home improvement

Veteran and longtime Arlingtonian gets needed home repairs from volunteers

By Jo DeVoe
1/3

(Updated at 1:25 p.m.) When volunteers hung a starch-stiff American flag on a shed belonging to 89-year-old local veteran William Johnson, he told them how proud he was to have served his country.

“You are so wonderful,” Johnson told the volunteers from Navy Federal Credit Union earlier that day. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.”

The flag replaces a worn one that hung from the same spot for 20 years, according to a blog post from the credit union. Employees placed the finishing touch after they and staff from the nonprofit Rebuilding Together Arlington/Fairfax/Falls Church finished repairs on his red-brick Arlington home of 50 years.

Johnson served in the U.S. National Guard and Army in the 1950s and moved into the right half of a side-by-side duplex in 1966, after he and his late wife, Daisy, got married. There, they raised a daughter, who now lives down the street; worked for Virginia Hospital Center; and were active in a local church.

But the home where he and Daisy lived out their years began to show signs of aging. Johnson, a retiree on a fixed income, could neither do the work himself nor afford help. So Navy Federal teamed up with the local nonprofit Rebuilding Together Arlington/Fairfax/Falls Church, which makes home repairs for Northern Virginians in need.

“Houses need maintenance. Things change, our bodies change, and we have to adapt our homes to our bodies,” Patti Klein, the nonprofit’s executive director, tells ARLnow. “At the same time, Navy Federal wanted to work on a home of someone who served in the military. We thought it was a perfect fit.”

After volunteers wrapped up their day of service, many returned on Saturday for more jobs, though they did not have to, Klein said. The resulting work, spanning up carpentry, landscaping, painting and other jobs, moved Johnson.

“He was thrilled, he really was, and when they came back on Saturday, he was very touched by it,” Klein said.

Navy Federal Credit Union, which is headquartered in Vienna, serves military communities and “embraces and encourages service among its nearly 25,000 employees,” per the blog post.

“We believe in coming together for the community and for people who have served our military and our country, and this really embodies that,” Sun Bayless, senior vice president of Real Estate Lending at Navy Federal, told volunteers that Saturday. “We’re ready to roll up our sleeves.”

The credit union says volunteers have supported 30 projects benefiting four area low-income homeowners and 26 nonprofit organizations, several of which serve the veterans.

In Arlington, Klein says employees have helped on a number of projects, including building an outdoor classroom at Carlin Springs Elementary School.

“They really believe in community and giving back,” she said.

In total last year, the local chapter of Rebuilding Together, a national nonprofit, spruced up 115 homes, Klein said. Of them, 90% had a resident over the age of 65 and 60% had a resident with a disability. The homes tend to be older and need more work as well as aging-in-place modifications.

With Giving Tuesday around the corner, Klein says Rebuilding Together Arlington/Fairfax/Falls Church welcomes financial donations, volunteers who can work on weekdays or weekends and client referrals.

Disabled resident prevails in zoning appeal over plans to build a therapeutic sunroom

By Jo DeVoe
1/2

Thomas Peters and his wife Natalie found the perfect home in Arlington — one that already had an elevator that Thomas would need to get around in his wheelchair.

It did have one downside, however. The trees on his neighbor’s property, which is at a higher elevation, block natural light from reaching his backyard.

That poses a problem for Peters, whose spinal cord injury — sustained while swimming 10 years ago — left him paralyzed and made it harder for his body to regulate his temperature and stay healthy. The need for accessible sunlight became obvious during the pandemic when he was stuck in his apartment.

“UV light is the best disinfectant and it is hard to get in the wintertime,” he said. “I knew I wanted a place where I could live in the sunlight.”

So Peters commissioned an architect to draft plans for a sunroom. Before those could be realized, however, he learned he would have to get special permission to build it because the home already exceeds the allowable size for a main building on a 10,000-square-foot lot, according to the zoning code.

The last 15 months became a winding legal process that frustrated Peters at times.

“My journey of living with a disability has been one of losing lots of agency,” he said. “I’m a very go-getter type of guy. One of the most frustrating things about living with a handicap is that there are things you just can’t overcome. It’s especially frustrating when you can’t overcome things in your own home after pursuing the dream of independent living.”

Last Wednesday, however, his vision for the property eventually prevailed. He he got the go-ahead for the sunroom when the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) unanimously greenlit a variance for the site. The citizen commission considered not just local zoning ordinances but also the Americans with Disabilities Act and ultimately acted against a recommendation by county staff to deny his request.

ARLnow reached out to some of the five BZA members but did not hear back before deadline.

Barnes Lawson, the lawyer for Peters, said last week’s decision was a rare one that resolved a cordial disagreement with the county over what constitutes a reasonable accommodation for a disability.

“Zoning Division staff does not believe that the applicants have proven an explicit connection between the requested size of the proposed improvements and their ability to remedy a hardship, as they have not shown that the benefits provided by the proposed conservatory could not also be provided elsewhere in the dwelling,” according to a county report.

In a county report, staff emphasized that the Peters home already exceeds the maximum lot coverage allowable for a main building on a lot of its size. The county offered Peters two paths forward that would not require a variance.

He could build a front porch of at least 60 square feet and earn the right to extend the footprint of his house by 3%. The zoning code encourages the construction of front porches — and, as another example, discourages garages near the front of the house — as a way to promote neighborly interactions.

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For Sale: 140-Year-Old Home Along Columbia Pike

By Matt Blitz
1/9

(Updated 4:35 p.m.) A 140-year-old historic home in Arlington owned and built by Harry Gray, who was formerly enslaved at Arlington House, is for sale with an asking price of $915,000.

“A masonry D.C. row house with the convenience of an Arlington location,” reads the real estate listing. “As soon as you walk in from your front porch the home shines with its exposed brick and tall ceilings & windows, giving it a spacious, cozy feel.”

Located at 1005 S. Quinn Street, right off of Columbia Pike, the building is on the National Register for Historic Places and is protected by the county under the “historic district” designation. This means that certain exterior alterations have to be approved by the county’s Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB).

Harry W. Gray built the house in 1881 as a home for him and his wife, Martha, herself, formerly enslaved on James Madison’s Montpelier plantation.

The son of Selina Gray, Harry was born at Robert E. Lee’s Arlington House estate and was enslaved there until he was 12 years old. According to Virginia law at the time, he was property of George Washington Parke Custis, George Washington’s step-grandson and the father-in-law of Robert E. Lee.

After that, he lived at nearby Freedman’s Village and worked at local brickyards where he honed his skills as a mason. Later, he became an employee of the U.S. Patent Office and, inspired by the rowhouses he saw while working downtown, built one for his family in Arlington, near Freedman’s Village.

Constructed in the fashionable Italianate style of the late 19th century, the home is two stories tall with a solid brick foundation and standing-seam metal shallow-pitched shed roof. To this day, the home is a rare example of a brick rowhouse in the county.

“It’s a visible relic of a formerly enslaved person from Arlington House and Freedman’s Village, who went on to become middle class,” local author and historian Charlie Clark tells ARLnow about the house.

However, owning a historic home of this nature comes with a unique responsibility.

In 1984, the Harry Gray House became one of the first buildings in the county to be given the historic district designation. Currently, there are 13 single-family homes with this designation in the county, with only a handful of those remaining private residences (the rest are owned by the county or state).

This protects the Harry Gray property from “insensitive alterations,” says Cynthia Liccese-Torres, Program Coordinator for Historic Preservation in Arlington County.

“It’s not owned by the county, but we are tasked with the responsibility of helping any owner be the proper steward of the house,” she says.

While the exterior is protected, that doesn’t mean alterations and changes can’t happen. Liccese-Torres explains that the county has no purview on what happens with the interior, hence why the listing notes the extensive work that’s gone on inside — one of a number of interior renovations over the years.

If the owner notices a rotting front column or a leaky roof, says Liccese-Torres, replacement with the exact same materials and with the dimensions are allowed to happen without approval.

These are known as “in-kind” replacements.

If the owner wanted to build an addition or enclose a front porch, that’s an example of something that would need to go through the HALRB. Requests of this nature have been approved in the recent past.

“Those approvals show this property continues to be adapted,” says Liccese-Torres. “Here we are in 2021 and changes are still allowed to happen. It’s not a static museum piece. It is a home that has been adapted to serve people’s needs over time.”

The house last went on sale in 2011 and was purchased by Cameron and Catherine Saadat.

“We [lived] in Old Town before that, so we had already kind of gotten the appreciation for older homes,” says Cameron. “We happened to see this come on the market and just kind of fell in love with the D.C.-style rowhouse.”

They paid about $387,000 for the house, which was in foreclosure. The couple says that, over the last decade, they’ve poured about $300,000 worth of work into the home, including a complete renovation of the interior.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Home Show This Weekend — “Whether you are a resident looking to improve your home, an experienced contractor, or landlord managing rentals, the 2021 VIRTUAL Arlington Home Show & Expo offers a convenient one-stop shop to ‘Ask an Expert’ and learn of new ways to update your home, and add value to your property.” [Event Calendar, Arlington Home Show]

Mastercard Returning to Arlington Office — “Mastercard Inc. will soon bring workers back to its New York City office at least two days a week. The payments giant also plans to open its Arlington, Virginia, office to more workers after already inviting more staff back its Sydney and Dubai offices, Chief Executive Officer Michael Miebach said in a memo to staff Wednesday. For most locations across the U.S., the company hopes to have workers in by September.” [Bloomberg]

Local Restaurants Need More Help — “Behrooz Sarvghadi is the owner of Kabob Bazaar, in Arlington, and one of hundreds of thousands of small business owners looking for financial assistance, as the nation tries to recover from the pandemic. ‘I’m hoping we get it, so we can continue the business,’ said Sarvghadi… the U.S. Small Business Administration says it ‘received more than 303,000 applications representing over $69 billion in requested funds, and nearly 38,000 applicants have been approved for more than $6 billion.’ But the issue is, only $28.6 billion was ‘signed into law.'” [WJLA]

Challenger Wants County Arts Changes — “The recent Embracing Arlington Arts forum between County Board aspirants actually provided some fireworks – albeit on an issue that qualifies as inside baseball. Incumbent County Board member Takis Karantonis and his challenger in the June 8 Democratic primary, Chanda Choun, split over whether the local community was best served by having the Arlington government’s arts and cultural-affairs apparatus continue operating as a subsidiary to the government’s economic-development operation.” [Sun Gazette]

Arlington Cemetery Station Reopening — “Metro customers at Addison Road and Arlington Cemetery will enjoy safer, modernized stations when the stations reopen on Sunday, May 23, after three months of work to completely rebuild their platforms and make upgrades throughout the stations. The reopenings will mark the completion of all 12 stations slated for platform reconstruction in Virginia.” [WMATA]

Bathroom Startup Uses Technology To Save Homeowners Money

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Type “Why are bathroom renovations” into Google and the first result suggested is “…so expensive.” After saving for a new home, home improvement projects are the most common reason Americans save money.

Most people believe having a bathroom that makes them happy is a worthwhile investment, yet are surprised by how much it costs.

Why is renovating a 40-square-foot space so costly? Pricey fixtures and the specialized skills required are partly to blame. However, some costs are embedded within the industry:

  • “Free” quotes are expensive: On average, contractors spend 25 percent of their time building quotes for jobs they will not win. Those costs need to be recouped.
  • Expense overestimation: Whether purposeful, unintentional or a little bit of both, contractors often significantly overestimate the cost of materials and effort on a project.
  • Professional design: Having a professional design your bathroom is considered a luxury service and carries a luxury price tag.
  • Limited visualization opportunity: Consumer Reports identifies a primary cause of price overruns as homeowners who change their mind regarding finishes or colors after they’ve been applied.

In 2016, remodeling industry veteran Chad Hall believed these inefficiencies could be eliminated by taking advantage of emerging technologies — so he founded remodelmate.

Eliminating the time-consuming process of in-home quotes, remodelmate gives homeowners free access to an app that uses advanced smartphone camera technology to generate a near-perfect 3D model of their existing bathroom. The scan is then applied to a quote-building system, generating a final labor price for the customer as well as a precise materials list for the contractor, eliminating overestimation.

To address the professional design and visualization issues, remodelmate employs CGI (computer-generated imagery) to apply homeowner color and finish selections to a model of their new bathroom. The results are photo-quality images showing the customer exactly what their new bathroom will look like before construction begins.

For more information, visit the all-new remodelmate website.

The Arlington Home Show and Garden Expo Returns This Weekend

The annual Arlington Home Show and Garden Expo is coming to Kenmore Middle School (200 S. Carlin Springs Road) on Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

The home show is a community event — not a commercial event. The goal: to educate Arlingtonians about the best ways to add value to their homes and improve their overall quality of life.

Now in its 13th year, the home show is a one-stop shop for all things related to improving and building homes including permitting, financing and choosing the right contractors. This year the show will focus on informing visitors about value remodeling — making sure that every dollar invested in home improvement achieves the best return.

The free, family-friendly event will include 18 workshops covering a wide spectrum of topics, including Accessory Dwellings (ADUs), Energy Efficiency, Smart-on time and on budget-Contracting, Landscaping, Going Solar and the well established Landlord Seminar that deals with the legal and practical nuts and bolts of being a landlord. The Show features more than 65 exhibitors, including local builders, designers, master gardeners and more.

Attendees can also discuss their home improvement or building plans with representatives from a number of Arlington County agencies, who will be available for one-to-one consultation.

Admission and parking are both free. There will be a raffle for a 50-inch television, free LED bulbs for visitors, many contractor specials and great food will be provided by Cafe Sazon.

The event is organized by Arlington County’s Housing Division and the nonprofit group Resilient Virginia. Gold Sponsor of this year’s show is Alair Homes Arlington.

Cook Bros 101: How to Reduce Risk When Hiring a Contractor

Homeowners can take a class on how to choose the right contractor for their remodeling project at this years annual Arlington Home Show & Garden Expo this Saturday, April 27 at Kenmore Middle School.

Those homeowners will be learning from the best! Steven Tinter, President and General Manager of Arlington’s No. 1 Design Build Remodeling Firm, Cook Bros will be the instructor on the main stage at 10 a.m.

Tinter says that specialization reduces risk for consumers. Reducing risk is especially vital when it comes to one of the most expensive expenditures a homeowner will encounter — renovating their home.

“Arlington homes are modest, but they’re expensive homes,” Tinter says. And many of them are older, with residual quirks from previous builders. “Working with someone who specializes in renovating these homes will reduce your risk of cost overruns, delays and potentially missing out on something in the overall design.”

Cook Bros’ specialized experience in the area gives them an advantage when it comes to encountering challenges distinct to Arlington homes, including not only critical design elements but also navigating the county permitting processes. “Cook Bros only renovates homes in Arlington County, and has for 32 years.

We don’t do new homes, we don’t remodel homes in Maryland or D.C., or other places in Virginia,” he said. “Arlington County is all we’ve done for over 30 years. If you’re contemplating a major renovation and not talking to us, you’ll be missing out.”

Class seating for Steven Tinter’s class is limited. Kenmore Middle School is located at 202 S. Carlin Springs Road, Arlington, Virginia.

Cook Bros is at 5521 Lee Highway in Arlington. Call 703-536-0900 or email at [email protected]. The website is here: cookbros.org.

Remodeling a Home in NoVa is ______.

1/3

We all know the kinds of R-rated words that could fit along that line. We tried to include a few, but ARLnow censored us. (Trust us, it’s for the best)

Some PG-rated words that may come to mind are: stressful, annoying, tedious, unreliable, pricey — the list goes on. To put it simply: remodeling sucks!

But all of us at remodelmate are on a mission to make home remodeling suck less by simplifying and de-stressing the entire journey:

  • No in-home estimates or scheduling
  • Transparent, competitive rates
  • Hassle-free Concierge service
  • Convenient milestone payments

There’s a better way to renovate your home, and it’s really as simple as “push button, remodel home.”

  • Click “Build Your Project” on remodelmate.com
  • Confirm your details with one of our virtual Concierges
  • Receive a remodelmate lockbox in the mail
  • Start renovating

For limited time, ARLnow readers get a whopping $1,000 off their renovation of $10,000 or more if they book a project in the next two weeks. Use the code ARLNOW when you click “Build Your Project” on www.remodelmate.com.

We Love Our Customers

“Just had remodelmate install a cabinet in my kitchen. The service was superb and prompt. Would highly recommend them!” – Andrew C., Washington, D.C.

“We’ve been meaning to remodel our kitchen for so long, but we just couldn’t ever find the time or energy to manage the process. We chose remodelmate’s Concierge service to take full control over the design and build of our kitchen — and wow! We’ll be back again.” – Landon and Samantha R., Temple Hills, MD

“They were incredibly easy to work with and responsive to all of our questions and concerns. The project came in on budget, and we got a lot of compliments on the fresh, new look of our bathrooms. We were extremely pleased with the finished result and our experience working with remodelmate!” – Jeff and Tamra M., Washington, D.C. 

Read more testimonials at www.remodelmate.com.

remodelmate — Changing the Residential Remodeling Industry

Local residential real estate tech company remodelmate is making it easier for people in the Washington metropolitan area to buy and sell remodeling services.

Their online marketplace allows homeowners and contractors to find and offer services for renovating bathrooms, kitchens, windows, doors, roofs, floors and even your man (or woman) cave.

The DC-based company was founded on the idea of re-establishing trust in an industry that has been historically unpredictable. And they are growing quickly.

Customers benefit from fair, upfront pricing, clear project timelines, and, for an additional fee, a dedicated project manager to help see your masterpiece through to completion. And for contractors, the jobs come to you without having to scour the marketplace.

It all works through a simple process: customers answer a few questions about their project and share what they’d like to accomplish; then they receive a no-commitment quote and in-person project consultation. From there, customers pick a date for the job to begin and pay seamlessly and securely through remodelmate — BOOM, done.

Rest assured, every “remodelmate” is licensed, bonded, insured, and thoroughly screened, including background, quality and identity checks.

For a limited time, ARLnow readers can get $500 off their next remodelmate order so you can start that renovation project you’ve been putting off.

Arlington Home Show and Garden Expo Returns This Weekend

The annual Arlington Home Show and Garden Expo is coming to Kenmore Middle School (200 S. Carlin Springs Road) on Saturday, April 14, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

The home show is a community event – not a commercial event. The goal: to educate Arlingtonians about the best ways to add value to their homes and improve their overall quality of life.

Now in its 12th year, the home show is a one-stop shop for all things related to improving and building homes including permitting, financing and choosing the right contractors. This year the show will focus on informing visitors about resilient remodeling — making sure a whole home is resilient to major weather disruptions.

The free, family-friendly event will include 16 workshops covering a wide spectrum of topics, including Accessory Dwellings (ADUs), Energy Efficiency, Universal Design and Aging in Place, and will feature more than 65 exhibitors, including local builders, designers, master gardeners and more.  In celebration of the 50 years of the Fair Housing Act the Show will offer a special Fair Housing Seminar for Condominiums.

Attendees can also discuss their home improvement or building plans with representatives from a number of Arlington County agencies, who will be available for one-to-one consultation.

Admission and parking are both free. There will be a raffle for a 50-inch television, free energy efficiency kits for the first 150 visitors, many contractor specials and great food will be provided by Cafe Sazon.

The event is organized by Arlington County’s Housing Division and the nonprofit group Resilient Virginia. Gold Sponsor of this year’s show is Alair Homes Arlington.

HGTV Casting Locally for ‘Best House on the Block’

By ARLnow.com

An HGTV show is looking for homes in Northern Virginia “that need a personality boost and remodel.”

The first episode of “Best House on the Block,” which stars a pair of Great Falls, Va.-based home renovation specialists, aired last year.

The pilot took a different turn from the usual house-flip shows that have dominated HGTV the past few years, featuring “underwhelming” houses.

The show is currently seeking D.C. area homeowners who want to “generic home from drab to the Best House on the Block” but are “overwhelmed by the design possibilities.”

More from the show’s casting website:

To Be Eligible You Must:

  • Currently own a home in the Northern Virginia/D.C./Maryland metro area
  • Have an existing design/renovation budget for your projects
  • Be willing to move out of the house during renovation

Send an email to [email protected] telling us your story and include: name, address, phone number, family photo, budget, as well as photos of the home exterior and interior areas that need Lauren and David’s help.

I am looking for families with boring homes that need a personality boost and remodel. Looking for fun, outgoing, families who are serious about a home redesign/remodel. Each episode focuses on roughly 3 living spaces to transform with the homeowners existing budget.

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