections and materials, and kept me informed with clear and consistent communication. Running a busy enterprise, I needed this style of professional oversight, and feel that not only did she give me a wonderful new home to enjoy, she gave me great service and great value in a time that we often do not get what we expect. With Cathleen, I got more than I ever expected!”

“Trip has been outstanding from the first meeting my wife and I had with him, He is very knowledgable and really got us excited about the rebuild on our current lot. Whenever we had questions, and there were plenty, Trip was there with an answer usually within hours of an email being sent. His answers to our questions have guided us through our rebuild project and also given us ideas that we more than likely would not have come up with on our own. We can not recommend DeFalco Home Design highly enough.”

“Carnemark designed and implemented two major renovations for our home. We had used other contractors in the past, but they are the first ones we ever hired back for a second project. We are already thinking about our third with Carnemark! The first project was primarily outdoor work which was a combination of modernizing our look and fixing some water problems -- stuccoed the exterior, installed a metal roof, installed a glass and metal front door entrance and garage door, buried electric and cable wires, replaced cement driveway, installed slate and stainless steel rails at front entrance, installed new outdoor house and yard lighting and fixed a leaky basement wall. We were so pleased with this work, that we rehired them 2 years later for an interior overhaul -- new modern kitchen, reconfigured floor plan, updated bathroom, installed stainless steel railings and steps, new lighting, new air-conditioning duct work and radiators, and new large format tile flooring throughout.”

“I have been working with Donald Lococo Architects for the past two years on a large residential project in Alexandria, Virginia. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Donald and his staff. The house is a fabulous hybrid: traditional front facade contrasted with a thoroughly modern section in the back. The house is nearing completion...seeing this space come together - full of glass, light and dramatic open spaces - has been wonderful to watch. Five star design...five star firm!”

“"Our time and investment in Wheeler Architects has been repaid many times over. Michael's easy demeanor helped us to make difficult decisions when it came to the layout and design of our three-story addition. His recommendations, which sometimes we were unsure about given this was our first venture into the world of home additions, turned out to be spot on!! One of the major requirements for our project was that it not look like a box added to the back of our house. It wasn't until our project was completed, that we truly understood how Michael's design fit in with not only the existing house, but our property. Michael's attention to details in the design ensured the new space met our needs. To this day, there are still days when we walk through a room and comment on things we love that would not have been done without recommendations from Wheeler Architects." Mike R. | Del Ray, Alexandria, Virginia”

“Karen at Transforming Architecture was reccoemnded by my real estate agent as she had done work on his home. At our first meeting she gave us an idea of the scope of the projects she has accomplished and the fee structure. She really listened to our ideas and concerns for our kitchen renovation. Karen presented 3 visions for our renovation, one with exactly what we asked for and then two other options. The third design presented involved moving our kitchen and creating an open floor plan. This was beyond anything we could have imagined o our own and made the best use of the space and our renovation dollars. We are currently under construction but Karen is readily available to answer questions and make edits to the design. It is a pleasure to work with her and I can't wait to see her vision come to fruition.”

“Our experience working with Great Seal has always been great. Our most recent project had a 45 days deadline from homeowners to design & renovate home. Great Seal completed the design in 2 days and on the third day we were able to apply for the permits. Some of our past projects have included construction of new homes, additions, kitchens, basements, bathrooms and more. We would recommend Lyndl of Great Seal to anyone who is thinking of having any type of construction done. Sincerely, S. Singh Signature Renovations LLC”

“As a residential remodeler, we've collaborated with many architecture and design firms. We have found very few to be as knowledgeable and understanding of the design and construction process as Studio Crowley Hall. We've found their experience and understanding of local structures, as well as their understanding of the zoning and permit process to be very helpful during the build process. In witnessing their relationships with their clients, they seem to develop a strong rapport with their clients, and are very collaborative when it comes to anticipating problems and developing solutions.”

“James was the third architect we interviewed when we made a decision to build our dream home. After meeting him we cancelled all the rest. I am a real estate professional and I have come across some great works of art in the form of houses and have met their creators. What impressed me about James McDonald was his ability to listen carefully and understand our needs, It's like we told him our dream and he put it on paper even better than we had dreamt it. Throughout the building process he was available and willing to make any changes big or small, if practically possible. We trusted him completely and he never let us down. He has the highest work ethics and a stellar team to help him through extremely busy periods too. We would highly recommend him to anyone thinking of building a custom home or even remodeling an existing one.”

“Catarina is a tremendous architect and is a real pleasure to work with. I really felt like we worked as a team, instead of her just shoving a design at me. The whole process was very synergistic, and I am tremendously happy with the final product.”