This project transforms an existing one-story brick home in Alexandria by replacing its replacing its limited attic level with a full second story and expanding the home's primary living spaces. The design reimagines the residence to better accommodate a growing family while maintaining a cohesive relationship between the original house and the new additions.
The new second floor replaces the attic with four well-proportioned bedrooms, including a primary suite with a vaulted ceiling, a secondary suite, and two additional bedrooms connected by a Jack-and-Jill bathroom. On the first floor, a rear addition enlarges the family room and introduces a spacious kitchen designed for everyday living and entertaining. A screened porch and adjoining stone patio extend the living experience outdoors, creating a seamless connection between the home and its landscape.
Photos by Hoachlander Davis Photography
This project is a custom home in Arlington, Virginia, designed for a local developer specializing in the custom residential market. The project reinterprets the traditional Craftsman aesthetic through a refined urban farmhouse design, balancing timeless architectural character with a contemporary sensibility.
The exterior composition features classic proportions and carefully detailed craftsmanship, while the interior introduces clean modern forms and finishes that create bright, functional living spaces. The result is a home that blends traditional warmth with modern simplicity, offering a fresh interpretation of a familiar architectural style.
This project transforms a single-story brick ranch in Alexandria into a thoughtfully reimagined Craftsman-inspired home designed to accommodate a growing family. By adding a second story where there was once only attic space, the project creates generous new living areas while preserving much of the existing first-floor layout and the character of the original home.
Inspired by the timeless craftsmanship of early 20th-century Sears Catalog homes and the surrounding Del Ray and Rosemont neighborhoods, the design introduces a steeply pitched roof, welcoming front entry, and carefully proportioned architectural details that feel both authentic and enduring. A new primary suite, children's bedrooms, screened porch, and refreshed gathering spaces provide the family with room to grow while honoring the architectural traditions of the surrounding community.
This project reimagines a traditional brick Colonial in Arlington for a young family seeking brighter, more connected living spaces. The design focuses on introducing natural light throughout the home while thoughtfully reconfiguring the existing layout to improve both functionality and future flexibility.
To bring daylight deeper into the interior, openings were carved into existing walls and the central stair was transformed into a light well through a redesigned staircase and a new skylight above. A modest rear addition expands the family room with a bump-out and adjoining deck, strengthening the connection between the home and its outdoor spaces. The mudroom was also reoriented to accommodate a future driveway and detached garage, allowing the home to evolve with the family's long-term needs while maintaining a cohesive modern design.
Photos by Hoachlander Davis Photography
This project reimagines a traditional brick Cape Cod home as a timeless Craftsman-inspired residence following the loss of the original structure. Designed as a completely new home, the project embraces the opportunity to create a residence that reflects both the character of its neighborhood and the lifestyle of its owners while honoring the memory of the home that once stood in its place.
Drawing inspiration from the enduring principles of Craftsman architecture, the design combines rich materiality, carefully proportioned detailing, and welcoming outdoor spaces with an open, light-filled interior tailored for modern living. The result is a home that feels both rooted in tradition and thoughtfully crafted for the future - a seamless blend of classic architectural character and contemporary comfort.
This project reimagines an original Sears Hamilton Bungalow in Alexandria's Del Ray neighborhood through a comprehensive renovation and thoughtfully integrated additions that provide space for a growing family while celebrating the home's Craftsman heritage. A new second story and rear addition expand the home's footprint with a contemporary interpretation of the classic bungalow, introducing abundant natural light, stronger connections between living spaces, and a more open, functional layout.
The design balances preservation with transformation, maintaining the home's historic character while enhancing it for modern family life. A reorganized circulation spine improves flow throughout the house, while expansive openings connect interior gathering spaces to new outdoor living areas. The project's signature second-floor "birdhouse" primary suite anchors the rear addition, creating a distinctive architectural element that gives the home both its name and its identity.
This project reimagines the kitchen of a 1920s Sears Bungalow by transforming underutilized spaces into a bright, functional gathering area that better serves the needs of everyday living. The renovation respects the character of the original home while introducing a more efficient and contemporary layout.
Spanning the full width of the north side of the house, the new kitchen creates a generous open workspace centered around a 10-foot island that serves as both the focal point of the room and the primary gathering space. The island organizes circulation by directing movement away from the main work areas, improving functionality while maintaining a natural flow throughout the space. The result is a thoughtfully updated kitchen that balances the home's Craftsman heritage with the demands of modern family life.
Christopher Tucker, Design Principal
Kitchen Cabinets by MidSouth Building Supply, Inc.
The impetus for this basement renovation was the need for a space that could serve both as a place for growing teenagers to entertain their friends, as well as a guest-suite for visiting friends and family. The program also included a laundry room, full bathroom, and mechanical room.
When MODE4 Architecture was hired to design the space, the original 620 SF basement had already been completely gutted except for an existing laundry chute. The chute extends from the second floor through a first floor chase-wall, and could not be relocated. The chute, along with existing steel columns and stair opening, determined the location for the laundry room, and influenced circulation and surrounding spaces.
We were able to maintain a sense of openness in a relatively small space by incorporating a two-sided open bookcase to separate the main living space from the back hall. The two-sided bookcase offers a filtered view to and from the back hall, allowing the space to feel open while supplying some privacy for the service areas. A stand-alone entertainment center acts as a room divider, with a TV wall on one side and a gallery wall on the opposite side. In addition, the ceiling height over the main space was made to feel taller by exposing the floor joists above.
This project is a comprehensive renovation and addition to an existing single-story brick ranch in the Mount Vernon area of Fairfax County, Virginia. Designed for a local developer in the custom home market, the project transforms the original residence into a larger, more refined home while respecting its traditional character.
The design expands the existing footprint to create an open, flowing floor plan that better supports modern family living. Classic architectural proportions and clean traditional detailing guide both the exterior and interior, resulting in a home that feels timeless yet updated. The careful balance of traditional forms with contemporary functionality gives the renovated residence a renewed sense of sophistication and lasting appeal.
This project transforms an existing home through a comprehensive renovation and addition designed to support the evolving needs of a growing family. Expanding both the rear and side of the house, the design reimagines the home's organization while creating generous spaces for gathering, everyday living, and quiet retreat.
The additions introduce a spacious primary suite, expanded family room, dining room, butler's pantry, breakfast nook, mudroom, and thoughtfully designed children's bedrooms connected by a Jack-and-Jill bathroom. Together, these new spaces create a more functional home that balances shared family life with private living areas.
The renovation also gives the exterior a renewed architectural identity. New shingle siding transforms the original brick façade, creating a timeless expression that unifies the existing house and the additions into a cohesive composition. The result is a home that feels entirely renewed while providing the flexibility and comfort to grow with the family for years to come.
