New Home Construction in 20011.

“Lorena Checa was the designer of two renovation projects in our Washington D.C. home. The first was in the early 1990's where she designed an expansion of our home enlarging bedrooms, living area, a bathroom and creating a utility room on the 2nd floor. All of this was done without increasing the footprint of the house. The second design project in 2011 was enlarging the bathroom in the master bedroom. This project involved demolition of the existing 1920's bathroom and a closet and replacing them with a modern bath including Thassos marble floors, glass tile walls, granite counters on custom designed cherry cabinets, special lighting, new custom etched glass windows and doors and a glass shower enclosure. Three particular strengths come to mind when I think of Checa Architects. The most important, to me, is Lorena Checa's ability to listen carefully to a client's vision, translate it into a project that can actually be constructed and then present you with a design which matches your vision but is vastly improved by her imagination and knowledge. The second is the depth of her knowledge of both design and construction. She can envision not only how a space will flow but also how it can be enhanced by the materials used. Her understanding of how different materials and fixtures will appear and will operate in real world situations is invaluable. She also has a vast source of artisans and suppliers for many one-of-a-kind solutions to difficult design problems. Finally, Checa Architects are problem-solving perfectionists which is exactly the combination you want designing and overseeing your construction project.”

“We met with Ileana to discuss possible renovation ideas to our 1960s house to open up the space and to re-think our upstairs bathrooms. She designed the project in a way that allowed us to consider the two pieces (upstairs and downstairs) both separately and together. We originally thought we would focus on the upstairs initially, but we were so happy with the redesigned first floor that we ended up deciding to tackle this project first. We contracted with a local company to do the work, and they have had no problems following Ileana's architectural drawings.”

“Greg from Hammer Contractors was one of the best I've worked with. We have not actually started the work yet, but he gave great information and outlined the steps involved in getting it done. He was punctual, and always followed up with an email to check the status of my talks with the bank. He was always respectful and actually listened to us. We will definitely be working with him again.”

“Kingdom Design and Build took my vision and made it a reality. I was so confused about how to renovate my living room and dining room. The team came in and gave me a few ideas that matched my vision. They were clean, professional, and on time. I was so pleased with the outcome on my living room and dining room renovation. Jessica M.”

“I write very few reviews but the service I received from Cunningham | Quill Architects was so extraordinary that I feel compelled to share my experience. Ralph and his team worked with my family for almost two years to create our dream home. Through dozens and dozens of meetings, every member of the Cunningham | Quill team guided, listen and applied their remarkable talents to crafting our rough concepts into the most extraordinary residence. Every detail we ever imagined and many many more that we could not have dreamt of were flawlessly crafted by this team into a place that we hope to call home for the rest of our lives. Ralph oversaw the entire project from beginning to end and added his unique creativity throughout the process of creating the plans and then, on a weekly basis, through the 14 month construction. Cunningham | Quill were on site, every week, working in lock step with the GC to make sure that what we'd seen on paper was exactly what was built. The job was extensive, lengthy and complicated and Ralph delivered every step of the way with professionalism and innovation. When there were questions about billings, he was reasonable and always cared most about pleasing us, his clients. I recommend Cunningham | Quill unequivocally.”

“Tom Flach, our architect at Kohlmark, 100% understood what we wanted in our new home. But he didn’t stop there, he made the plans better than we even knew were possible. Tom was always available to answer our questions and to help us with any decisions or issues that arose. His skill, his vision, his guidance, and integrity made this experience a lot easier for us.”

“I recommended Moser Architects, PLLC to everyone looking to build or renovate in the DMV area. Sarah took our quaint Cape Cod home in North Arlington and made it into a beautiful home for a growing family. We told Sarah how we wanted to keep the charm and curb appeal that fit the neighborhood, and she surpassed our expectations. Our home could not be more functional thanks to Sarah's expertise, and we are always receiving compliments. Our open floor plan with large amounts of natural light could not be more perfect. If we ever take the plunge to purchase another home in NOVA in need of renovations, Sarah will receive the first phone call.”

“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!”

“Margaret Upton designed a fabulous second floor addition for our one floor 50's rambler. The three bedroom, two bath addition perfectly captured our dream of more space without looking like a "McMansion". We now have an incredible new space that exudes charm and warmth inside and out that beautifully ties in the old with the new. We frequently receive compliments on how well the design fits into street without overpowering the neighboring house - just what we wanted. Working with Margaret exceeded our expectations in every way.”

“Scott was incredibly helpful, he explained a lot to me and gave me advice even after he knew I was not going to use him as an architect, he still took the time to make sure I was on the right track and told me things to ask the architect I was using instead to make sure my project was done right. The only reason I did not go with him was because the architect I originally got a quote from was less expensive because I was tweaking a design they had already created, versus starting from scratch. Otherwise I would have chosen Scott. He is a good person, very helpful and seems like an incredibly knowledgeable architect. I would recommend him for sure.”