Thursday, June 2, 2016 marks the day Finecraft Contractors, Inc. came home with yet another award – the gold award from MBIA (Maryland Building Industry Association) in the category of Custom Transitional Home.

The award is a symbol of all the hard work and care put into building the house on Durbin St. in Downtown Bethesda, MD.

(From left to right: Dave Lunden, MBIA president; George Papaheraklis, Finecraft president; Dagmar Papaheraklis, wife)

If you want to know the back story to the gold award then enjoy the read:

This new, expansive custom transitional house was built in place of a dated split- level built in 1955. The purpose of the project was to allow the owners with their kids to enjoy a more spacious living space in the suburbs of DC as well as be a place where they can easily provide for their friends and family and entertain. We demolished the existing 4 bed/3 bath, 1,740 SF and built the new how measuring over 6,000 SF with 8 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms.

The exterior is state of the art beige stucco which gives the house a contemporary look and contrasts well with the black windows and doors. The roof is imitation slate roofing. There’s an open front patio as well as a spacious and welcoming rear patio with a sitting area and a wood-burning fireplace. Stone stills are on all windows as well as on all exterior doors.

There are 3 fireplaces in the house – the 1 exterior in the rear of the house, a basement gas fireplace and a family room gas fireplace.

The open concept kitchen with high ceilings lends itself to include company and entertainment between the kitchen and the family room. 10’ high white ceilings contrast well with the brown oak hardwood floor throughout the house, the white Calcatta marble countertops, and the 60” tall white kitchen cabinets from kitchencabinets.com (Deerfield Cabinets). The cabinets are finished off with glass vintage pulls from Restoration Hardware.

Adding to the transitional feel of the kitchen is the black 6-arm spider-ceiling chandelier by France & Son that matches well with the black French doors supplied by Quality Window & Door. The gray glass subway tile from Architectural Ceramics gives the depth and texture to the kitchen.

The modern touch is inevitable with the Bertazzoni range and the Dacor appliances, plus the shiny chrome plumbing fixtures from Ferguson.

Lighting is of the essence and this kitchen has it all – inner cabinet lights and under- cabinet lights along with recessed lights that go along the perimeter of the ceiling, which gives a nice accent in the absence of natural light.

The nice quality Benjamin Moore paint that was used finishes the kitchen off nicely, and the thick white trim and molding compliment the bold modern look the owners requested of us when building out the kitchen.

As it is a house of inclusion and entertainment, the open kitchen lends itself nicely to the coffered-ceiling family room. Both spaces gracefully open out onto the beautiful patio. And the house is wired throughout to allow for music throughout the house.

The molded staircase railing system was hand crafted on site which adds grace and elegance to the transitional/contemporary style.

In the family room and basement there is a built-in television A/V systems.

There’s beautiful crown molding and baseboards throughout the house.
The flooring throughout the house is quarter sewn 4” oak flooring on all 3 levels including basement.

The master bedroom opens to a porch which overlooks the limestone patio.

The Mudroom has herringbone tiles and custom built-ins which allows for much storage space. The horizontal wood-work on walls gives it a nice stylish look and feel.

This house has a second-floor laundry as well as a laundry room in the basement which gives the homeowners ease and comfort when they have guests over.

The master bath likewise is laid with herringbone tiles. The custom shower is enclosed with an elegant glass shower door. It has heated floors and
custom closet systems in master bedroom for him and her.

The children share a spacious joint bathroom with double under-mounted sinks

The basement is accented with a tray ceiling and fine recessed lights. The basement also has a bar which is practical for guests or simply for entertainment.

Back in the kitchen, we have a wet bar which is adjacent and has custom-made cabinetry.

Last but not least the beautiful landscape by Joseph Richardson Landscape architect was done with a keen eye not to be overbearing but to add to the transitional style of the house.

During construction we were very sensitive to the neighbors. One neighbor even wrote us the following:

“I am very impressed by the spectacular new home Finecraft has constructed on Durbin Road in Bethesda. The exterior & interior exhibit an exquisite & spacious design, & it is a welcome addition to our evolving older neighborhood.” – Tom B.

As the neighbor wrote this house is a welcoming addition the evolving older neighborhood which is coming around to become filled with beautiful houses in the Bethesda area, and we are proud to add this Durbin house on the roster.

Overall it was a great project and we, as well as the clients, are thrilled with the outcome.