Each year, the Central Virginia chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) presents its Contractor of the Year (CotY) awards to members who demonstrate excellence through interior and exterior home remodeling projects. We share the award-winning projects here, from inspiring kitchens and baths to a wine and bourbon tasting room.
Photo by Kip Dawkins
ENTIRE HOUSE
Winner: Hampden Hill Custom Building with trade partners C. L. Shade Drafting, Ferguson Enterprises, Siewers Lumber & Millwork, Custom View Windows and Doors, Morris Tile Distributors
Hampden Hill Custom Building transformed a 1900s Tappahannock farmhouse into a modern, 21st-century family home without compromising the character of the original structure. This extensive project increased the home’s square footage, adding new bedrooms to accommodate extended family. Other additions include a large new kitchen with river views, a separate play area for the owners’ grandchildren, a large screened porch with copper screening, and a sleeping porch with custom hanging daybeds, a favorite feature of builder John Cronly.
Wood from a family barn on a nearby property was repurposed as flooring for the first floor of the house and was also incorporated into an outdoor shower. When a chimney was removed, the bricks were used to make a new hearth and fireplace surround. Much of the trim and millwork from the original house was also salvaged. Working around the 100-plus-year-old existing house was the biggest challenge. “We had to reframe a lot of the walls because so much of the house was out of whack,” Cronly says.
Runner-up: Haines Construction
Photo by Deck Creations
OUTDOOR LIVING
Winner: Deck Creations of Richmond
Sometimes the only way to fix something is to start over. In this case, Deck Creations of Virginia replaced an unsafe and unsightly deck with a larger one made from low-maintenance Wolf polymer composite decking stained a warm cedar color. Boards were installed diagonally for increased aesthetic appeal, and black powder-coated railings add an upscale touch. Perhaps the biggest change was adding a set of stairs to lead to an upper yard area that was previously inaccessible from the deck.
“This was definitely a high-end project,” says owner Don Weaver. “That’s what we’re seeing more and more of.”
This is the first NARI award for Deck Creations of Virginia, which recently celebrated its 10th year in business. The firm specializes in custom-designed outdoor living projects, from decks and screened porches to hardscape projects.
Runner-up: Lane Homes & Remodeling
Photo by Kip Dawkins
RESIDENTIAL ADDITION
Winner: Hampden Hill Custom Building with trade partners C. L. Shade Drafting, Ferguson Enterprises, Siewers Lumber & Millwork, Custom View Windows and Doors
A two-story addition transformed this 1932 Richmond city home, adding a large open-concept kitchen and converting a second-story storage space into a functional bedroom and laundry room. The new kitchen features a large island, ample counter space, Calacatta gold marble and an abundance of windows, some looking onto the new back porch that was part of the addition. Hampden Hills fabricated a custom range hood with a brass-band accent. Installing it on the sloped ceiling was a challenge, says Hampden Hills’ John Cronly. “We only had one chance to get it right,” he says.
An existing gable roof was replaced with a gambrel roof with a dormer to create more room in the second-floor bedroom. “Taking off the gable roof and keeping everything dry was a challenge because we saved the whole room below,” he says.
Creating a seamless flow between the existing house and the addition was also a priority, both inside and out, where three different types of brick were blended to match the existing brick exterior.
Runner-up: Wichello General Contracting
Photo courtesy BK Martin Construction
RESIDENTIAL INTERIOR REMODEL
Winner: BK Martin Construction with trade partner Ferguson Enterprises
These homeowners wanted to replace a utilitarian laundry room with a more attractive, functional space. Because the laundry room leads directly to their beautiful backyard, it is used as a pass-through by family and guests.
BK Martin Construction was tasked with removing and hiding the exposed plumbing and wiring in the walls and ceiling, which required numerous plaster repairs. The drafty old exterior door was replaced with an insulated fiberglass door with stylish oil-rubbed bronze hardware, and a non-insulated window was replaced with a casement window. A stylish utility sink with a gray cabinet and Cambria quartz countertop also was added as part of the remodel. Old appliances were replaced with a stacked washer and dryer. Subway tile with dark grouting, butcher-block shelving and updated lighting add to the aesthetic appeal of the room.
The formerly utilitarian space has been transformed into a stylish laundry room that the homeowners can proudly show off to guests.
Photo courtesy Wichello General Contracting
RESIDENTIAL KITCHEN OVER $70,000
Winner: Wichello General Contracting
Here, the homeowners were seeking a bigger, brighter space to replace their cramped U-shaped kitchen. During a site visit, Wichello General Contracting President Ben Moomaw noticed a large sunroom beside the existing kitchen. After learning the family never used the room, he convinced them to move the entire kitchen into the space. “It checked all the boxes of what they were looking for — they wanted bright light and square footage,” Moomaw says, “and we could do it without extensive foundation and addition work.”
The six-month renovation resulted in a roomy kitchen featuring a massive island that seats six, with ample natural light. A tongue-and-groove ceiling, exposed beams and a farmhouse sink give it a rustic vibe. Notable features include a large television that disappears into the countertop with the touch of a button and a custom sink base inspired by a family heirloom butcher block. As a bonus, the space from the old kitchen was incorporated into a formerly cramped den, and a new side entrance was added to the house, leading into the new kitchen.
Runner-up: Custom Kitchens Inc., Designer Richard Hendrick, CKD
Photo by John Magor
RESIDENTIAL KITCHEN UNDER $70,000
Winner: Custom Kitchens Inc.; Designer: Jennifer Duncan, CKD
Originally, the homeowner had planned to do a minor kitchen remodel, but once designer Jennifer Duncan showed her an etched metal backsplash featuring the Richmond skyline, her mind was open to new possibilities, and an extensive kitchen renovation commenced. A New Yorker at heart, the homeowner requested a similar backsplash featuring the Manhattan skyline. Small Axe Forge fabricated the unique focal point, laser etching a Big Apple cityscape onto stainless steel and copper panels. “Small Axe Forge took our vision and knocked it out of the park,” Duncan says.
The kitchen’s dark cherry cabinets were replaced with elegant cream cabinets that match a built-in secretary and hutch across the room. The overall feel of the space combines the elegance of pre-war New York with the modern edge of its more industrial areas, Duncan says. Lighting was the biggest challenge, and Duncan designed a new scheme to illuminate both the backsplash and task areas.
Runner-up: BK Martin Construction with trade partners Siewers Lumber & Millwork, Ferguson Enterprises
Photo by John Magor
RESIDENTIAL BATH OVER $35,000
Winner: Haines Construction
For this project, located in a condo in a converted industrial building in Church Hill, Haines Construction was tasked with replacing a builder-grade bathroom with a sleek and contemporary bath, incorporating universal design elements, a barrier-free shower and a wall-mounted toilet. “We had to completely gut it and modify the floor plan to provide not only the function, but the aesthetics they were looking for,” Tom Haines explains.
The existing structure presented myriad challenges: The plumbing had to be accessed from the condo downstairs. Haines had to remove about three inches of gypcrete from the floor, which had been added to fireproof the condo, to install the barrier-free shower. The hanging toilet could not be installed on an existing wall due to a fire barrier, so a new wall had to be built in front of it.
Low-iron glass was used for the shower enclosure to provide a more neutral color to blend in with the bathroom’s cool gray tones. The casework features a metal-clad faux-zinc look.
Runners-up: Leo Lantz Construction with trade partners Thos. Somerville Co., Morris Tile Distributors and Virginia Shower Door LLC; Lane Homes & Remodeling
Photo by Q Photo
RESIDENTIAL BATH UNDER $35,000
Winner: BK Martin Construction with trade partners Ferguson Enterprises and Mosaic Home Interiors
The promise of a large, jetted tub can be enticing, but in practice they often see little use. For this project, the homeowner sought to remove an old tub and closet-style shower and replace them with a large, walk-in, frameless shower to create a more useful and open space.
The old flooring was replaced with porcelain tile flooring in a warm brown finish to give it the warmth of wood. The new shower was tiled in polished Calacatta marble for a classic, timeless look. The existing vanity was reused and upgraded with the addition of a quartz countertop.
Removal of the existing tub and shower presented the project’s greatest challenge, says the BK Martin Construction team. “In taking out the closet-style shower stall, we had to re-create support for the glass wall for the new shower, and the floors were needing some leveling love to make that happen.”
Photo by John Magor
ORGANIZATIONAL REMODEL/UPLIFT
Winner: Closet Factory; Senior Designer: Sue Pike
The homeowner is a wine and bourbon connoisseur who hired Closet Factory to transform a portion of his unfinished basement into a warm and inviting tasting room, where he could retreat with family and friends after a long week of business travel to sample from his 600-plus bottle collection.
Because it was an unfinished concrete basement, the area was in rough shape, says Sue Pike, the Closet Factory senior designer who worked on the project. “There were walls that weren’t even drywalled, a fair amount of uneven floors, and there were a lot of soffits we had to work around.” Closet Factory rose to the challenge, building around and camouflaging the existing obstructions.
Wood-look melamine cabinetry gives the room a rich, warm, Tuscan-inspired look. Lighted glass shelves showcase the homeowner’s bourbon collection, while wine is stored on custom scalloped wine racks, X racks, lattice racks and in bulk wine cabinets, with plenty of room for future acquisitions. The best part: Because the basement is below grade and made of concrete, it’s already temperature-controlled.
Photo by James Betts
HOME THEATER/HOME AUTOMATION
Winner: Sound & Image Design with Lane Homes & Remodeling
As the homeowners embarked on a backyard and patio facelift with Lane Homes & Remodeling, they also decided to upgrade the home’s outdated audio and video systems. Their wish: to listen to music outside in their new outdoor oasis and enjoy TV and movies with surround sound in the family room, with all systems controlled by a mobile device. Tim Stinson of Sound & Image Design lent his expertise to the project, helping to relocate the family-room TV, hiding all the wiring behind the crown molding. “Another challenge was creating a thoroughfare for the speaker wire to go to the outdoor patio,” he says. “We had to go through three different crawl spaces to make it happen. It took the smallest man on our team to pull it off.”
The homeowners wanted to listen to LPs throughout the house, so Sound & Design linked their turntable to a Sonos system. A high-quality outdoor speaker system from TruAudio delivers a sonic punch, and a new wireless access point provides reliable Wi-Fi coverage on the new patio.
Photo courtesy Wichello General Contracting
RESIDENTIAL INTERIOR OR EXTERIOR SPECIALTY
Winner: Wichello General Contracting with trade partner Siewers Lumber & Millwork
For this small powder room renovation, the homeowner gave the crew at Wichello General Contracting creative freedom, says Ben Moomaw, president. “They had a few magazine tear-outs of some modern vanities, but really and truly they gave us artistic license to make something cool happen.”
Wichello’s team fabricated a custom black walnut vanity with a unique “origami” folded shape. Hidden storage was added to the piece, which conceals two large drawers and a cabinet. “As artsy as it is, it is the only storage space in the bathroom” Moomaw says. “We had to try to figure out how to get some storage in it.”
The carved marble sink was made from a bowl owned by the client. “We had to figure out how to drill a hole into it for the drain,” Moomaw says. “We had one chance to get it right.” In another unique touch, the faucet was wall mounted atop mirrored glass.
A subtle color palette and high-end materials transformed the formerly overlooked powder room into a sophisticated design statement.
Runner-up: HomeMasons Inc.
NARI’s Greater Tampa Bay chapter judged this year’s entries, and local winners were honored during a September gala.
