A primary palette of c

by admin on Friday, May 21st, 2010 | No Comments

When it comes to kitchen décor, “there are two categories of people,” explains Sonny Nazemian of Michael Nash Custom Kitchens & Homes, Inc. “Those who love stain and those who love color.” In this case, clients Jane and Alan Luba of Centreville, Virginia, fell emphatically into the latter category. The homeowners, who have a modern sensibility, approached him to design a sleek, minimalist kitchen with strong colors and finishes.

They began with the cabinetry. “We went through four colors before Jane saw the one she wanted,” Nazemian says. “She was after this particular shade of blue.” The cabinets are wood—their final finish: cobalt blue, high-gloss lacquer and acrylic. The design team added a row of stainless-steel and frosted-glass cabinets at ceiling level to create a visual connection with the kitchen’s stainless-steel appliances and backsplash.Jane Luba, who owns her own cateringbusiness, also wanted to reconfigure the layout of her kitchen for better flow. Nazemian’s team opened up the space between the kitchen and family room, created a door to the dining room, and transformed the peninsula into an island. They also introduced much larger appliances, relocated them and added better lighting. “When you work with colors, you need proper lighting,” Nazemian says. “Semi-warm halogen lights showed the blue best.”

A primary palette of cheerful blues and reds provides inspiration for an unusual contemporary kitchen

by admin on Friday, May 21st, 2010 | No Comments

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When it comes to kitchen décor, “there are two categories of people,” explains Sonny Nazemian of Michael Nash Custom Kitchens & Homes, Inc. “Those who love stain and those who love color.” In this case, clients Jane and Alan Luba of Centreville, Virginia, fell emphatically into the latter category. The homeowners, who have a modern sensibility, approached him to design a sleek, minimalist kitchen with strong colors and finishes.

They began with the cabinetry. “We went through four colors before Jane saw the one she wanted,” Nazemian says. “She was after this particular shade of blue.” The cabinets are wood—their final finish: cobalt blue, high-gloss lacquer and acrylic. The design team added a row of stainless-steel and frosted-glass cabinets at ceiling level to create a visual connection with the kitchen’s stainless-steel appliances and backsplash.Jane Luba, who owns her own cateringbusiness, also wanted to reconfigure the layout of her kitchen for better flow. Nazemian’s team opened up the space between the kitchen and family room, created a door to the dining room, and transformed the peninsula into an island. They also introduced much larger appliances, relocated them and added better lighting. “When you work with colors, you need proper lighting,” Nazemian says. “Semi-warm halogen lights showed the blue best.”

Born and bred in Alabama, Gina Jones is drawn to the stately demeanor of many traditional Southern homes. When she and her husband, Dennis Porter, purchased their Oakton, Virginia, house, however, it was sorely lacking in stateliness. "The house had great bones but not much personality," Jones recalls. One of a row of model homes belonging to an adjacent development, it was positioned sideways on its one-acre lot, without a formal front entrance. After living in the house for some years, Jones, an Internet publisher, and Porter, an Air Force officer, were ready to renovate.
They tapped Sonny Nazemian of Michael Nash Custom Kitchens & Homes, Inc., for the job, which originally entailed pushing out the back of the house to get extra space. "I drew up plans," Nazemian says, "but none of it satisfied what Gina really wanted. When we sug­gested adding onto the front instead, it all fell into place."

Jones had long been frustrated by her home's uninspired front facade. "I wanted a Southern, antebellum look like what I grew up with," she says. She requested a two-level porch, and once Nazemian and his team re-oriented the entry to the front and painted the HardiePlank siding a vivid, inviting blue, the gracious, Southern-style home Jones had always wanted began to emerge.
Inside, the two-story addition includes a spacious foyer that has been embellished with wide crown molding and pillars to commu­nicate traditional elegance. The foyer opens seamlessly into an open-plan living room/dining room that is more contemporary in style, and injects a welcome formality to the rest of the house.
Adjacent to the foyer, Nazemian added a guest suite with a private entrance and a Brazilian slate-tiled bath that boasts granite countertops and cherry cabinetry. This convenient guest suite is intended to accommodate long-term visits from Jones's aging parents.

Old for new – replacing windows

Spring is the time we think again about the outdoors and many people start to think about bringing it inside the house with windows. Their remodeling ideas include replacing old ones with new.

Windows are about two things: beauty and function.

The variety of windows available to us today just seems to grow. Here are a few of the standard kinds available:

• Fixed – a basic window, one that does not open.
• Double hung – a traditional window found in older homes where only the lower half opens.
• Casement – these windows swing open and closed usually with a crank.
• Awning – these windows are like casement windows but swing up and down.
• Sliding – another traditional window, these slide to either side on tracks.

Windows provide us with a wide variety of options, even the standard, traditional style can be anything but standard depending on the options you choose.

When planning your remodel, consider doing something a little more. For example, you might choose:

• Bay windows
• Bow windows
• Accent windows
• Garden windows

These can also allow for a window seat because of their style.

You may even want to consider replacing a window with something like French swing doors that opened onto your backyard – that would really open up a room.

The window types are many and the variety of decorative styles is wide. And replacing windows is not simply about make your home more beautiful. The right windows can make your home more energy efficient and environmentally sound.

Quick design tips for your new kitchen

For most people, the center of the home is the kitchen. This is where people congregate and this is the room around which all the other spaces in your home will revolve. And it is where many of us spend most of our time when we’re at home.

This is why a well-designed kitchen, one crafted around you and how you live, is so important. It has to incorporate beauty but also function. How easy the kitchen is to use will be just as important as how good it looks. So here are some tips to help you achieve both.

Plan

To get the kitchen you both want and need, and to keep costs under control, a plan is essential. Working with a consultant like those at Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes will be a key to doing this. With your ideas and their experience, their skills and tools, you can get a plan in place with very specific details so that once work begins, it can go smoothly and be completed so it matches your dream.

Space

An efficient kitchen will depend on space. Will you be able to open the refrigerator door fully? The oven door? The dishwasher? Appliances need enough space around them so their doors can open and to allow comfortable space for you to move. In other words, be sure there is enough space for easy movement and easy use of appliances.

Layout

When choosing countertops, sinks and other elements, make sure you have cleaning up in mind. Some material and color choices will make for easier cleanup than others. You’ll also find it makes clean up easier if you make sure the dishwasher is placed close to the sink.

Light

There are many choices available for lighting and yours will depend on the kind of kitchen you envision. Whatever you choose, remember that dimmer switches allow you to adjust lighting for the time of day and for what you are doing in the kitchen. Also be sure your electrician comes in before you put appliances and cabinets in place.

Floors

You may already know what kind of flooring you want for your kitchen. Still, it’s worthwhile to look at your options and consider the pros and cons of the different materials available. Some will be easier to clean than others. Some will look great but lack the durability you may need. Be realistic about how your kitchen will be used. Will it have a lot of traffic or just a little? Will your kitchen be used a great deal or just every so often? Your choice should reflect how the floor will be used while also matching your design style.

Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes

Fairfax, Virginia 22031

(703)641-9800

Remodeling tip: Stay organized and focused with folders

By: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes

Remodeling projects can be big and they can be small but regardless of the size there is one general tip to keep in mind when engaging on your project. It should help you keep on track, organized and help ensure the vision you started out with is what your finished project achieves.

It comes down to one word: folders.

1) Name your project and create a folder for it – yes, a folder for paperwork. You can create a equivalent “folder” on your computer, but some items (like receipts) require a physical, old school folder.

2) Within that folder, create sub folders for the different aspects of your project. Using a remodeled room as an example, the sub folders would be such things as electrical, plumbing and paint. For each aspect of the project, try to create a few notes outlining what is being done and why so that, in later months and years, you can go back and refresh your mind about why something was done a certain way.

3) For something like paint, jot down why you chose a certain color. More importantly, write down the color you choose and keep a chip/sample of the color for future reference. (You may want to touch something up in the future and will want something to refer to.)

4) Keep receipts in their appropriate folders so they are easy to find.

While keeping a folder with sub folders helps you stay organized it is also beneficial in keeping you on course and focused on what you are doing. And believe it or not, a year or so later when you embark on another project you can forget why you chose to do something one way and not another.

The information we keep in a folder helps us to remember and stay consistent with our vision.

Serving Northern Virginia

Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes

8630-C Lee Highway
Fairfax, VA 22031
Tel:(703) 641-9800
Fax:(703) 641-5938

Award Winning Addition

Ashburn home goes from "How?" to "WOW!" in just three months' time

BY SUSAN KELLER
Homes Editor

When an Ashburn family learned of the joyous news, a newly engaged son, planning for the happy couple began which would include a celebration in this soon-to-be-renovated
home. As the homeowners planned for enough space to entertain guests, they began their home improvement wish list. On the living level, the list included a larger breakfast area, a sun room, a more functional and expanded kitchen, creating more of an open floor plan in this typical colonial home layout. With plenty of exterior backyard space to expand
the lower level, the family included changes to an older deck with Jacuzzi that did not fit their lifestyle. Updating the master bathroom also qualified for this round of renovations.
Facing a shortened time frame and the significant task of renovating for an engagement celebration, the homeowners met with and hired designer Sonny Nazemian of award
winning Michael Nash, Design, Build and Homes. A full service company, working from initial concept through architectural design, construction, interior design to finishing, Michael Nash is a single source for finest design workmanship and prides themselves on every aspect of
each project completed in-house, with no use of outside contractors. With a vision for the addition and renovations, the project quickly became reality.

outdoors in
Sonny says the main agenda of the team was to direct all interior attention toward the beautiful scenic backyard. Expanding the back of the house from the existing kitchen, the 14 by 22 foot addition replaced the old deck to accommodate the larger kitchen, breakfast area and sun
room. Built on a concrete foundation, the exterior of the addition was covered with siding to match the existing home.
Designing a more usable outdoor space for the family, the team created a new 26 by 36 foot angular stone patio leading from a side French door from the addition. The space includes a short wall surrounding the patio made from matching stone, decorative lights on the perimeter, as
well as a water feature in the round-Preparing for an engagement party, this local family took three months to build an addition to create an open floor plan with tremendous natural light.
ed corner to be enjoyed outdoors and indoors, viewable from the new sunroom and family room.
Extending the existing kitchen wall by three feet, the design team was able to include large windows at the back of the house as well as the French door leading to the patio. Designing a vaulted ceiling in the sun room brightens the once dark space, the expansion also allotting
for new side windows bringing in western sunlight for increased natural light.

Change and Arrange
Building a window bench under and added cabinetry around the side windows in the sun room gives the family more storage space which the original kitchen seemed to be lacking.
With the extension, re-arrangement of all kitchen components was made possible creating better traffic flow, more storage, accessibility and better accommodation of appliances.
By eliminating the corner pantry, the center island was enlarged and is no longer a cause for gridlock. The client chose warm cherry cabinetry with exotic stone counter tops, a limestone backsplash, upscale appliances and detailed molding throughout the kitchen and addition. Pendant, under cabinet, and recess lighting warms up the space, while matching new hardwood floors with existing floors make the open floor plan seamless.

Luxury Retreat
Last item on the renovation list included changes to the master bathroom. Living with a modest, functional bathroom, the homeowners wished to complete the master suite with a luxurious retreat. Elongating the bathroom space allowed several necessary changes the homeowners were interested in creating. A corner bathtub was removed to make room for a straight soaking tub as well as a larger glass shower stall. The other side of the bathroom includes a half wall for toilet privacy as well as extended dual vanities with custom cabinetry above and below.
Updates throughout the space give this bath a spa-like feel.

Award Winning
Is it any wonder this renovated space and addition went on to win the Contractor of the Year (CotY) award for 2010?

This award is given by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry's (NARI) headquarters to members who have demonstrated outstanding work through remodeling projects. NARI's core purpose is to advance and promote the remodeling industry's professionalism, product and vital public purpose. Each year NARI contractor members are invited to compete
for this prestigious award. This home was categorized as a residential addition under $100,000 which includes but is not limited to additions, adda-levels, or attic build-outs, which increases livable . space of the existing home. The project cannot have changed the exterior footprint or elevations of the existing residential structure in more than one location. Michael Nash has won and continues to win awards throughout the industry. With this award winning
design and construction, the client's satisfaction was achieved for the special celebration while the space continues to be fully utilized and enjoyed daily.

For more information about Michael Nash Design, Build and Homes, please
visit www.michael-nash.com or call
(703) 641-9800. To learn more about

Retirees remodel home to make room for the grandkids | The Examiner | Real Estate News | Washington Examiner

Retirees remodel home to make room for the grandkids | The Examiner | Real Estate News | Washington Examiner

Award-winning two-level addition redefines a home's facade

FAIRFAX COUNTY TIMES MAY 7, 2009

Greater than the sum of its parts

Award-winning two-level addition redefines a home's facade

By John Byro bytdmaix comcastnei

Changes were imminent when Mike Martin bought his two-story contemporary on five acres' in Great Falls nearly 20 years ago. The house had many features that won his heart and an enviable loca­tion. But some of the bed­rooms in the 5,400-square-foot home were too small; so, too, were the closets and mas­ter bath. And, above all, the house itself lacked the much-desired "curb appeal."

After a few years of occupancy, Martin decided to uild a two-level addition. The homeowner followed proffered advice to a T, but not long after the addition was completed, Martin's old misgivings recurred. The 600-square-foot wing hadn't improved the situation.

"Essentially, the contrac­tor created ah addition in a contemporary wood-clad style, which he attached to the original nondescript brick box," Martin said. "The prob­lem was the front door faced west, and the street view is from the south. Ascending the drive, you were looking at a side elevation that simply had no cohesive style."

Moreover, Martin still hadn't gotten the family-use program he wanted, which now included a dramatic entrance and foyer, an upgraded kitchen, a home office, a larger master bath, an upstairs laundry, a largeguest suite, a two-car garage and substantial interior upgrades.

Reflecting on long-fore­stalled plans to shift the home's front elevation, Martin acknowledges that his unsatisfactory experience made him wary. As his ideas for a second addition devel­oped, in fact, he solicited feedback from both an archi­tect and a builder, yet took no action.

"1 had stockpiled a lot of ideas, but I was intent on finding professionals ... who would allow me to be in the middle of things," he said.

It was at this juncture that he learned about Michael Nash Kitchens and Homes.

"They proposed a concep­tual oudine that nailed down the cost range, yet allowed me to make transparent line-item decisions as the project moved forward," he said.

Finding their footing

Martin's list of new and enlarged rooms called for a 2,000-square-foot addition, which he wanted to site on the existing structure's south side as a component in the home's new facade.

Complications showed up early. While previous studies had'suggested that the addi­tion would require a three- to four-foot foundation, as the project matured, Fairfax County determined that the proposed depth was inade­quate. In fact, the excavation eventually reached 15 feet below grade — a significant increase in required opera­tion costs.

"None of us expected the soils compaction problem," Martin said.

Further studies revealed the need to firm up the grade on the structure's south side to accommodate a new drive­way. A well had to be relocat­ed from the front of the house to the rear. Structural sup­ports and changes to utility lines were required.

The art of the facade

Beyond site planning, the proposed addition's foremost consideration was architec­tural: how to present the home's new multilevel block within a balanced and well-articulated new facade. 

Out of the gate, Shawn Nazemian, designer at Michael Nash, proposed changing the old addition's cladding from wood to brick. Martin had envisioned a front entrance tower as the facade's defining component; Naze­mian suggested introducing blue quarry stone that had been used in the earlier addi­tion to vary the color scheme. Stone, thus, became the defining feature of both the tower and an architecturally sympathetic stairway further down the slope.

Nazemian also designed the new facade's roof slopes, recommending that the symmetry would be improved by bringing the tower forward. This led to a decision to incorporate two porches with pillars on either side of the tower as a unifying element.

Independent architects who have assessed the recent Contractor of the Year award finalist extol the new facade since it scales down the mass of the new front elevation, preventing it from seeming too monolithic.

"The idea is to give a view­er interesting, architecturally varied components,'

Nazemian said. 'The eye lingers because there are compelling constituent parts' within a balanced whole."

Since the redesigned facade necessarily impacted the interior design, assign­ing alternate purposes to old walls inspired a whole series of innovative solutions.

The former west-facing brick wall, for instance, was incorporated into a spacious foyer that unfolds as a pro­cession as one enters the new front door under the central tower. Referencing the brick's textures, the foyer flooring consists of multi-hued flagstone panels. The large Palladian window in the tower at the entrance invites natural light and draws the eye upwards. At the opposite end of the cor­ridor, a museum-sized piece of Indonesian driftwood draws attention forward.

Recessed lights and peri­odic objects d'arte complete the appealing gallery-like ambiance. To the left, through a pair of doors, one enters Martin's home office and library; on the right, the old front door and double-hung windows have been converted into generous archways accessing, respec­tively, the living room and a hallway that leads back to the dining room and new kitchen. A west-facing two-car garage (behind the office) is accessible through a door that parallels the archway. The addition's second floor accommodates a guest suite, the laundry and a substantially enlarged master bathroom suite.

"Overall, the addition is a seamless complement to the old house, with a very func­tional first-level floorplan," Martin said.

Reconfigured and upgraded

If the addition accommo­dates activities that previ­ously had no dedicated rooms, it's the clever recon­figuration of existing space that lifts the house into the realm of luxury living. Co-opting a portion of the new addition, the Michael Nash plan allocates 270 square feet for a master bathroom suite immediately adjacent to the existing owner's quarters while converting the former bathroom to walk-in closets.

Fundamentally, the mas­ter bathroom is a luxury spa in every sense. A whirlpool bath on a raised ceramic dais is neatly tucked under a front window. A large glass shower complete with L-shaped Tuscan marble seats provides a perfect chamber for relaxing after a steamy bath. Marbleized porcelain floor tiling in diagonal pat­terns emphasizes the room's spaciousness while confer­ring unity.

"The interior design real­ly went very quickly," Martin said. The new gourmet kitchen is finished in an elegant Craftsman-style interior. Dark cherry cabinet facings in conjunction with Brazilian Verde Marinace marble surfaces lend tonal and textural contrast. Diagonally arranged mosaic backsplashes, interspersed with copper tiles embossed with a floral motif, add visual rhythm.

A dual-purpose island provides a cook's sink, dish­washer and food prepara­tion area while a slightly lower lunch counter spares diners a too-close view of the clean-up.

In all, a pleasant place to call home.

Home & Design "Front & Center"-Michael Nash Design, Build and Homes

Home & Design March/April 2011

Born and bred in Alabama, Gina Jones is drawn to the stately demeanor of many traditional Southern homes. When she and her husband, Dennis Porter, purchased their Oakton, Virginia, house, however, it was sorely lacking in stateliness. "The house had great bones but not much personality," Jones recalls. One of a row of model homes belonging to an adjacent development, it was positioned sideways on its one-acre lot, without a formal front entrance. After living in the house for some years, Jones, an Internet publisher, and Porter, an Air Force officer, were ready to renovate.
They tapped Sonny Nazemian of Michael Nash Custom Kitchens & Homes, Inc., for the job, which originally entailed pushing out the back of the house to get extra space. "I drew up plans," Nazemian says, "but none of it satisfied what Gina really wanted. When we sug­gested adding onto the front instead, it all fell into place."

Jones had long been frustrated by her home's uninspired front facade. "I wanted a Southern, antebellum look like what I grew up with," she says. She requested a two-level porch, and once Nazemian and his team re-oriented the entry to the front and painted the HardiePlank siding a vivid, inviting blue, the gracious, Southern-style home Jones had always wanted began to emerge.
Inside, the two-story addition includes a spacious foyer that has been embellished with wide crown molding and pillars to commu­nicate traditional elegance. The foyer opens seamlessly into an open-plan living room/dining room that is more contemporary in style, and injects a welcome formality to the rest of the house.
Adjacent to the foyer, Nazemian added a guest suite with a private entrance and a Brazilian slate-tiled bath that boasts granite countertops and cherry cabinetry. This convenient guest suite is intended to accommodate long-term visits from Jones's aging parents.

The transformation of the front facade took the house from non-descript (center and above) to inviting yet grand (top). From the newly constructed foyer (opposite), the open-plan living and dining rooms beckon.






RENOVATION DESIGN/BUILD: SONNY NAZEMIAN, CID, CR, CKBR, Michael Nash Design Build & Homes, Inc. Fairfax, Virginia.

The brightly hued foyer (right) instills the home with a sense of formality and elegance; It opens into the adjacent guest suite. The spacious master bedroom (top) includes access to the second-floor porch and a gas fireplace that Nazemian built Into the comer (opposite, bottom). The adjoining master bath (opposite, top) includes a soaking tub (opposite, center) with a structured porcelain tile surround.


Upstairs, a new master bedroom suite more than doubled the size of the old one, and includes a roomy walk-in closet that borrowed space from the bedroom next door (which belongs to Jones's college-age daughter). The master suite opens out onto the upstairs porch, where an expansive view of the wooded property stretches ahead. In a corner of the room. Nazemian installed a gas fireplace, elevating it so that the cou­ple would be able to see it from their bed. Elaborate cornices and swags, fabricated by Nazemian's staff of interior designers, adorn the windows.

The master bath includes a double vanity and soaking tub, a walk-in shower with one hand-held and two attached showerheads, and heated floors and towel racks. Nazemian chose structured porcelain, which has a textured, rugged look, for the floors and shower and tub surrounds, along with cherry cabinets and granite countertops. Warm, cream-colored walls give the space a restful, inviting air.

Nazemian updated the home's interiors throughout by replac­ing standard oak floors on the ground floor and wall-to-wall car­peting on the stairway and second floor with richly stained Brazil­ian cherry wood. He removed a half-wall that had separated the living room area from what was formerly the entryway to impart a sense of openness, and clad wood pillars in wainscoting to formal­ize the living room space.

According to Nazemian, the main goal of the project was to cre­ate an addition that would seamlessly blend the new and existing sections of the house. "Nobody should feel that this was added," he says, pointing to the exterior expanse that now constitutes the front of the house.

In fact, this was easier said than done. "Changing the elevation and adding the porch were the most challenging aspects," Nazemian recalls. "Grading was extremely difficult because of the sloped front yard and trees. The foundation had to be deeper than we originally thought."

The results of his firm's labors have been well worth it: The proj­ect just received a 2010 Contractor of the Year Award. Meanwhile, Jones and her husband are thrilled with their transformed space. "It gave me exactly what I wanted," Jones says. "It has been enjoyed and lived in.

Photographer June Stanich is based in Fairfax, Virginia.

Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes. Fairfax Virgina: Keeping cool in all seasons is goal for homeowner ...

Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes. Fairfax Virgina: Keeping cool in all seasons is goal for homeowner ...: "FAIRFAX COUNTY TIMES HOMES Wednesday, January 6, 2010 By John Byrd Most people don't worry too much about keeping their homes cool in the w..."

Company Profile-Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes

SINGLE SOURCE RESPONSIBILITY


From wall to wall, floor to ceiling, Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes can handle all your remodeling needs. Specialists in design, construction and interior decorating, they can handle your job from start to finish. Michael Nash offers:
•  Total kitchen remodeling
•  Total bathroom remodeling
•  Additions & extensions
•  Whole house renovations •Two-story additions
•  Complete Basement Remodeling
•  Wine Cellars
•  Home Theaters
•  Full Design & Architectural Services
•  Custom countertops •Windows and doors
•  Flooring & window treatments
•  Design/Build

"We realize the design process is critical to a successful outcome," says Sonny Nazemian, CEO. "Our staff of experienced designers will work with you to design your new kitchen, bath or addition to fit your vision. We can help solve your space and function problems with ideas based on years of experience," he says, "We'll help you sort through all of the options to make your remodel work.''
Michael Nash also handles all phases of construction. Because they employ the entire project team, they can better control quality. schedules and costs.
"The majority of our work is done by Michael Nash employees," Nazemian explains. "We have our own carpenters, licensed electricians, and plumbers, su we can take responsibility for the entire remodeling project," he says. "This way we can keep our promises to our customers."
Another service that sets Michael Nash apart from its competition is its interior design department. It is available to help you put the finishing touches on your remodel. Attention to details, colors and materials help you decorate your space so it fits your needs and lifestyle.
"More than 90 percent of the homeowners we work with come back to do finishing touches and use our interior design department," Nazemian says. Michael Nash offers flooring, wall coverings, window treatments, lighting, faucets and other fixtures, counter-tops. cabinets, tubs, showers and more. And it's all under one roof. The homeowner doesn't have to go to several places and drag samples around to get what they need.
From design to construction to interior decorating, one source does it all. Contact Michael Nash Custom Kitchens and Homes for more information. Come in and browse our showroom or call 703-641-9800 for an appointment. Evening appointments are available.

Keeping cool in all seasons is goal for homeowner adding wine cellar-Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes

FAIRFAX COUNTY TIMES HOMES
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
By John Byrd

Most people don't worry too much about keeping their homes cool in the winter.
However, for an oenophile such as Craig MacAllister, "a slight chill" is one of the primary requirements for housing his prized wine varietals.

Specifically, a wine cellar like the one MacAllister recently installed beneath his Fairfax home is not so much about storage as maintaining an environment where temperatures are consistently between 58-62 degrees. The goal is to always have a truly sublime vintage in stock, appropriately aged, the perfect match for a wine dinner you have been dreaming about for years.
"Temperature control is essential to keeping wines drinkable over the years," MacAllister said. "If wines are not kept properly, they can go bad. So one of pie satisfactions to collecting is procuring fine wines before they mature. When wines are cellared properly they age into a perfect expression of their best characteristics. This is when a wine becomes an exceptional complement to specific foods."
Although MacAllister and his >vjfe, Diane, did not really b]ecome committed oenophiles tultil their children had grown up arid moved on, the couple's passion developed quickly once they started visiting wineries in southern California, Germany, as well as Virginia.

Cellar is tops
As their collection grew, MacAllister researched several refrigerated cabinet options before deciding that there is just no substitute for a real wine cellar. Moreover, he envisioned a room spacious enough for the occasional soiree with perhaps 10-15 guests dining on shrimp and cheese, sampling a chardon-nay, comparing tasting notes.
As the dream's details coalesced, however, the more practical question was whether the couple's two-level, center-hall colonial could even accommodate it.
The home has a spacious lower level — partly finished — that features an exercise area, a billiards parlor and a handsomely appointed bar. It certainly made sense to have the wine cellar in the midst of all the action.
However, the problem MacAllister foresaw was that the unfinished part of the lower level was scarcely accessible. The water heater, furnace and sump pump — not to mention a tangle of ducts — loudly claimed the targeted 170 square feet of unfinished basement as a virtual utility room. The walls in this portion of the lower level were exposed cinder block. Between the ductwork and the utility equipment, it was hard to find space for a few loose crates, much less 1,400 bottles.
It was at this point that MacAllister learned about Michael Nash Kitchens and Homes of Fairfax, a full-service design/build remodeler who operates a division exclusively devoted to custom wine cellars.
"I had seen one of their cellars in a home nearby," MacAllister said, "but I was also impressed by this firm's reputation ... and I knew my situation called for real space planning skills."
Tasty table
Shawn Nazemian, one of the Michael Nash's top designers, was MacAllister's chosen project manager.
"The most pressing feasibility issue was assessing how best to reconfigure the major infrastructure systems," Nazemian said. "Since over half of the lower level was already built out, we needed a detailed schematic that would show us how to reposition most of the energy appliances — even working around units that had nowhere else to go. We also needed a practical way to route coolant drain-off — which is essential to a well-maintained cellar."
Once alternative utility locations were identified, Nazemian's next step was waterproofing and insulating the basement's perimeter.
"A thermally efficient membrane is essential to a wine cellar's performance," Nazemian said. "It's important that the compressor, which was designed to keep temperatures and humidity consistent, won't be overtasked."
To keep temperatures regulated, the cellar is equipped with its own thermostat. Humidity must remain in the 50 to 70 percent range with temperatures between 58-62 degrees.
Even the cellar's custom-designed, frosted-glass door is sealed to keep in the cool air.
To accommodate drainage, Nazemian specified a "split cooling" system that ties in with the existing HVAC.
The existing electrical system, however, was adequate to meet all the new power needs.
Shelling-in the 13-by-12-foot area designated for the cellar required some unusually precise fabrications.
Nazemian custom-fitted storage racks around a midceiling bulkhead he created to reroute ducting and — as final nod to the ambiance — faux-painted sections of the new ceiling to resemble wine barrels.
On a similar note, the remodeler created access to fixed utility units through a lacquered mahogany door seamlessly integrated into the tasting room's interior elevations.
The cellar's focal point is a granite "tasting table" with a barrel-carved edge set off by a lacquered backbar festooned with a carved grape-and-vine motif.
The MacAllisters selected this decorative element, the floor tiling, the LED lighting and many other interior details in the Michael Nash showroom in Fairfax.
Thanks to the expert craftsmanship underlying a space plan more intricate than it seems, the Michael Nash Kitchens and Homes created this 13-by-12-foot wine storage facility for homeowner Craig MacAllister, including a dedicated thermostat to keep the room temperature between 58-62 degrees F, space for 1,400 bottles on lacquered mahogany racks, and room for 10 to 15 guests.
resulting facility is inviting; a ment to adjoining activity zones. cozy spot for gathering with friends, and a perfect comple-