Architects, Architecture Firms, & Building Designers in Lake Barcroft

“As a high-end general contractor who focuses on architect-driven projects, I truly appreciate an architect whose plans are comprehensive, clear and precise. Additionally, I also appreciate an architect who has a hands-on approach, who communicates well and who is takes a tremendous amount of pride in what they do. All of these characteristics are evident at Randall Mars Architects. Randall's reputation and body of work has cemented him as being one of the best architects the Washington, D.C. area has to offer.”

“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.”

“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!”

“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!”

“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.”

“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.”

“As an architectural photographer, I have known and worked for Amy Gardner of Gardner Mohr Architects for more than five years. She is one of a group of architects that is thinking about the future and how she can utilize her generous talents to make better more sustainable and environmentally friendly buildings. I have found her designs to be invigorating. The spaces eminently functional and her designs to utilize the available light and air flow to be of equal magnitude. In short, the spaces and buildings are livable, functional, breathing spaces that are simply exiting and fun to be in. It has always been my pleasure to photograph these spaces and to convey with a photograph what Gardner Mohr Architects have created.”

“Designing a house with John and Marilyn was a pleasure. They really worked to understand our needs and our taste. We get lots of compliments on the overall look of the house as well as the beautiful details like the coffered ceiling in our kitchen, the custom backsplash, built-in living room cabinets, windows in the great room, window seat on the stairway...and on and on. It has been a joy to live in the house they designed because it's just what we wanted. New Leaf Collaborative didn't miss a thing. After moving in, we also worked with Marilyn to buy furniture, rugs and window treatments. She already knew our style and what would fit well in the house.”

“We hired BA for architectural planning and project management of our renovation. We were very happy with their services. They provided a solid balance between creative design/planning and realistic execution. They understood our requirements and very good with cost control and managing timelines. We finished the renovation on time and within budget :)”

“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.”