ith its home prices steady and often
surging, suburban Washington,
D.C., might be one of the most
active remodeling markets in the
country. As such, the area sup-
ports a thriving community of
full-service and design-build remodeling professionals,
like Carnemark Design + Build.
A Potomac-based family approached Carnemark ful-
ly dissatisfied with the way their 1980s split-level house
functioned for their immediate and extended families. e
husband and wife are busy professionals and parents of two
teenage boys. ey wished to reconfigure their first-floor
space — a cramped space with many small rooms lacking
flow and light — into an open plan that would accom-
modate entertaining friends and family. It also opened
poorly into the rear yard with a single small door leading
downstairs to a grill and a beautiful but unseen pool area.
Before meeting with Jonas Carnemark, owner of
Carnemark Design + Build, the clients had met with sev-
eral contractors who spoke of the cost-prohibitive nature
of achieving their goals without actu-
ally specifying the price. Removing
walls, opening spaces and even re-
moving an existing stairway would
involve adding large new headers
flush-mounted into the ceiling. e
clients, it turned out, were more than
happy to invest the necessary funds
into the the reconfiguration.
"We run into this all the time,"
Carnemark says, who has seen a lot
since launching his business in 1987.
"e client asks if they can remove
a wall they've previously been told
is load-bearing and not doable. So they can't. And my
answer is, "of course you can," and begin to spell out the
costs. In this case, as in others, when they find out that it's
Carnemark Design + Build in
Bethesda, Md., reconfigured
the cramped main level of
an '80s split-level house,
transforming it into a light-
filled great room with easy
outdoor access.
By Patrick L. O'Toole, Editorial Director
W
Before
QualifiedRemodeler.com QR July 2016 23