Fairfax Station Home Contracts Fourth Remodel
The census-designated place of Fairfax Station is in Fairfax County. It is an upper class community about 22 miles from southwest Washington, D.C,, hedged by Clifton, Burke, and the City of Fairfax. It started out as one of the stations of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad and known as Lee’s Station the first year it was in operation. It was established as Fairfax Station in 1851, but the original community was just the eastern part of the present-day CDP.
Eleven years later, St. Mary’s Church in Fairfax Station, the first Catholic Church in Fairfax County and built in 1858, was the site for the emergency medical center established by Clara Barton for the wounded of the Second Battle of Bull Run from both sides of the Civil War in August 1862. A US Patent Office employee, Barton would later have found the American Red Cross. For a 24 year (1897 to 1921), the area was known as Swetnam before it reverted back to Fairfax Station.
The total area of Fairfax Station is 9.2 square miles, with a 2010 population of 12,030. The racial composition is predominantly white (73.8%), with a good contingent of Asians (12.1%), Hispanics (7.2%), and African Americans (3.8%). The community is fairly affluent, with a median household income of $113,208 (Virginia state median is $66,262 for 2015), and the cost of living is high at 135.1 relative to the national average of 100 (as of March 2016).
Some personalities associated with Fairfax Station include professional athletes Chris Donovan (hockey) and Alex Riley (pro wrestling), and politicians Bob Hall (Texas State Senate Republican member), Bob McEwen (US House of Representatives member), and William Lloyd Scott (US Senator). Other people that called Fairfax Station home at some point are blues singer John Jackson, astronaut Kjell Lindren, authors Wolfgang W.E. Samuel and David Lereah, radio announcer Doug Limerick, as well as C-Span political editor Steve Scully and US Supreme Justice Clarence Thomas
Things to do in Fairfax Station
One of the must-see sights in Fairfax Station if you want any sort of connection to the place is the Fairfax Station Museum, which is where it all began. Learn about the role it played in the Civil War as well as everyday life in 19th Century Virginia and Clara Barton. If you are a model train enthusiast, then you will love the displays. However, your history lesson will not be complete until you visit St. Mary’s Church, which was entered the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
You may also want to head on over to the marker for the Nike Missile Site W-74, anti-aircraft missiles during the Cold War in case of Soviet attack on the US capitol. Eight other similar sites are found in Fairfax County, forming a defensive ring around Washington, D.C.
If you want something a little more current, head on over to Burke Lake Park on Ox Road for a little fishing or camping. The park has fully-equipped boathouses and campsites whatever your fancy. The campsite is available from April to October, but make sure your RV is no more than 25 feet.
Long-awaited bathroom remodel
The clients are a young married couple that had purchased a home in Fairfax Station soon after their marriage five years ago. It was a charming 1300 square foot Colonial style home on half an acre of land. The house was built in 1925, but had all the modern amenities. However, the style was much too plain for the clients, and had planned to remodel all the rooms one at a time. They had already remodeled the two smaller bedrooms, and we had undertaken the kitchen remodel the year before. They now decided it was time to tackle the master bedroom, but elected to do the end suite master bathroom first because it was “messier.”
Requirements
The clients had already put in a lot of thought on how they wanted to do the remodel, and had printed out some layouts they liked from online magazines. They wanted a large shower to replace the existing claw-foot bathtub, and a vanity table with a smaller sink for some counterspace in lieu of the rather large rectangular sink that was currently in place. They also wanted to update the ceramic wall and floor tiles to something a little trendier. They called us in again because they already knew we do an excellent job as evidenced by their awesome kitchen. Given that they were planning to essentially gut the entire bathroom save for the toilet seat, they wanted someone they could trust to do the job right.
Consultation
Much of the idea work had been done by the clients themselves; all we really had to do was to put it together in a workable layout incorporating all their ideas into a cohesive look. Since they planned to do the master bedroom next, they were not too worried about the bathroom clashing with the existing style of the bedroom. We got our staff designer to work up 3D models of three different layouts, and had the clients choose their favorite one. We then asked them to come to the showroom to choose the materials for each component so that we could work out a cost estimate. The initial process from design to final project estimate took three weeks of much discussion and revisions. Finally, we were ready to move forward to the actual construction.
Construction
We had advised the clients to remove or secure their breakables in the bathroom and bedroom, and to cover everything in dustsheets prior to the start of construction. Since the bedroom was fully carpeted, however, the work crew had to lay down plastic sheeting to prevent dust from collecting in the carpet fibers. They set up a dumpster in the backyard for all the discarded materials.
The materials were delivered on the final day of the demolition. Tiling began the next day for the walls and floors, and it took five days to complete the base structure and re-plumbing of the bathroom in preparation for the new granite vanity, glass shower enclosure, Blanco sink, and Kohler faucets and spa shower set. It only took three more days to put together these elements, and another day for final inspection and cleanup. Everything went smoothly.
Post project
The clients were delighted with their sparkling new master bathroom design, with is sleek yet graceful lines. They especially loved the look of the granite elements, which lent an air of elegance to the bathroom. It was now beautiful as well as functional.
If you need help with remodeling your Fairfax Station home, contact Fairfax Kitchen & Bath. We can make it beautiful for you.
