Kitchen Remodeling Service in Great Falls VA

The census-designated place of Great Falls can be found in Fairfax County along the Virginia State Route 7 and about 15 miles from Washington, D.C. It has a total area of 25.66 square miles, with a quarter square mile of water mostly attributed to its proximity to the Potomac River in the north and east borders. Several of the rivers tributaries run through Great Falls, including Nichols Run, Difficult Run, Captain Hickory Run, Piney Run, and Clarks Branch. The Great Falls of the Potomac River, which is where the CDP gets its name, is in the east.

Great Falls CDP is a suburb of Washington D.C. and part of the Washington Metropolitan Area as well as the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Other suburbs that surround Great Falls include Travilah and Potomac in Maryland, Darneston, McLean, Wolf Trap, Sterling, Lowes Island, and Dranesville in Virginia.
As of last count (2010) the population of Great Falls is 15,427, with a racial mix of 80.5% white, followed by 13.5% Asian, and 1.8% African American.

The history of Great Falls is unremarkable. The first settlers began arriving in the late 18th Century, and the area was unofficially called Forestville. It was renamed officially in 1955 to Great Falls. However, the residents of Great Falls are doing very well for themselves. The median household income as of 2015 was over $200,000, more than three times the state median of $66,262. The median home values are also near $1,000,000. It is no wonder that CNN Money ranked it as number one of the top earning towns in 2011.

It is probably understandable, given its attraction as a home away from home for many politicians and government figures in Washington D.C., These include Senator Rick Santorum, political commentator Peggy Noonan, and former FBA and CIA directors Louis Freeh, and Stansfield Turner, respectively. Great Falls is also where you will find Dan Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins, as well as AOL founder Steve Case, and Jacqueline Mars, heiress to the candy powerhouse Mars. Inc.

Things to do in Great Falls

Despite the rather rarefied environment of Great Falls, it is still a good place to visit for the ordinary American, especially the Great Falls Park, which affords a good view of the Great Falls of the Potomac River. You can also check out the remnants of the Patowmack Canal, which George Washington helped build, and the village that grew around it, from the park. There is also the remains of the Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad, which ran through the park in 1906.

If you want to participate in community frivolity, you will want to gather around the River Bend County Park and the Village Green around Easter when the Spring Festival is held. It would also be a treat to be in Great Falls during Christmas during the Tree Lighting. The Fourth of July, Halloween, and Thanksgiving is also celebrated with some vigor. In the summer, the area holds concerts.

Updating an ugly kitchen

Many of the homes in Great Falls are spacious and lovely, and the client’s split foyer home is no exception. It has a lovely view of Great Falls and the surrounding greenery from the deck, and it is elegantly rustic with its old timber broad beams and hardwood flooring. The unfortunate exception is the kitchen, which for some reason interrupted the hardwood flooring with ceramic tiles that was completely at variance with the theme of the home. The counters were also ceramic tiles, which the client thought was ugly. Since the main floor had an open layout, the kitchen really stood out like a sore thumb. The client decided on a complete kitchen remodel, including new cabinets, floors , countertops, backsplashes, and appliances. She called us in for a consultation.

Consultation

The kitchen floor area that the client disliked so much covered 16 x 16 feet, encroaching by a good foot beyond the archway leading to the living room, and was slightly elevated. The biggest issue with the remodel was finding an exact match for the floor boards, which had been part of the original build back in 1965. The tiles would have to be removed in order to replace it with wood. This would comprise the most tedious process in the project. We considered the type of wood that would most closely match the original floor and came up with ¾” hickory. We also consulted with the client about the type of countertops and backsplashes she wanted, and she said without hesitation “granite.” That made it much simpler, as granite goes particularly well with hardwood floors. We recommended keeping the existing cabinets, which were of very good quality wood and matched the look of the home. The client agreed to all our suggestions, and put a deposit for the materials. The project would take about 4 weeks, from demo to final polishing of the countertops.

Kitchen Renovation Construction

The client took direction very well. She had completely emptied the kitchen and hung heavy curtains over her living room and dining room furniture. The crew had only to move the appliances to one side of the dining room and hang heavy plastic around the work area to minimize scattering the dust before demolition. We had stationed a dumpster in the client’s driveway for easy removal of the debris at the end of each work day. It was painstaking, tedious work, but once the demo had finished and the debris cleared away, the work went much faster. At the end of week three, we had already installed the new floors, backsplash, and prepped the base cabinets for the new sink and countertops. We put the finishing touches a day ahead of schedule and within budget. We cleared out and turned over the new kitchen to the client.

Clients Feedback

The client could not believe how closely we had matched the existing floors. She could not distinguish between the old and new. It was a bit tricky, but our expert wood workers “aged” and varnished the new wood as well as gave the entire floor a thorough polish and sealing to make them blend seamlessly. The client was very happy with the results, especially her new granite countertops (she disliked the grout in her old one). We left the home with an intense feeling of satisfaction.