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CONTACT D.G. Liu Contractor, Inc. 25400 Old Hundred Rd Dickerson, MD 20842 866-99DGLIU 301.831.8865 fax © Copyright 2010 D.G. Liu Contractor, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
The Smith's home wasn't always picture perfect. Like many big, older houses, it featured huge living and dining rooms and a too-small kitchen. With four children, the Smiths needed more space, and to make the most of the space they had. They began by expanding the kitchen and den, building a patio out back and remodeling a rec room downstairs. Over the years, all five bathrooms were renovated, the front entrance was enlarged and, after the children were in college, a fifth bedroom became a huge master bath and closet. Most recently, the kitchen was enlarged again. But the best work of all, says Carol, was the sun porch expansion. "It was half that size before,” she says, "And now we love it. We're out there every evening before dinner relaxing. It's our favorite spot.”
Having undergone three major renovations, Tate and Melissa Armstrong's house has seen its share of change and growth. It's also seen its share of contractors—three different ones for all three jobs.
How did the first two contractors miss out on all that repeat business? The Armstrongs simply weren't pleased with their first crew, which had a penchant for poor quality materials and craftsmanship. The second contractor produced better results, but, as Tate explains, "the staffing and manning of the job led to concerns about the more extensive things we knew we wanted to do later on.”
Enter DG Liu. Since we were working in their neighborhood, the Armstrongs asked their neighbors about us. We were "recommended without hesitation,” says Tate. First, we replaced the Armstrong's masonite siding, which was showing signs of mold and deterioration. We then began repairs made necessary by the previous contractor's materials and workmanship, and placed stone on the front of the home, which Tate feels "really changed the character of the house.” Last, we expanded and combined the kitchen and living areas, and replaced flooring, windows, and door units.
Finally, Tate says, the job was done right. "DG Liu's attention to detail was impeccable—from planning and discussion, to the way they staffed the job. When they said they'd start, they started. When they said they'd be working, they worked. They definitely exceeded our expectations.”
How many times have you found yourself chopping onions on a cramped cutting board tightly wedged between the toaster oven, the food processor, and that bread machine you bought and almost never use? Oh, and with the kids’ stuff and the mail piled at the other end of the counter. Most standard kitchens are too small for the way we live today. These clients decided it was time to live large. Our design gave them ample lengths of granite counter space, a central island with cooktop, and double-door stainless refrigerator and microwave recessed among generous, richly crafted cabinetry. The lighting tops it off—a rich blend of fluorescent, recessed, and hanging incandescent lamps that make the kitchen just the bright, warm room the family loves to share on chilly autumn mornings. Let our designers show you how we can make your kitchen more functional, comfortable, and beautiful at the same time.
These clients hated their home’s shadowy living room and “Plain Jane” façade. The portico stole sunlight from the parlor windows, while the exterior lacked any hint of grace. Using a full pallet of design techniques, our remodeling team transformed this large but unremarkable house into a grand residence. A classical entrance with pilasters and sidelights, five enlarged second-story windows with classical molding topped by keystones, generous shutters, new siding, a high-sloping roof, and grand crowning gables for both the house and garage gave our clients a new home with elegance and authority. Let our designers show you how we can make your home new without the hassle of moving.
Breakfast at Tiffany's? That’s just about how these clients feel each morning as they sip coffee in their brightly sunlit new breakfast room. Tired of “this old house”? Often an addition can transform your home so completely that it seems brand new. Here we took unused backyard space and created a simple addition that adds both spaciousness and glamour. The key is in the lighting. The room is brightened and warmed by five large fixed-pane and casement windows, recessed ceiling lamps, and a domed skylight to top it off. And as our clients enjoy their morning coffee, they know they’ve added thousands to the value of their home. Let our designers show you how the right addition can make your home feel new.
"Curb appeal.” It's a term real estate professional use to describe the first impression your house makes when you drive up and park in front of it. Experts say it's probably the biggest factor that influences prospective buyers when you decide to sell your home. In other words, it's a key to your home's value.
Can you improve your curb appeal? Yes, and dramatically, as these “before” and “after” photos show. In this case, owners of a home in Falls Church decided to go for curb appeal, and D.G. Liu Contractor gave it to them—in spades. Simple, colonial front and rear porches transformed an unremarkable exterior into a picture of true elegance.
The falling down garage on the side of Emily Miller’s Washington, DC home was useless. As a writer working on her first novel, she longed to turn it into a quiet studio where she could work.
Since DG Liu had done a major renovation on her mother’s home, Emily chose us as well. “My mom’s house looks really good,” she said. “She told me DG Liu was prompt and did a great job on everything. And they were very responsive. Whenever I needed anything, they were there. I would recommend them to anyone.”
Emily had initially envisioned building on to the old garage, but our designers concluded it would be better to tear it down and start clean. What emerged was a gorgeous room built for year-round use, featuring high ceilings and large windows, and accented by huge built-in bookshelves.
“Now I have this nice, open space with skylights, a bathroom, and lots of light,” Emily said. “Everybody who walks in the studio is amazed at how beautiful it is. We’re even planning to use it as a guest house.” She paused, then said with a laugh, “Only I don’t want them to get too comfortable.”
The front door was in a bad spot. If you didn’t pay attention when opening it from inside, you could mash your fingers against the railing leading to the upper level of the home. For one of our clients, this small problem, along with the inconvenience of a too-small master bedroom and lack of a mudroom, provided reason enough to renovate.
Dale Kramer, salesman/estimator for DG Liu, says two of these remedies were pretty straightforward. He and his crew bumped out the existing entrance a couple of feet, which easily fixed the door problem, then installed a portico and columns with stone work outside to give the house better curb appeal. Another existing entrance, which Dale says originally featured a simple “metal overhang on the outside where people could step out of the weather and maybe leave their shoes” was also done away with. “It wasn’t the first thing you wanted people to see,” he explains.
While plans for the mudroom and master bedroom were being drawn up, other ideas surfaced. The family wanted a screened porch and sunroom, and since the home had no garage, it came to light that one would fit nicely into the new scheme. “After talking to the homeowners, we realized they really wanted a garage,” Dale says. “So this then became a major part of the project.”
The new two-car garage now leads to the mudroom, then the sunroom, screened porch and deck. The master bedroom and bath sit above, and new storage spaces are tucked neatly below it all, giving the house a fresh, engaging look, with a lot more usable space inside.
Collin and Susan Urgo, Barry and Carole Rubin, and Lucille and Andy Patrichuk, homeowners in the Quail Run development of Darnestown, MD, were all in need of more space, better designs, and a fresher look for their homes. We’d like to thank all three families for not only choosing us for their renovations, but also allowing us to display them at a recent open house to showcase our work.
While each project had its challenges, none was more perfectly suited for a redesign than the Patrichuk’s all-too-cozy kitchen. “It was much too small,” said
Lucille. “We wanted a room that was suited more for cooking, and that would give us space for entertaining.”
The Patrichuks had seen us working on their neighbor’s homes and, fortunately, asked about us. “We saw DG Liu’s work firsthand,” Lucille said. “So they came with a good reputation. And they were very reliable. For the most part, they were here every day.”
Designer Debby Saling created an "out of the box" kitchen plan that included opening up the tiny entrance hall, removing the bulkheads, and reconfiguring the space. We bumped out a back wall, took out the deck, and replaced it with a beautiful stone patio. Finally, we updated counters and appliances, and traded a
little-used kitchen desk for a wine refrigerator and bar sink.
“Our home has a whole new look, a whole new feel,” said Lucille. “We’ve had small get togethers and family here for weekends, and it has really made a big difference.”
"May your home always be too small to hold all of your friends.”
This tiled inscription in Rick and Karen Schaeffer's new rec room describes their home's original state. The Schaeffer's, hosts to large gatherings (200 guests at times!), needed our help.
"Jerry Liu asked about our lifestyle—how we entertain,” says Rick. "We have family from the Midwest who stay for a week, so bathroom space is at a premium.” We helped the Schaeffers add a bathroom and closet, rearrange existing closets, and remodel an old bathroom, adding handicapped accessibility. The dining room was expanded, and space was freed up in the rec room by removing a wall and building enclosed outdoor stairs.
"DG Liu gets high marks for kindness,” says Rick. "If the crew says they’ll be there at 7:00, that's when they knock on the door. They do a great job of cleaning up. And I love their flexibility. As you're doing renovations, you find you change your mind about things. DG Liu was happy to work with me.” "May your home always be too small to hold all of your friends.”
This tiled inscription in Rick and Karen Schaeffer's new rec room describes their home's original state. The Schaeffer's, hosts to large gatherings (200 guests at times!), needed our help.
"Jerry Liu asked about our lifestyle—how we entertain,” says Rick. "We have family from the Midwest who stay for a week, so bathroom space is at a premium.” We helped the Schaeffers add a bathroom and closet, rearrange existing closets, and remodel an old bathroom, adding handicapped accessibility. The dining room was expanded, and space was freed up in the rec room by removing a wall and building enclosed outdoor stairs.
"DG Liu gets high marks for kindness,” says Rick. "If the crew says they’ll be there at 7:00, that's when they knock on the door. They do a great job of cleaning up. And I love their flexibility. As you're doing renovations, you find you change your mind about things. DG Liu was happy to work with me.”
Paul and Gina Witt’s home had always been snug. This North Potomac, MD property had the usual diminutive rooms and outdated features of a 1950s home, but when their children were small, the couple simply lived with the limited space. In fact, referred to us by friends, they contacted us years ago simply to change out windows and update the exterior.
Now that their boys are teenagers, the Witts decided things inside needed to change as well. “We had these giant kids with their friends over, who just made the house seem so small,” said Gina. “And I love to entertain. When people come over, everybody lives in the kitchen. We just couldn’t accommodate what we wanted to do while we were entertaining.”
We took down three first floor walls and created a cathedral ceiling in the back of the kitchen to open up space. “It has made an amazing difference,” said Gina. “You don’t have that claustrophobic feeling now when you walk in. The kids sit at the kitchen island and do homework while we cook. We have large meals and lots of friends over.”
For the Witts, the cost was less important than a job well done. In between our two projects they had used a less expensive contractor to renovate a bathroom. “The price was lower and that’s what we thought we wanted,” said Gina. “We did not get the quality and consistency of work that we get with DGL. We learned it’s not all about the dollar. You can pay in many other ways.”
“We had the ugliest house in the neighborhood,” says Beth Dadisman of her home in Great Falls.
Not only was there was no front entrance and no cohesive look to the mismatched brick and aluminum siding, but a backyard patio had cracked and was causing water damage in the basement.
Beth and her husband David chose DG Liu Contractor based on a single question. “When I asked who will be in charge of the job and who will actually be working on it, I discovered that Jerry had his own crew,” Beth says. “That was important to me. Subcontractors can be so far removed from the work that they don’t really care how it looks. Jerry’s guys did care. They were here on time, tried to keep things clean, and were very conscientious. I actually miss them—they even let out my dog for me!”
Our crew gave the house a total exterior makeover and partial kitchen modifications. We constructed a front portico, installed new siding and trim, and added a flagstone walk, stoop, and shutters. Out back we built a new flagstone patio and a screened porch with an extended roof over the deck. We opened up the kitchen, added French doors to the porch, and installed cabinets with rollout drawers.
“Now we’re definitely not the ugliest house anymore,” says Beth. “The screened porch will make a world of difference in the spring. And the open kitchen, family, and dining room makes the whole house seem lighter.”
The Dadismans are now considering adding a bedroom over their garage. “I would definitely hire DG Liu again,” says Beth. “But I want my same crew. Because they’re like family.”
Most people love an enclosed porch, but the one in this Northwest Washington home was all but unusable—too small and awkward to even get into. “We mainly used it for storage,” says homeowner Randy Hill. “It didn’t flow with the house at all. And it was hot in summer, cold in winter.” The 1940s galley type kitchen was also cramped and sorely out-of-date.
Since Randy has been doing photography work for DG Liu for several years now, he knew where to turn. “I could see the quality of work they did and how clients raved about them,” he says.
DG Liu opened the back of the house, pushing it out by 13 feet, and moved the doorway between the dining room and kitchen to create a hallway effect from front to back. A two-story partial basement was added below, and two new upstairs rooms now serve as offices. The old porch is now a bright and open family room, and a handsome new stone patio sits out back. The kitchen is fully updated with all new appliances, lighting, cabinetry, granite countertops, and hardwood floors.
“We basically live in the addition,” Randy says, noting that not long ago, a friend visited who was impressed by what he saw. “You just answered my question,” he told Randy, meaning he knew who to call for his own home improvement project. Our crew has now completed an addition on his house too.
Not only was this kitchen in Angie Chen’s Bethesda home outdated, but the color was enough to nearly put her off food entirely.
“The kitchen was pink,” Angie says. “Seriously pink. The walls, cabinets, trim, even the granite had pink marbling throughout. I happen to dislike pink, so it was horrible. We tried painting the walls to tone it down, which emphasized the pink even more. My husband had to re-paint the kitchen three times before we got a decent color—but the kitchen was still pink.”
Once the appliances began to need replacing as well, the homeowners decided to simply rip everything out and start from scratch. Angie asked friends for recommendations, scanned advertisements, and finally interviewed contractors. But none was the “right fit.” Having seen DG Liu’s signs and mailers, she decided to try us. “We really appreciated Jerry’s candor,” she says. “He was willing to have several discussions with us and he responded to all our questions. In short, we trusted him to establish a relationship in addition to delivering on our expectations.”
Our crew installed new flooring, counters, cabinets, appliances, and lighting, giving the family the look they wanted as well as a better ergonomic flow throughout the space. And the results? “Just look at the pictures!” Angie says. “Spectacular work, great attention to detail, and tremendous satisfaction on our part for a job well done. We would absolutely use DG Liu again. I've already recommended them to several of my friends and colleagues.”
Lisa Soule and her husband Bart Woodward were finally ready to renovate and expand their 30-year-old home in Bethesda. Having raised three daughters who were now in their teens, the time had come to finally create the two-story addition they needed and to revamp their outdated kitchen.
After a strong referral from a friend, the couple contacted DG Liu, but initially worried the cost was too high. They decided to have an architect draw up plans, but ran into problems. Ultimately, they brought us in on the project. “My husband finally said, ‘Here’s the budget. Tell us what you can do within that price,’ says Lisa.
First, our crew redesigned the massive structural roof elements. The trusses we installed were not quite as high as originally planned, but still provided the lofty ceiling the family desired. Interior details were scaled down as well, such as substituting a better value, yet still high efficiency window instead of "paying for a name," redesigning an expensive round, mirrored wall in the bathroom, and putting in more moderately priced plumbing, cabinetry and even door locks.
Although costs were reduced, quality was never compromised, and Lisa says she doesn’t regret bypassing some of the bigger-ticket items. “I don’t have any areas where I feel like, gee, we shouldn’t have given that up,” she says.
But what does she consider the biggest bonus of the experience? “The D.G. Liu crew,” she says. “I can’t say enough about every single one of them. They are the nicest, most considerate guys. They just about became a part of our family. How you live through the process is the second most important part of it. They really did everything possible to make it as bearable as they could.”
“It was getting really ugly,” Lisa Soule says, referring to the skirmishes between her three teenage daughters over their shared bathroom. “Also, I work at home one day a week, and my husband has a home office he wasn’t great about sharing.”
Clearly, after 18 years in their cramped space, the family was more than ready to stretch out. A friend’s emphatic referral prompted Lisa and her husband Bart
Woodward to contact D.G. Liu Contractor. “She said if she were having any work done, there’d be only one contractor she would hire,” Lisa recalls. “What really impressed me was their integrity. You hear so many nightmares about contractors, and I felt like this was someone I would never have those concerns about.”
Our crew put on a two-story addition with a new family room, laundry room, and master bedroom suite, freeing up the old family room to be divided into two separate spaces—a home office for Lisa and a study/computer room for kids. The former master and hall bathrooms were updated, providing the much-needed extra bathroom for the girls. A screened porch was built onto the back of the house and a beautiful open porch was created out front. The kitchen was also gutted, reconfigured, and thoroughly updated.
“We’re absolutely delighted with the results,” Lisa says. “It really is a beautiful new house. We just sent our last girl off to college and now one has moved back home after college. We think that’s a vote of confidence that this is a nice place to live.”
“The only fantasy I’ve ever had was to have a greenhouse,” says Joy Adler, an avid gardener who recently acquired a Master Gardener certification. Having worked with Jerry Liu since the late 1970s on minor projects for her Bethesda home, Joy recently approached him with her greenhouse idea. Jerry, whose father managed greenhouses, explained the pitfalls that come with them, namely mold and heating issues. “Because he was so knowledgeable, I was persuaded to do a room with enough glass and light in it to serve the same purpose,” says Joy.
Our crew built an extension onto the existing home, giving Joy and her husband Ira a glassed-in garden room on the main level and a large master bath above it. The original was a 1960s bathroom, explains Joy, and “if one of us wanted to use the sink, the other had to go out into the hall.” Our designer, Sharon Poole decided to wrap an L shape onto the house that permitted us to use two existing exterior walls and attach to an existing heating system. Because the upstairs was recessed from the downstairs, the difference permitted us to create a roof of skylights to let in even more of the light Joy desired.
“We’re delighted with the results,” Joy says. “In fact, it changed the way we live in the house because we live in that garden room now. We even put a kitchen table in there.”
“What I really appreciate about DG Liu,” she continues, “apart from the fact that I can trust the work, is that if something isn’t immediately right, I can trust it will be fixed without argument. There is always someone you can communicate intelligently with, whether it’s Jerry, a lead carpenter, or someone else you can call and speak to. There’s always someone who gets it.”
