Balodemas Architects

FineCraft has greatly enjoyed working with Lou Balodemas of Balodemas Architects, and we value the thoughtful, collaborative relationship that has developed through our projects together. Lou approaches architecture with a clear point of view and a strong sense of purpose. His designs are clean, intentional, and well proportioned, with careful attention to how spaces function day to day. There is a quiet confidence in his work — nothing is overdesigned, yet every decision feels deliberate and well considered. From a builder’s standpoint, Lou is pragmatic and engaged. He understands construction sequencing, respects the realities of the field, and communicates clearly when design intent needs to be protected or refined. When challenges arise, he works collaboratively to resolve them in a way that serves the project as a whole rather than any single discipline. What we appreciate most is Lou’s professionalism and steadiness throughout the process. He is focused, responsive, and aligned with delivering high-quality results for the homeowner, which makes for a smooth and productive working dynamic. We value our collaboration with Lou Balodemas and Balodemas Architects and look forward to continuing to work together. We would confidently recommend him to homeowners and professionals seeking an architect who is thoughtful, disciplined, and a strong partner throughout the build.

The team of Lou Balodemas, Veena Shahsavarian, and Pierre Lazare led us to a beautiful and functional remodel of the porch and foyer of our 1951 rambler.

Worked with Lou and Veena to design and build a completely new bathroom and expanded office space, both resulting in a completely new updated and modern look to the back of our house. They were very thoughtful and patient. We explored numerous creative possibilities that came together in a great looking finished product. We really enjoyed working with them - they were excellent. Highly recommend them

So my wife found Balodemas Architects while our heads were still spinning after a catastrophic fire at our home in Chevy Chase. We had a simple request: Please give us our home back. To say that Lou, Veena, and their team delivered on our request would be an all-time classic understatement. Given the task of rebuilding an idiosyncratic early 50's back-split rambler on the same footprint (thanks, zoning!) and with the same basic size and dimensions (thanks, insurance!), they delivered an absolutely stunning house that three years later still draws gawkers and regular compliments from folks passing on the street. We love the house and we love Lou and company for helping create it for us. Lou's clean, modern design aesthetic meshed seamlessly with our taste (and with the original design of the house), so we were confident from the start that we would get a design that we liked. What amazed us was how he and his team re-thought the interior so that we ended up with far more space, more light, and more functionality than we started with, despite the fact that the rebuild was practically the same size as the original house. It was truly magical to watch it unfold. We never planned to gut or renovate our house, so we basically hadn't the slightest idea what we were doing. Lou and Veena walked us through (really held our hands through) every step of the process with knowledge and patience, from structural engineering, to contractor bidding to materials selection, to fixture shopping, to punch-list completion. They listened to our opinions and helped us make sound judgements. When we didn't know what we were talking about, they helped us learn. And when we disagreed, they took our instructions and made them the best they could be. My wife still frequently will be looking at an area of our home and will say "Lou was right about that one." Other times I'll say "We should have listened to Lou about that." The point is that Lou and Veena were there for us, and they were there for the project, and they treated it all seriously and with tremendous dedication and professionalism from start to finish. If you're looking to build, rebuild, remodel, or redesign, it's hard for me to imagine that you could find a better group to work with than Balodemas Architects. We recommend them without qualification and with the hope that you will have the wonderful experience that we did.

We found Balodemas Architects on Houzz in 2018 after long searches for someone to help us renovate our Arlington home. Their simple, modern style (seen in his project portfolio) appealed to us. After interviewing past clients, we hired Lou and his team to begin our project. Lou, Veena, and Romina worked on our project from concepts, to design, to execution. They were all great to work with, helped us navigate the process, and provided excellent recommendations. We couldn't have realized our renovation without an architect's guidance and vision, and Lou's team was a good fit for us. Lou clearly demonstrated his many years of experience in the trade and was both patient and open with us. Veena offered thoughtful and innovative design solutions and color/material selections. Romina kept us organized, on track, and was always responsive. They were patient with us as we worked through initial floor plans on our challenging layout; helped us sift through the contractor bidding process; shared great resources for well-designed, yet affordable materials, and provided critical management during the construction phase to ensure our plans were brought to life and nothing was missed. We love our new home and would highly recommend Balodemas Architects for your project!

We worked with Lou and his associate, Veena Shahsavarian, to design and see through the construction of a pop-up (adding an attic and full bath, 2nd HVAC, plus the renovation of other parts of the house) for our Chevy Chase, DC, mid-century split-level. They were extremely professional, thorough, and creative. Their attention to detail was remarkable. Highest recommendation.

We had a tremendous experience working with Lou and his team on the renovation and addition of our home. Lou understood our vision for the home, ensured that the plan was both beautiful and functional as our kids grow up, incorporated the design features that we envisioned, and steered us in the right direction when we needed guidance. Lou did not just take the project as we envisioned it and make it happen, but he explained the pros and cons of some of our ideas, suggested better options, and created a design beyond our imagination. Lou was sensitive to cost and created a design that would fit within our budget. Even after settling on a final design and plans, Lou adjusted the project as we decided to expand the scope of the work and he helped us re-design two new bathroom layouts to maximize effective use of space and create a new walkway and portico. Lou was a huge help in the selection of the contractor, interacted seamlessly with the builder, and meticulously followed the project from start to finish. It was great having Lou and his team with us every step of the way during our project and we could not imagine a better experience. Highly recommend Balodemas Architects for any of your architectural needs.

As our youngest son was taking AP tests and applying to college, my husband and I turned our attention to our 1948 WC and AN Miller Sumner home in Bethesda and tried to imagine our future here. We wanted to renovate our home to suit our new empty-nest while showcasing the leafy tree-laden property that we loved. We turned to Balodemas Architects, who had helped our sister create an extraordinary inside/outside space in a neighborhood nearby. As we spent time talking about the new home, incorporating all of the concepts that we had dreamed of implementing, the melancholy of living without our children turned into excitement as we imagined hosting family holiday dinners for the family’s next generation. Lou Balodemas and Veena Shahsavarian operationalized our concept by solving complex site and limiting problems with brilliant ingenuity and insight. They were professional, prompt, met deadlines and gave us experts when we needed them. They helped us solve tricky issues such as outdated design and drainage, and in so doing, created a home that melds perfectly into its verdant surroundings. Veena Shahsavarian expertly led lighting design, paint and color selection along with hardware and finish choices. The result, is a remarkable, extraordinary home, we are blessed to own. Lou Balodemas coached us through the entire process including supervising the implementation. Together, Balodemas Architechts joined us in an incredible professional collaborative artistic endeavor, for which I am extremely proud, and now realizing the benefits. They took a very average feeling space and with a few design adjustments, made it feel noteworthy and generous. Balodemas Architects are the gold standard. They helped us see our home in a whole new way. The process was challenging and interesting and enjoyable and rewarding in many ways. I highly recommend working with them. Sincerely, Shelley Brown

My wife and I couldn’t be happier with Balodemas Architects. We added an outdoor living area, a new family room and converted our existing family room into an ADA complaint in-law suite. Lou and his team of professionals assisted us from concept design through completion of construction. They were very professional and responsive. Their design ideas respected the integrity of the existing home while providing it a fresh up to date look. We are left with beautiful and functional living spaces.

We initially hired Lou Balodemas to assist us in remodeling our home for the installation of an elevator. Importantly, however, Lou and his team spent a considerable amount of time just talking to us to understand what we wanted to accomplish. Importantly, and at a considerable savings in cost, Lou was able to accomplish this within the existing footprint of our home. What resulted from these meetings was that getting the elevator on our second floor would also allow us to modestly remodel our master bedroom and an adjacent bedroom into a beautiful bedroom/sitting room suite. As well he figured out how to turn four small closets into one lovely large master bedroom closet. And, lastly, to remodel our walk-in shower to make it totally accessible. On the first floor Lou suggested remodeling the room where the elevator would be sited from a relatively dark home office into a bright cheerful space. Further he was happy to find exterior wall space in that room to accommodate an antique stained glass window acquired while the construction was in progress as well design a unique curved wall facing what was heretofore a hidden space behind a wall. And, after creating preliminary plans he was endlessly patient as we made modification after modification until a final design was agreed upon. Of course his service included handling all the necessary Montgomery County and Chevy Chase Section Three permitting; a hassle we certainly were glad he took care of. Lou recommended several contractors but was equally happy to work with the builder whom we chose. Similarly he spent ample time on-on-one with our elevator contractor to make sure his manufacturers every detail and requirement was included in the final plans. Once construction began Lou and his team made periodic visits to insure everything was going according to his plans. And, of course, when the job was essentially finished he came over to double-check the ‘punch list’ of final details we had come up with. Bottom line: we would recommend Lou unqualifiedly.

Mr. Balodemas and his associates were wonderful and easy to work with. They provided all of the architectural drawings for my recent home renovation while also giving us many fabulous suggestions on how to best utilize our space to fit our lifestyle needs. Our renovation left us with a house that is more incredible than I could have ever imagined and Balodemas Architects played a big role in that.

An upstanding firm with an eye for quality and the utmost care for those they work with and for. It's been a pleasure working with them during these recent projects, and we felt the need to communicate how pleased we are to work together. Building is a symbiotic process, and it's best when all three parties involved - the homeowner, the architect and the builder - are on the same page and tracking with one another. It makes for a fun and most rewarding project. Thank you, and we look forward to working on more projects in the future.