gaineskellydesignhouse

This rowhouse located in the Shaw neighborhood is protected under DC's historic code. The facade could not be altered in any way. A 100% complete gut job was performed with only the facade left intact. The results were 2 all new condominium residences. A one bedroom, den, 2-bath unit. And a two bedroom, two bath, two-level top floor unit. Unit #1 was listed for $399,000 & unit #2 for $695,000.

   This is a 5600 square foot medical office. It was purchased as a commercial condo with only a concrete floor and roughed-in basic utilities. The owner did not want to build a box with a bunch of little boxes inside. Neither did we...so we agreed on sweeping curves that reflect nature and natural body motion. Building costs in excess of $400,000.

Status: Completed

The complete re-fit of this 26-foot cabin cruiser. To be called "Goldfinger". (Named after a now classic James Bond movie).

A new 2-tone custom paint scheme.

New carpet inside and out.

Re-upholstery in the cockpit.

New electronics-GPS/Radar

Wood vaneers and mosaic tiles on the wall surfaces

32" Flat screen LED TV and surround sound Bose audio.

Replacing the existing 260hp engine with a new 320 hp Mercruiser engine. Top speed will increase 23% (from 35 to 43 mph).

Custom designed hardtop made from Starboared marine lumber. With glass inserts

New marine-grade refrigerator with ice maker. New microwave & convection oven. Gas bbq grille. 

LED lighting throughout.

Replace small oval window in afterbirth with a custom window measuring 12x36 inches. Providing sweeping views at the waterline.

Status: Pending

This home is located in downtown Washington DC, near the Capitol. The owner has expressed his desire for a new deck and extension of the rear of the house. The master bedroom will re-locate from the front of home to the rear. It will contain a 2-story space with loft and roof access. A new kitchen and bathroom will be added to the first level.

This 4-level home consists of two legal units. To be sold as one home with a basement 1-bedroom apartment. The lot is a challenging 12 feet in width. This proposal offers the maximum coverage allowable. Working in such a tight space requires immense creativity for a solution worthy of note. The key to making it work is spaces that are full-width. As well as ceilings higher than the standard 8 feet. The living room area has a 2-story ceiling at the back of the house. Thus making occupants feel less closed in.

This project is pending.

This beautiful rowhouse will be converted into two condo units. Unit #1 will be a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom with 2 terraces and parking. Unit #2 will be a 2-level, 2-bedroom, den, and 2.5 baths with 4 outdoor spaces.

Status: Pending

   A project on the burgeoning H Street NE, in Washington DC. Working with Alfred Liu of AEPA ( the architect of record    -  http://www.aepa.com/). We were hired to process the project through the ever challenging Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs (DCRA). This included combining 2 lots into one.

     Other issues were the redesigning of about 40% of the building to meet the satisfaction of the local ANC board so that the height of the first floor coincides with the neighboring structures.  As well as preparing the utility drawings for approval by WASA (DC Water & Sewer)

   The finished product is a first-floor retail space (for a restaurant), a lower-level retail space to be rented with the first floor. The  2nd & 3rd floors are full-floor apartments. Parking in the rear is for 4-6 cars.

    This old row house, located off of Florida Ave. NW, had a rear box bay that was in bad shape. The front and rear of the house are clad in brick, but the bay was covered in siding and had seen many seasons of wear and tear. The owner decided to tear it down completely and build anew. 

Status: Completed

Info Coming Soon.

My personal condominium residence located off of the hot U Street corridor in historic Shaw. Almost 1500 square feet over the top 2 levels of a classic victorian. 3 bedroom, 2 bathrooms and and 2 outdoor roof spaces that can support a deck. After living here for 8 years, it was renovated and sold for $550,000

Located in the Brookland neighborhood near Catholic Univ., this home was renovated with an all new kitchen and bathrooms, wood floors, lighting fixtures, hvac system, windows & doors. It was placed on the market for $670,000. The value of the work was approx. $150,000.  

Status: Completed

   Originally a single family home, this large end-unit was re-imagined as a 5-unit space: With four flats in the main house and a 2-story carriage house with roof deck situated at the end of the lot. During the initial effort, the owner passed away thus putting the project into unforseen delays. Eventaully we moved forward to completion. Each condo unit contains 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Once it hit the market, It sold-out quickly . Pricing ranged from $315-$389k for the flats. The carriage house was $499k.

Status: Completed

   The widely popular Rumba Cafe is known for its authentic Latin-American cuisine, rotating art shows, heart pumping live music, and some of the best mojitos to ever hit DC. The owner, who is also the chef, has decided to expand the space to include the 2nd floor. This will become a lounge area with a special menu and its own bar. To the rear of this space the building itself is stepped back from the alley, thus providing an outdoor area that will become a deck. This allows patrons to enjoy a cool summer breeze while enjoying cocktails. 

Expected opening is the spring of 2013.

The residence of one of our clients. He wanted to build a deck before his new wife moved in. In addition, a new sliding door was installed in place of a window. This now allows access to the outdoors from the main living area where previously there was no access. The deck is massive: measuring 15'-0" in width and more than 30'-0" in length.

Status: Completed

Located in the Little Italy neighborhood of Baltimore City, this large vacant building serves a platform for massive creativity. With an addition of 2 levels, the space was re-imagined as a live-work building. 12,000+- square foot (w/ addition of 2 floors). 1st floor studio/office. 4 -level residence above, with green roof garden. 5 Bed, 9 baths, gym, movie theater, elevator taps all 6 floors, central courtyard with pool.

Status: Pending

Located in the Washington Village (Pig Town) area of Baltimore City, this narrow home (12' in width) was a complete new structure. The original plan called for a raised 'bridge' that cut across the kitchen with storage space underneath. The ownership changed hands before it was taken back by the bank for non-performance (default). Much to our dismay, the bank hired a contractor who made changes with consulting us and completed the unit to allow it to be sold. 80% of the design remains.

Status: Completed

    After the building of the first house, we re-visited the concept and made some changes. Including adding a vestibule, and giving the bridge over the kitchen a more interesting shape. As before...the stair system was divided into 2 locations: To the basement was towards the front half of the house; the stairs up, located towards the rear.  

 In the future we plan to try and build it again.

Info Coming Soon

Originally a retail space, the new owner decided to make the transition to a restaurant and bar. Located on a busy street laden with other eating establishments, its projected to fair rather well considering all the daily & nightly foot traffic.

Status: Pending 

Info Coming Soon

Located near the ocean in North Beach Miami, the house's new owners are planning an extensive renovation to include adding a second level, a swimming pool, and a detached garage.

Status: Pending

Info Coming Soon

   A business owner living in a quiet neighborhood in S.E. Washington wanted to build a garage to store his prized 2013 Nissan GTR, a $100k supercar that is comparable to Ferrari's and Lamborghini's.  He suggested building something simple. Of course a plain-jane garage will never support such a beautiful car. The solution: A 3-car space with enough height to place a lift. This will give the owner room to work underneath his cars as if it were in a traditional shop. In addition, part of the roof was designed to provide a space for a lounging deck. Multiple skylights enhance the space throughout.

Status: Pending

   Originally built in the 1940's, this house had been added to more than a few times. With no clear overall direction nor the proper building applications, its something very common during that time: To build without regulations. We devised a plan of 3 bedrooms, and 2.5 bathrooms. The entire house was stripped down to the bare bones and re-built as new.

Status: Completed

   This gem of a rowhouse is located at 1420 Swann Street NW. The entire block is filled of houses with individual charm and many tall mature trees. A young couple with a baby purchased the home and began a complete renovation before moving in. It contains a legal rental unit in the lower-level, and a 2-story living space above for the owners. The general contractor was David R. Wolff Construction of Kensington, Md. (one of our favorite clients)  

Status: Completed

   A unique opportunity to take a flat lot in beautiful Miami Beach and create something simple, light and airy. With multiple buildings & LED street lamps, you get the feel of a small village. Filled with amenities like an artist's studio, gym, guest house, swimming pool, and quaint gardens filled with cabana's. One may find no reason to leave once. 8-foot tall glass doors and large windows increase the transparency overall to meld all the structures into a single compound.

Status: Pending

   Previously a small house, it was knocked down to make way for a 3-unit condo building located on 11th Street NW, above the revamped U Street. There are a pair of 2 bedroom, 2 bath flats. The top comprised of a 2-level unit with 2 bedroom and 2 baths. Pricing ranged from $410k-$680k. It sold out quickly.

Status: Completed

Pricing ranged from $410k-$650k.

Status: Completed

This home is a simple and inexpensive build. Located in Miami, its a study of plus & minus spaces within a box.

Status: Pending

Located on Constitution Ave in SE Washington, this rowhouse recieved an extensive renovation from top to bottom. Built by David R. Wolff Construction of Kensington, MD.

Status: Completed

   Our main construction company that we are associated with is Douglas Contracting, Inc. This is the home of the owner's aunt. She requested a simple addition that would allow her to create an all-new and expanded kitchen, a small den, and to re-locate the washer/dryer to the first floor for convenience. As well as a larger parking pad.

Status: Completed

    This existing house is about 30 years and the original owners decided it was time to make some changes. The husband has become an avid chef and he desired a kitchen worthy of his ability. On the lower-level, a space was created for a gym and storage. A new hvac system was put into place to compensate for the increase in space.

Status: Completed

   Just above the potomac river in Georgetown, Cecil Place is a quaint one-way street with some of the smallest houses in the city. This plan calls for the combining of 2 adjacent houses owned by one person. Each is only 12 feet in width and 26 feet in depth. The result is a more palatable house with 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, a library, and a full-sized roof terrace. On the terrace there is space for dining, lounging, and a small shallow pool. The rear yard leaves space for a small garden & or parking for one car.  

Status: Not built

    Located in Baltimore City's neighborhood of Washington Village, this narrow and deep rowhouse has gone through a couple of transformations. What began about 5 years ago as an ambitious design project has given way to something less exciting. A product of the shift in the real estate market and a change in ownership. Finally in the fall of 2012, it looks like the ball is rolling again. Some key design features are sorely missing, mainly the angled ceiling in the master bedroom at the rear of the house. This was designed to provide a lofty, open-air feel. Something that typically is lacking in these narrow houses. Usually the light filters in through the front & rear only. A small cut-out was planned for the second floor that would have provided natural light and a means to access the roof deck. "Oh well..."

    A single-family home that was designed for a small sub-division. The Charles Marion model (named after my Dad) contains: a multi-level master suite, 4 additional bedroom suites, and slight elements of contemporary design with its sweeping curved aluminum & glass wall in the 2nd floor.

Status: Pending

    This re-design of 1410 Monticello Road, in NE Washington was a proposal for the owner. It was a complete 100% new interior renovation.

A brand new house on a lot in Baltimore City. Info coming soon.

A large end-unit rowhouse in Baltimore City gets converted to 3 apartment units. More info coming soon...

Information Coming Soon

PLEASE REFER TO THE INDEX AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION

A dilapidated rowhouse will be completely renovated into two (2) condominium units.