x

    Renovation Articles

    Subscribe to receive home renovation articles!

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Home Accessibility Modifications That Help You Age in Place

    This was to be a forever home, but now age is catching up. The things that weren’t even thought about when the home was purchased years ago – walking up and down the stairs, ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    What is Multigenerational Home Design And Its Benefits for Families?

    If you are considering having your parents live with you as they age, or have adult children and their family join you in your home, you are not alone. What was the norm in ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    The Benefits of Aging In Place - How Remodeling Makes Life Enjoyable

    In an ideal world, we all want to remain in our homes and live independently for as long as possible. This has come to be known as “aging in place.” A study from Boston Consulting ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Why First Floor Space for a Bedroom Suite is a Smart Way to Age in Place

    It’s morning. It's time to jump (or very slowly and gently roll) out of bed, open the bedroom door, take a few steps into the kitchen, and get that coffee going. Simple! No stairs ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    5 Aging in Place Remodeling Ideas for a Comfortable and Stylish Home

    Aging in place is the ideal for most people. To do so often requires modifications to your home if not significant remodeling. But is it practical in your situation? Are you ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Home Additions Then and Now: How to Add New and Reconfigure Old Space

    A home addition, how hard can it be? Three walls and a roof and, boom, you have more space. Of course, there is much more to it than that, not least of which is the blending ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    The Home Addition Shortcut: Convert a Porch, Attic, Basement or Garage

    There are so many reasons to build an addition: Your family is growing, and you work from home at least a few days a week. Gone are the days when you took the Metro to Adams ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Home Additions and Architectural Style: Blending New and Old

    One of the biggest challenges in designing and building a home addition is the stylistic connection between old and new. The design approach can either match architectural styles ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    How to maximize space in your home if an addition isn’t possible

    When space is getting tight in your home -- whether it’s in Arlington, Cleveland Park, Rockville, or anywhere in between – an addition is one of the first solutions that comes to ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    The Benefits of Converting a Porch into a Stunning Home Office

    We frequently get this question from homeowners: How can we repurpose existing space in our home to create an office without having to build an addition? It seemed on the surface ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Can Zoning and Lot Size Affect My Home Addition Plans?

    You get up in the morning and head to a bathroom you share with too many other family members – no surprise, someone has beat you to it. The familiar wait begins. You’ve been ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    WHAT'S THE COST OF A HOME ADDITION IN WASHINGTON, DC

    Sometimes a prospective client will ask, "What's the cost per square foot for building a home addition?" When most people ask this question, they simply want to get some idea in ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Washington DC Home Additions: Is Bigger Better?

    Will more square footage make my addition more valuable? Let me take you back to a time when we all felt the need for more room. In the late 20th Century, families who had grown ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Kitchen Design Styles to Know Before You Remodel

    Although many of the homes in the Metro DC region were built 50, 75 years, or even longer ago and they have gone through several generations of ownership, the exterior most likely ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    A National Award Winning Porch Design in Potomac Maryland

    This porch design by Gilday Renovations received two awards from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. The project won the Southeast Region which includes nine ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Kitchen Color Ideas for Your Home Renovation

    Selecting details that bring your kitchen design theme to life As you scroll through pictures on Instagram, Pinterest, and Houzz to imagine your kitchen renovation, did you ever ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    The Art of Kitchen Lighting Design

    Remember your first apartment, with the fluorescent ring light — or if you were lucky a few straight fluorescent lights in the middle of the kitchen — that never quite stopped ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    How Kitchen Layout Makes or Breaks the Kitchen Design

    Modern kitchen layout has developed alongside modern kitchen design — which today emphasizes an open plan concept. While many older homes in the metro DC area were built in the ...

    5 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Kitchen Renovation Take Two: Refining a Previously Remodeled Kitchen

    Like many young couples who work and live downtown, Amy Feagles and Geoff Dietz looked to the inner ring suburbs when it was time to start a family. They purchased a house in ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Kitchen Color Ideas for Your Home Renovation

    As you scroll through pictures on Instagram, Pinterest, and Houzz to imagine your kitchen renovation, did you ever wonder why you’re drawn to certain images? Chances are that the ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Right-Sized Expansion on a Tiny Corner Lot

    Downsizing to a smaller home doesn’t have to be complicated, but it’s never as simple as you imagine. And while it took some doing to get to the final goal, Marie Duellman and ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    How Good Craftsmanship Saves You Time & Money in Your Home Remodeling Project!

    Home Remodeling Surprises - What’s Behind the Walls? Living in an older home can be great. The architectural details you just can’t get in a newer home, the sense of history, the ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    A Design & Renovation Experience That Covers All the Angles

    Every time Lisa Kristiansen and Steve Robinson looked out their french doors to nowhere, they knew they had work to do. Those doors were supposed to lead to a deck - or something ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    The Benefits of Collaboration in Design-Build Remodeling

    When a Cleveland Park family needed a kitchen redesign, they chose a company that offered a design-build remodeling approach. With an architect, interior designer, and lead ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    How to Choose the Right Design-Build Firm for Your Home Renovation

    Maybe you’ve heard that design-build is a good way to go for home remodeling, that it is smoother and more cost-effective. That’s true. Or maybe you are just starting to ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Small Home Additions Can Have a Big Impact on your Life

    When young men returned from military service after WW2, homes couldn’t be built fast enough around Washington, DC and around the country. More and more families were looking for ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Three Kitchen Remodel Strategies You’ll Want to Know

    Suppose your home was built during the post-WWII era. In that case, you might be living in a layout that was better suited to a time when one rotary phone was state-of-the-art ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Safely Remodeling Your Kitchen During a Pandemic

    You've been spending a LOT more time in your kitchen since the early spring of this year. It's been great having time as a family preparing and eating meals, so that's been a real ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    The Unique Role of the Craftsman in Design-Build Renovation

    You are thinking about a home renovation, maybe updating the kitchen and dramatically improving the flow and sightlines throughout your downstairs. You’ve been watching HGTV well ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Home Renovation: You Don’t Have to do Everything all at Once

    You’ve found a great property in the perfect location—maybe you are living there right now—but it definitely needs some work. The challenge now is to imagine the possibilities. ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    The Benefits & Challenges of Attic Renovation

    When it comes to adding livable space to your home, the most logical places to turn are the basement and the attic. In the two previous posts, we looked at the return on the ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Basement Renovations Challenges to Consider

    When adding new livable space in a home, the first place many people turn to is the basement. A basement can be a great choice because it does not involve adding additional ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Basement Renovation: Finishing Existing Space for Maximum Resale Value

    When is it a good idea to follow through with those renovation projects you’ve been thinking about? Let’s take a look at why it might be a good idea to finish off some of those ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Should I Renovate My Kitchen and Bath For Resale? Part 2

    Kitchens and baths are prime spaces when it comes to renovation projects. Sometimes the need is obvious. You purchase a home with an outdated kitchen that will never meet your ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Should I Renovate My Kitchen and Bath for Resale? Part 1

    When you look at your kitchen, there’s nothing exactly wrong with it. It’s functional and has served your family well. Nothing’s broken, so why fix it? Well, if you are ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    How Will a Home Addition Affect Resale?

    It’s time for an addition to your home, but there are a lot of factors to weigh. Two big considerations: how long will you be there to enjoy this home addition, and how will it ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Finding the Right Firm for Your Luxury Condo Renovation

    How will you find the right firm to handle your condo renovation?

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Right Size & Right Aesthetic: Bringing Your Master Bath into the 21st Century

    If you grew up in a 1940s-era colonial, you might remember Mom and Dad’s tiny but efficient bathroom. It likely had a single pedestal sink, a toilet, and a small but usable tiled ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Purchasing a Luxury Condo in an Older Building with Plans to Renovate

    You’ve had your eye on a condominium community in an iconic DC neighborhood--maybe West End, Woodley Park, or Georgetown. You’ve done some research on that perfect building. The ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Buying a New Construction Condo in Washington DC: What to Look For

    The lure of new construction is easy to understand. Everything new, bright, and shiny. That’s why there are so many new condo developments cropping up right now all over DC. A new ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    DC Condo Living Offers a Carefree Alternative to the Traditional Dream Home

    The condo market in metro DC is as vibrant as the city itself. Several trends I am seeing are these: first, empty nesters are no longer staying in their "forever homes” after the ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    The Condo and the Empty Nester

    Choosing a condominium in Washington might look easy. It seems that there is a lot to choose from after all. But getting the right fit at the right price point, with the amenities ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Looking for a Condo in DC? Start Your Search with a Wish List

    The condo market in the metro DC region is multi-faceted, to say the least. Here is another in our series on experts in residential real estate, and especially the condominium ...

    5 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Finding the Right Condo Fit

    Condo living is an increasingly popular option for homebuyers here in the DC metro area. Having lived and worked here for 40 plus years, I’ve found that the way to assist people ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Choices That Affect the Cost of a Master Bathroom Renovation

    The time is right for that master bathroom remodel you’ve been thinking about. You’ve even gone out and gotten some quotes. But it’s not really clear what you will be getting for ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Four Factors to Consider in Luxury Master Bathroom Designs

    Your master bath is functional, but just barely. It is showing definite signs of wear that are getting harder to ignore; mildew stains that no amount of scrubbing will eliminate, ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Tips for a Smooth and Efficient Luxury Condo Renovation Experience

    A home renovation in a condominium (or co-op) property is not like renovating a single family home. And there is more to it than simply the difference between interior only and ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Differences Between Luxury Condo Renovation and Home Renovation

    You’ve been in your condo for a few years now. Or maybe you just moved in. Yet some of the compromises you made - the not quite perfect kitchen, maybe an owner’s bedroom layout ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Benefits and Risks of Converting a Spare Bedroom into a Walk-in Closet

    It’s an empty nest! The house is finally all yours again. Your youngest child got the hint when they found you measuring the dimensions of what had, up to this point, clearly been ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Simple Dos and Don’ts When Designing an Open Floor Plan

    There is an undeniable sense of place, a charm, and specificity that you often feel in a well-maintained older home. On the other hand, older homes often were built for different ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Smart Ways to Maximize Your First Floor Layout

    Is your first-floor layout everything you want it to be? Maybe that long, narrow entryway is really starting to bother you. And you love having a first-floor laundry room, but ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Should I Remodel My New House Before Moving In, or Wait?

    The decision has been made. You are selling your home and purchasing a new one here in the metropolitan Washington DC area. The whole family is excited about the new chapter that ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    The Evolution of the Floor Plan in American Home Design

    If you live in the Cleveland Park DC neighborhood and are considering a major home renovation project, you may have the opportunity to transform the way it feels to move through ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    What's the Cost of a Home Addition In Washington DC

    Cost Per Square Foot: Home Addition vs New Home Sometimes a prospective client will ask "what's the cost per square foot for building a home addition." Our standard answer is: ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Home Renovations and Project Managers - An Essential Relationship

    Thinking about renovating your kitchen, converting an attic for a home office, or in need of a home addition for a master suite or family room? If so, we have some advice about ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    How to Gain a Mudroom and Powder Room When You Build a Kitchen Addition

    It is not uncommon for owners of older homes in places like Arlington and NW Washington to crave more space especially with a kitchen addition. Utilitarian brick houses were built ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    How to Prepare Meals for Your Family while Renovating Your Kitchen

    A remodeling project is the perfect way to create your ideal kitchen, tailored to your family’s specific requirements. But a full kitchen renovation can take 10 to 12 weeks to ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Consider a Home’s Age when Planning to Remodel in the Washington DC Area

    If you live in Washington, DC, or its close-in suburbs in Maryland and Virginia, your house is probably old. And if you’re looking to buy? You’ll be looking at old houses. ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    What’s the Right Size for a Home Addition? Not Too Big and Not Too Small

    A Bigger Home Addition Is Almost Never Better Ideally, the size of a home addition is driven by its planned use within limits of the property size. Families with young children ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Why Investing in Home Additions is Better Than Buying New

    The Cost of Home Additions vs Buying New Homes Sometimes a prospective client will ask, “What’s the cost per square foot for home additions?” We can give you a reasonable idea of ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    How to Get More Room in the House as Your Family Grows

    Updated by: Kevin Gilday Home Addition Plans: Exploring the Most Practical Options You’ve got problems with your home. The kitchen isn’t big enough. Your clothes and shoes won’t ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    How Long Should a Kitchen Remodel Take?

    Why Kitchen Remodeling Takes Time The home remodeling programs on HGTV are fun to watch. Magic happens in minutes. Presto! Old and outdated becomes new and modern. This is the ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    How Expert Kitchen Renovation Cures the Many Headaches of Your Outdated Kitchen

    If your Kensington Maryland home was built during the post WWII era, there’s a good chance that its fundamental layout is still the way it was when televisions only had 3 channels ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    3 Tricks Kitchen Designers Use to Make a Small Kitchen Feel Larger

    If building an addition is not an option because of budget constraints or space limitations, don’t give up on the idea of remodeling your kitchen. Kitchen designers know how to ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Should a Designer or Architect be in Charge of my Kitchen Renovation?

    A kitchen designer should always be in charge of your kitchen renovation - even if it is part of a larger architect-designed project. The kitchen designer brings valuable insights ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    If Kitchen Remodeling Only Makes Your Kitchen Beautiful—You’re in Trouble

    Beautiful + Practical: The Art of Kitchen Remodeling Inundated by decades of dazzlingprogramming on HGTV and The Food Channel, America’s passion for kitchen perfection shows no ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Three Approaches to Kitchen Remodeling

    You’ve suspected it for a while, but now you’re sure of it: Your kitchen isn’t working. Whether it’s too small, laid out improperly, or just plain outdated, a poorly-functioning ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    What's the Perfect Color for Your Kitchen Renovation

    As you flip through pictures on Pinterest, Houzz, and Instagram to imagine your kitchen renovation, did you ever wonder why you’re drawn to certain images? Chances are that the ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Smart Home Technology in the Kitchen

    Smart Homes, the Internet of Things, Home Automation—all of these terms are the new vernacular for the place you call home. Smart home technology is no longer a futuristic vision. ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Remodeling Your Bathroom: Banish the Bland

    You know what we are all very good at? Making do. We put up with all sorts of minor annoyances every single day. Unwanted sights, sounds and smells interrupt our flow--and yet we ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Kitchen & Bathroom Design Trends

    Returning from the KBIS (Kitchen & Bath Industry Show), our kitchen and bath designers were “vertically” flowing with excitement! Two main themes emerged from their 3-day trip ...

    4 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    The Home Renovation Return on Investment: What to Expect

    Susan Liss wasn’t thinking about future resale when she hired Gilday Renovations to design and build a two-story addition to her home in Chevy Chase after husband passed away. She ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Renovating Older Homes, What You Should Know

    According to the most recent housing profile by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census in 2013, the median age of homes in this region is 34 years. ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    The Mind of a Designer, Part I

    What is it about interior designers that enable them to work wonders on the environments where we live? How can they choose colors and pair patterns that we amateurs would never ...

    5 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    The Mind of a Designer, Part II

    In this second installment of our quest to find out what makes an interior designer tick, we’ve approached the top winners for residential interior design in this year’s awards ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Remodel Your Bathroom to Banish the Bland

    You know what we are all very good at? Making do. We put up with all sorts of minor annoyances every single day. Unwanted sights, sounds, and smells interrupt our flow, and yet we ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Luxury Porch Additions

    Porches provide transition space from indoors to outdoors. Protected from sun, rain and insects but open to fresh air, a porch is an outdoor room where you can escape your ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Why was this Kitchen Addition Remodeling Necessary?

    According to one of the homeowners, the old kitchen was ugly! A previous home remodeling at this Chevy Chase residence had made room for a breakfast area and powder room. But that ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Considering Porches -or- How the Greeks Invented Outdoor Living

    Are you looking to add curb appeal to your home? You probably love the idea of expanding your living space or providing more room for entertaining, and stretching out on a fully ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Two Approaches To Bathroom Remodeling

    Sometimes it is a luxury you bestow upon yourself. Sometimes it is an imperative. Always, it results in something special just for you: remodeling your bathroom. When is it time ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Home Addition Plans: What Are Your Options?

    Exploring the Most Practical Options for Home Additions The Tudor style of this two story home addition in Chevy Chase mimics the architectural style of the main house. The ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Kitchen Remodeling: How Long Should It Take?

    The home remodeling programs on HGTV are fun to watch. Magic happens in minutes. Presto! Old and outdated becomes new and modern.

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    How Porch Renovations Add Curb Appeal

    Considering Porch Design -or- How the Greeks Invented Outdoor Living Are you looking to add curb appeal to your home? You'll probably like the idea of expanding your living space ...

    5 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Design Build: A Proven Way To Avoid Home Renovation Insanity

    Home renovations can drive you insane. There’s no denying it. It’s often a painfully chaotic process.

    5 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Home Renovation: What Are You Afraid Of?

    Face Your Fear of Home Remodeling You Live in Bethesda, Maryland and you’ve just begun to think about remodeling your home. Then the dark thoughts come. People dread the thought ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    This Old House Aint Worth It

    Love It Or Level It? Sometimes the answer is obvious. Other times, you struggle. You love a house. You say it deserves to stand, though it looks one gust away from falling down. ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Home Remodeling vs Tear Down

    Fix It Up or Tear It Down? This ambitious Chevy Chase, Maryland home remodeling project provides a great answer to the fundamental question many homeowners face. The renovation of ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Design Build From A Designer's Point of View

    When talking about the design build approach to Washington DC home remodeling, we usually focus on benefits to the homeowner. Interior designer Leslie Roosevelt sees a benefit to ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Finding the Best Design Build Firm

    A home addition involves major structural changes to the home. How do you find the right design build firm to plan your home addition? The photo (left) shows progress on a ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Kitchen Remodeling Alternatives To Granite

    The End of Granite Countertops in Kitchen Remodeling Are we sick of the slab yet? Starting about eight years ago there were remodeling industry predictions of an end to the great ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Home Additions & Remodeling in Washington DC

    Home Additions Are Still Good A Investment In Washington DC, home remodeling has evolved into a sophisticated and highly professionalized art--particularly for home additions. ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    How To Hire the Right Home Remodeling Contractor

    Choose the Right Contractor for Your Home Remodeling Project--Or Else Sometimes we get calls from customers who haven't identified the correct type of home remodeling company to ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Interior Renovation: A Cure For the "Dysfunctional" Kitchen Layout

    Make Your Kitchen Feel Bigger & Function Better: Interior Renovation & Reconfiguration This happens a lot in metropolitan Washington, DC. We encounter older homes with ...

    3 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Why You Need A Kitchen Designer

    A kitchen designer is familiar with the latest features available in cabinetry, appliances and other products for the kitchen. Who better to answer the question "why you need a ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    What a Kitchen Designer Does For You

    Do you or don't you need tow work with a kitchen designer for your kitchen remodeling project? It is possible that you may regret it if you don't use a designer. The kitchen ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Three Painful Kitchen Remodeling Blunders

    Avoid the Pain: Work With a Kitchen Designer Kitchen remodeling? Please, don't do it yourself! If you hire a smart, seasoned kitchen designer you won't have to worry about ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Interior Renovation & Reconfigure

    Interior Renovation: When Better Space (Not More) Is the Solution The first thing you need to know about interior renovation is that it is usually more cost-effective than ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Why Hire A Design Build Firm

    A successful design build approach requires impeccable planning and project management. If you live in Rockville Maryland or another first ring suburb of Washington DC, your time ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    What does a Kitchen Designer Do?

    This week we had a coffee-talk with our favorite kitchen & bath designers. We grilled them about the value of their services for a homeowner planning to remodel a kitchen.

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Planning A Home Addition In Chevy Chase

    If you live in Chevy Chase and you are planning to build an addition to your home, you will also have to plan a "home" for all the rainwater that the new addition is going to ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Home Remodeling: It's Exciting Then It Isn't Then It Is

    Home remodeling, can be a bit of an emotional roller coaster even when all goes according to plan. We get that. The design process is exciting and gets the creative juices ...

    Kevin Gilday

    Kitchen Task Areas & the Work Triangle

    Kitchen Work Centers We have talked about the kitchen work triangle and how it effectively makes or breaks a kitchen design. If the geometry is off, the kitchen -no matter how ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    De-Mystifying Interior Design

    The Washington DC area is home to a big, busy interior design community. It makes sense that residential design and renovation are big business here because the DC market itself ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Kitchen Color Under Glass

    Applying a painted glass overlay is now an established alternative to tile backsplash as an accent in the modern kitchen color palette. We are seeing more of this type of finish ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Integrated Design Build Works

    Our integrated design build approach to home remodeling works because the design group, the build group and the project management group are all full-time Gilday employees. They ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    The Kitchen Layout Alphabet

    The modern kitchen layout has developed along side modern kitchen design---which emphasizes an open plan concept. Instead of the kitchen being a small, isolated room in the back ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Kitchen Layouts: The Modern Galley Kitchen

    Modern Kitchen Design Floor Plans Modern kitchen design layouts are referenced by the shape they make when viewed on a floor plan. The most popular kitchen design configurations ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Condo Bathroom Remodeling: Tricks to Make the Most of Small Space

    Small Bathroom - Smart Remodel The integrated design build approach to bathroom remodeling promotes lively collaboration. That results in a win/win experience for all involved. ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    When Four L's Make a U

    Design Build = Collaboration Continuing from the previous post ("Why Integrated Design Build Works") we explore further how an integrated design build approach to kitchen ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Why Integrated Design Build Works

    Here is a perfect example of the high quality of collaboration that occurs daily in a truly integrated design build remodeling firm. Kitchen designer Ellen Gilday Witts and ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    The Architect In Design Build Part Two

    A Classy Cleveland Park Victorian In the previous post (The Architect In Design Build Part One) we took a peek at design build architect Dan Morales' process as he prepared to ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    The Architect In Design Build Part One

    Just as an actor studies all aspects of a character in preparation for the role, an architect studies the architectural character of a home he is about to renovate. This is one of ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Our Tiny Condo Kitchen Remodeling Project

    Kitchen Remodeling Means Thinking Inside the Box In condo kitchen remodeling, size does not matter. The design process is the same. The kitchen designer has to make an assessment ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Home Additions Indoors and Out

    The Great Outdoors -or- The Great After-Thought Gilday Renovations completed a two-story home addition to a Washington DC residence several years ago. We squeezed the budget in ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Solid Surface or Natural Stone

    Choosing Countertops for the Modern Kitchen There are now many more types of kitchen countertop materials to choose from. And yet, most of our clients still choose natural stone. ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Stand By You

    We do that. When you are the client in a Gilday Renovations design build remodeling project, we stand by you. Why its that? Because our work and our client relationships are based ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Coloring Your Kitchen

    The Finishing Touch Choosing your paint colors--that truly puts the finishing touch on a home remodeling project. Do not under estimate the importance of this choice.

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Curb Appeal

    Something Is Missing Curb appeal. You know it when you see it because you feel it. But, what is it exactly?

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Choosing Kitchen Colors

    Balancing Act The color palette for modern kitchens is drawn from dominant and recessive tones. Kitchen & bath designer Leslie Roosevelt says she tries to balance the overall ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    What Design Build Is

    Design Is the Heartbeat For Gilday Renovations, residential design build (in the Washington DC metro area) is about seamless integration of all resources, people and processes ...

    Kevin Gilday

    Under Cabinet Kitchen Lighting With LED

    Modern Kitchen Lighting The previous blog post (Lighting Our Kitchens) talked about the overall benefits of LED over other available types of lighting for our kitchen and bath ...

    Kevin Gilday

    Lighting Our Kitchens: The LED Is In the Lead

    Halogen Is Dead That's the word from Ronna Cohen at Annapolis Lighting. In a conversation about trends in kitchen lighting, Ronna said that as of this year they are selling ...

    Kevin Gilday

    Mercury Rising: The Way of Kitchen Lights

    One More Year That's all we've got. By government mandate, we may not use incandescent light bulbs (100w or 75w) past 2013. The incandescent is out (thanks but no thanks Mr. ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Kitchen Lighting Design

    You might expect that the electrician would be in charge of lighting the kitchen. In fact, lighting design is an integral part of the kitchen plan and the designer's ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Transitional Kitchen Design: A Collision of Design Styles?

    The "transitional" style kitchen by any other name would be what? A mash up traditional and contemporary? A haphazard collision of styles? Could be. But in the hands of a clever ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Kitchen Design Trend Alert: Gray! It's the New.... Something

    NKBA's Top Kitchen Design Trends The National Kitchen & Bath Association just published its top ten kitchen and bath design trends based on data culled from the membership. ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Home Remodeling Brings Order to Chaos

    Not As Bad As It Looks Only homeowners who have lived through an extensive home remodeling project know what it feels like to see the place where they live completely torn up. One ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Live With It? Never In Design Build

    Bathroom Remodeling: Can You Live With That? We often find ourselves correcting mistakes left behind by other remodeling companies--especially in a bathroom remodeling project. ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Integrated Design Build and Bath Remodeling

    Integrated Design Build We at Gilday Renovations have coined a term that describes our approach to design build remodeling. We call it integrated design build. That's because the ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Condo Renovation in Glover Park DC

    Smaller and Bigger When working in an older condominium home during a condo renovation we encounter many of the same problems we find when remodeling an older single family ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    A Transitional Style Kitchen Remodel Takes Some Unexpected Turns

    Our client, Michelle, spent a number of years living in the Netherlands before coming home to Chevy Chase Maryland with her family. It is not surprising that she developed a taste ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    When An Addition Doesn't Add Up

    A previous owner of this Chevy Chase Maryland home had put on a very, very small breakfast room addition. It was the right idea but didn't go far enough. This stingy little ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Putting the Design in Designer Kitchens

    What Makes A Designer Kitchen? The designer does. A smart kitchen designer makes a thorough assessment of the limitations and possibilities of a space. She puts that factual ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    A New Addition to the House

    Humble Beginnings New additions all look pretty much the same to me at the beginning--as do new people. It takes time and good genes (or in this case, a sound design build ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Sweating the Small Stuff: That's Design Build

    A Design Build Approach to Kitchen Remodeling The Gilday Renovations design build approach to kitchen design and remodeling is all about details. Details, details, details run the ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Luxury Kitchen Decor: Finishing Touch

    Yesterday we pitched the notion of a kitchen design "style triangle" formed by cabinets, countertops and backsplash selections. These three elements of kitchen decor set the ...

    Kevin Gilday

    The Other Kitchen Triangle

    Work Triangle You've heard of the work triangle. This basic concept of functionality is decades old in the art of modern kitchen design. The term describes the movement pattern ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    A Sixties Rancher Transformed By Design Build

    McLean Whole House Renovation Our custom design build practice thrives in the Washington DC metropolitan area because there are so many generations of older homes here. As these ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    A Bathroom Remodel With Something Old, New and Borrowed

    We recently remodeled a half bath (a.k.a. powder room) in Chevy Chase Maryland that included something old, something new and something borrowed. It is not uncommon when ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    A Bathroom Remodel Just for Fun

    The half bath -or "powder room" as we like to call it here in Washington DC- is probably the smallest room in the house, not much larger than a good-sized coat closet. Just like ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Why Design Build?

    What's the Big Deal About Design Build Communication. That's what. In a complex renovation project, particularly when room additions are involved, stuff happens. When stuff ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Kitchen Cabinets--They Don't Make Them Like They Used To

    They absolutely do not make kitchen cabinets like they used to. And that's a good thing. High quality kitchen cabinets can be designed in any style you like. And with clever new ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Bath Remodeling: Melissa's Tiny Powder Room

    It is standard advice that you should go through stacks of home design magazines, rip out your favorite photos and save them in a binder until you are ready to begin that long ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Bather, Bath Tub Fall Through Bathroom Floor

    "Bath Tub Drops Through Ceiling--Lands On Kitchen Counter" This is not the headline you want neighbors to be reading about you while you are laid up in a body cast. In fact, this ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Making A Little Master Bath A Little Bigger

    We encounter this frequently in certain Northwest Washington DC neighborhoods: the mini master bathroom. It's just big enough to do what you need to do -one at a time- and no ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Interior Renovations Define and Refine

    This Washington DC home remodeling project is a great example of how carefully selected design elements can transform an interior. The program here is to renovate the interior of ...

    Kevin Gilday

    Home Remodeling: Design & Craftsmanship

    When we talk about the fine points of home additions we tend to make it all about the designers. In fact, a design plan is just the beginning. An enormous amount of thought and ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Rustic Kitchens: Tuscan Style

    To celebrate her heritage, one of our clients asked us to develop a rustic kitchen design aesthetic that expressed Tuscan style. Tuscan style favors a brawny, earthy look--the ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    A Sweet Master Suite Addition

    Home Addition Adds New Space and Revives the Old This drawing shows the before and after second floor plans for a typical brick colonial in Bethesda, Maryland that received a two ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Aieeee! The Room Addition That Got Away

    It was around the 5th century, I believe, when the Greeks (who invented Greek Tragedy) introduced the expression: "Aieeeeeee!" The exclamation is wailed out by the the proud ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Your Home: Love It Or Leave It

    Should you move or should you stay? Should you invest in a home renovation or move to new house? This question comes up frequently when we discuss major renovations and additions ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Kitchen Design Styles: Forty Years Later

    This kitchen project in progress is a perfect example of how kitchen design styles change over time. As designers and remodelers learn more and as clever materials, techniques and ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    How Much Should You Spend On A Kitchen?

    How Much Is Too Much That's easy. It's the same as the answer to the question (women will get this) how much make up is too much'. Bobbi Brown's answer when asked by Oprah was, ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    It's Only A Porch: Why Does It Cost So Much?

    First of all it isn't "only" a porch. In custom renovation there is no "only" anything. It is all about details--studiously conceived and finely crafted details. All those ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Interior Renovation: The Un-Addition

    Interior Renovation = Better Space Planning Sometimes people think they don't have enough room in their house. They need a larger kitchen. They want a real master bath--and a lot ...

    Kevin Gilday

    The Great Granite Counter Top Takeover--Is it Over?

    Granite Counter Tops Granite didn't used to be all the rage. It used to be dress code for banks and public buildings that represented a strength and immortality we could ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Renovate or Relocate? The Cost of Home Renovation

    "We Don't Want To Price Ourselves Out of the Neighborhood" We hear this a lot from prospective clients. They are trying to weigh the cost/value of investing in a home renovation ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Learning to Build a Kitchen by Taking It Apart

    Give a Young Guy a Hammer Give him a pry bar, set him loose in an empty house--and you better believe some stuff is going to get wrecked up.

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Zombie Kitchen (a Bad Dream Kitchen)

    The Zombie Kitchen Surely it was someone's "dream kitchen" once upon a time in Bethesda, Maryland--but no more. This kitchen has been dead for a long time. It’s just that nobody ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Home Additions That Go Against the Grain

    Prospective clients will often say “we want an addition that doesn’t look like an addition.” People want home additions to respect the architectural character of their house. We ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Little Additions

    Home additions come in all sizes--some you might not even think of as additions because they are so modest in scale. Here is a design solution that draws on the big benefits ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    New Home Additions Blur the Line Between Indoors and Out

    In an earlier post (The New Family Room Addition Is a Porch) we talked about how the luxury porch is gaining popularity in the category of home additions. The example here is a ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    We Don't Want A Big Addition Taking Up Our Yard!

    So? Get small. Here's an example of how home additions (this one in Bethesda Maryland) can solve a space problems beautifully without taking up a lot of backyard space.

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    A Little Addition Makes a Big Difference

    Additions Come In All Sizes When we speak of residential additions in Washington DC, we most often ooh and ah over the wonderfully spacious family rooms and light filled kitchens. ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    The New Family Room Addition Is... a Porch

    A new generation of porches is bringing indoor aesthetics and comfort to the great outdoors. The screen porch has been steadily gaining the sort of popularity that the family room ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Why Remodel a Perfectly Good Kitchen?

    What's Wrong with This Kitchen? Nothing really.... This Cleveland Park, DC kitchen had been remodeled about 10 or 15 years earlier. It's fine. Stone countertops, adequate storage, ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Integrated Design: Building Your Addition Successfully

    If your home renovation dream calls for an addition or significant alterations to existing interiors, you need to hire a specialty firm, one that is capable of the planning and ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Kitchen Design: Making Room For An Island

    Here is a great example of how Gilday Renovations can reconfigure interior space to address functional needs in a kitchen design without getting into the cost of a room addition. ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Kitchen Design: Kitchen Reconfigured

    At Gilday Renovations, we frequently encounter homes built in the days before kitchens were capable of being so beautiful to look at. And, until recent advances in kitchen design ...

    2 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Design Build for Home Additions Is... Is... What Is It?

    In the field of home remodeling, design build is a specialty. It is both a business model and a specific methodology. As a method, design build offers an ideal way to navigate the ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    The Kitchen Addition: When Bad Things Happen To Good Houses

    Some times bad things happen to good houses--in the best of neighborhoods! This otherwise gracious Chevy Chase Maryland residence suffered what we call a "band-aid" remodeling job ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Change: Sometimes It's Easy

    In 2009 Gilday Renovations made the switch and became a 100% wind powered remodeling company. Perhaps you have seen banners flying at Maryland retail businesses -particularly ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Kitchen Design: One Room Is Better Than Two

    One + One = One Better This Arlington Virginia kitchen remodeling project began with a tiny galley kitchen and a tiny breakfast room. Neither of them worked satisfactorily for the ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Bathroom Design -- It's So Much More Than Meets the Eye

    Bathroom designs usually don't involve a great deal of square footage. Baths tend to be the smallest rooms in the house--even the master bathroom sometimes. So there is little ...

    1 minute read

    Kevin Gilday

    Top Remodelers

    Not only do they produce great works, Gilday Renovations carpenters look great doing it! In the photo: Taking a break from making magic in Washington DC: David Wilson, Jon ...