This guy presents himself as a guru of green architecture, but his main talent is writing invoices…read more To design a top-to-bottom remodel of my four-story house, he visited it once. He flew in a young architect from Colorado (!) to document the house, but they were both distracted by a disaster on another job (frantically redesigning at the last minute) and the drawings of my house were a mess - a door where there wasn't one, pipes and radiators missing, measurements wrong. They brought in a 'structural engineer' who jumped up and down on one part of the concrete floor like a toddler on a trampoline, pronounced it sound, and added, grinning, "I went to school for 10 years to learn how to do this." Maybe he should have studied longer, since it turned out that the floor was cracked through, and only one inch thick in parts (and underneath it was a sewer pipe that could have passed for a colander). Helicon also gave wrong information about the DC code and regulations. As for Helicon's proposed drawings for the renovation, just for one example, we would have had to walk around a bed to get out the back door. When I began to raise questions about the work, he simply refused to answer my emails and refused to go to mediation - although that's what his contract calls for in case of a dispute. When we finally parted ways, he kept all of his hefty fees and retainer, and didn't even return the books and magazines I had lent him as examples. Now, I'm glad to say, I've got a sound, beautiful renovation underway, and a great architect - who just can't believe the drawings from Helicon.

Helicon Works provided me with truly global guidance during a major whole-house renovation,…read morebringing expert attention to the practical/technical details of design and construction as well as the spiritual aspects of making a home. The result is a home that is beautiful, functional, and energy-efficient. I did not hesitate to call on them again when undertaking a second major project.

"I recently had a second floor added to my home in Arlington by DC Home, and I couldn't be happier…read morewith the results! The contractor was professional and attentive to our needs throughout the entire process. They worked efficiently and delivered high-quality craftsmanship. The new space has transformed our home, and it's exactly what we envisioned. I highly recommend DC Home for any home improvement projects!" "I recently had a second floor added to my home in Arlington by DC Home, and I couldn't be happier with the results! The contractor was professional and attentive to our needs throughout the entire process. They worked efficiently and delivered high-quality craftsmanship. The new space has transformed our home, and it's exactly what we envisioned. I highly recommend DC Home for any home improvement projects!"

Excellent quality overall. Mustafa was transparent from the beginning and made the entire process…read moreeasy to navigate. Thank you so much DC Home Remodeling!!!

Shawn Buehler did a phenomenal job designing our new home. We found him to be such a great listener…read morethat the initial proposed design pretty much hit it out of the park. The result is truly a beautiful home that meets our every need (and wish!) while working brilliantly with our unusual lot shape. We get so many compliments.

Larry Frank, one of their architects, is an advisor to the Clarksburg Architectural Review…read moreCommittee. He appears to be quite adept at using arbitrary minutia culled from the HOA CCRs to be as obfuscatory as possible, preventing people from making minor changes to their property resulting in creating a lot of unnecessary stress and anxiety. He is not a nice or fair guy. I would advise staying as far away from this company as possible and never use their services.

I worked with ABD for my first major design project and couldn't be happier. Jeremy, the owner, was…read morevery attentive to my stated desires and prepared a plan for my dream house. Although he attempted to set my expectations that the design was out of my stated budget, I wanted to see for myself and bid out the project. He was right. And so he helped me prioritize those design and function features that were of utmost importance to me and gave me enough options to find the perfect mix of them both. I am now building my dream home AND it is within my budget. The permitting process for the plan was a bit cumbersome, but I will say again, that ABD set my expectations appropriately. And Jeremy kept on the City until everything was approved. Highly recommend this incredibly talented designer with impeccable attention to detail.

From the owner: Advanced Building Design specializes in residential and commercial architectural design. Our…read moreclients are homeowners, contractors, developers and business owners in the DC Metro area. We believe successful design is achieved through close collaboration with our clients. No matter what your project type or size, we will work with you to define and implement solutions that result in beautiful, high-functioning architecture.

Landis Construction does great work! Ask for Chris…read more Check their website for example work and price ranges: landisconstruction.com

NB: Should be a 4.5, but that's not an option here…read more Our renovation project involved putting in an all-new kitchen and powder room, plus refinishing floors, replacing lighting, and repainting living room/dining room/family room/hall on the same (relatively open plan) level and some relatively minor exterior work. Project included electrical and drywall work but no structural changes. Mold removal wasn't originally part of the project, but, when a problem was discovered, it was handled thoroughly and expeditiously. The good: Overall, the finished project looks great and all the changes we made to our kitchen/main floor work well. Coordination between the design and the construction teams was good and we ended up working with great people on each side. Colleen, who helped us with kitchen design, was very good at laying out/generating alternatives and flagging pros and cons. She was focussed on our objectives and kept working until they were met. Fabricio held down the fort on the construction side. In addition to being a skilled craftsman with high standards, he is someone who is always looking for ways to make things better. He thinks ahead and has a problem-solving mindset. We always felt that he was treating our home the way he would his own. What fell short of perfection: probably worth bearing in mind that this was our first renovation project so it's not a comparative assessment. We've heard other peoples' horror stories and our issues were minor/mostly resolved in real time. That said, two pieces of advice: (1) Make sure the designer you are working with is a good match. If not, ask for someone else. Landis has multiple designers on staff. (2) If you are moving out for renovations, give yourself a cushion (more than a month on each end) wrt alternative arrangements for housing.

Seth and his associates have been great to work. Seth helped my wife and I really understand the…read morerenovation process and connected us with his trusted group of builders and subs.

I requested a quote via Yelp. Seth immediately emailed back providing a phone number to continue…read moreour conversation. I called him and he immediately went to work with my request for building a conex box residence in DC. Seth took his time with me and spoke with me like I was his only client. He asked all the right questions and went out of his way to explain the process in detail. He even researched the property while we were talking. All in all, It looks like I won't be needing his services. However, if he treats his clients the same way he treated me (a complete stranger on the phone), you are in good hands.

We were so excited for the prospect of our kitchen remodel project with Four Brothers after being a…read morefan of their design aesthetic from a distance. Starting the project was a bit shaky, some communication difficulties with our project manager, Sondra, and the site manager (which changed midway through our project). But the real issues arose with the final execution of the project. Our refrigerator & the panels were improperly installed as confirmed by GE, so every time we close or open the freezer drawer it damages the surrounding cabinets. The drawer handle itself has fallen off numerous times as well. Our brand-new dishwasher that they installed broke down and may be due to contractor install issues, Bosch is still assessing the issue. Our garage was used as a staging spot as well as a woodworking studio, but there was no attempt to ensure our gym equipment which is housed in the garage was protected, which led to damage of our expensive belongings. The wood floors that were installed have damage including large dents, gaps and wood splintering. The painted walls have cracks and bubbles, despite drawing attention to these issues early on. We now have to bring in our own contractors to fix the many issues that Four Brothers left us with. My husband and I both attempted to contact Kent and Sondra who had been our main contact people at Four Brothers with no response. We are extremely frustrated and disappointed with a very costly project that left us with unnecessary headaches and messes to clean up. We made sure our home was a welcoming place, leading with kindess for all the people coming in and out each day, with snacks, cold water & access to indoor bathrooms. We feel sad that they have not been kinder to us in return.

I used Four Brothers for a big home project back in 2019 and appreciated their work then but what I…read morewanted to highlight was their ongoing help. I recently reached out to Leroy to see if he had a recommendation for a small project I was doing that I knew would be too small for them. He responded immediately and helped me out and I'm so appreciative. It's really fantastic that they not only provide good service when doing a project but even years later. I'll definitely use them again next time I have a major project.

I have talked to Matt about a project we have, and he showed great deal of knowledge and expertise…read more In addition, he wasted no time in explaining and talking to me about what I want in the project and guiding me to the right approach. I can see from the thinking process he showed that his projects will be well thought of. He also demonstrated familiarity with the DC permitting process and requirements. I highly recommend Ossolinski Architects as a professional and reliable architects for commercial or residential.

Ossolinski Architects did the renovation on our late 19th century home, and we are extremely happy…read morewith the end results. Matt was great to work with. He really listened and worked hard to ensure we understood exactly what he was thinking, and he took time to ask questions to make sure he understood what we were thinking. He has a great eye for design and included details to our project that really aded to the look we were going for. He had a contractor that he worked with, rather than putting the project out for bid. We were unsure of how this might affect the project, but the contractor, Stan, was knowledgeable, practical and demonstrated great integrity.