Architectural Rendering from Wentworth
Even design professionals sometimes forget about the ability to visualize the un-built. I have attended design presentations where project architects gloss over the as-built plans (existing condition drawings) for a client’s home because the designer/architect assumes the client can visualize it. Most often, you—the homeowner and client—cannot, and architects/designers underestimate the value of their visualization skills.
At Wentworth, we have helped our clients visualize, to “see” what we have designed for them.
Helping our Remodeling Clients Visualize
Here are three examples of how we do this for our clients—and how we can do it for you:
3D Computer Modeling
With the aid of Computer 3-D modeling (SketchUp or AutoCAD software), our professionals create interior and exterior perspectives to help clients understand the new home design and see how it will look, feel, and perform. We illustrate the three dimensional design on the computer screen or in a printed form for the client to take home. Computer software allows us to move around an interior space and look at it from different perspectives.
Cardboard Study Models
Cardboard scaled study models are a personal favorite of mine. As a kid, I built hundreds of cardboard house models for my train set villages and became proficient at it—now I build them for our clients. I typically use foam core to create the building site with its slopes and contours, and use water color paper, Elmer’s Glue, and an X-ACTO knife to build simple massing models. For home addition projects, I build the existing house first; the proposed designs for the addition are done as plug-and-play components. For helping clients visualize how their house will look in terms of the roof lines and forms, I have found this works well. A few years ago, a study model for a new home in Arlington clinched the design decision with its large sweeping hip roofs and attractive dormers.
Full Scale Mockups
Without a doubt, clients love our full scale mockups. We love them too, and we have done a variety over the years.
For an Arlington, Virginia home remodeling project involving a front porch and façade renovation, our carpenters created 2 x 2 feet panels to illustrate three different wood wall cladding treatments. It helped the client make the right choice with confidence:
- Vertical 1 x 6 inch V-joint with T&G wood—for the “country look.”
- Raised panel with beveled edges that fit into the sticking groove of the stiles—for the highly “formal look.”
- The design chosen by the client was layered, with recessed panels, each trimmed in molding. The client felt it provided the best mix of detail, not too formal and not too rustic.
A project for a Chevy Chase, Maryland residence involved a large kitchen and family room remodel. The clients admitted that they had trouble visualizing how it would all come together with a central island and the surrounding cabinetry—which is normal for homeowners with more limited space. To alleviate their concerns prior to the cabinet installation, our carpenters constructed full-scale cabinet mockups from 1/8-inch hardboard. With just a minor adjustment of one base cabinet, the clients felt comfortable to proceed.
The Wentworth Way to Remodel
Helping clients visualize completed projects builds trust and a comfort level for our residential remodeling projects. We have a unique remodeling process here at Wentworth—one we have perfected through years of experience.
Browse our photo gallery to see home remodels we have completed in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, and get in touch with us to schedule an initial consultation if you’d like to remodel your home.
About Bruce Wentworth
Wentworth was founded by Bruce Wentworth, AIA, a noted remodeling architect who has worked in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area for over twenty years. He has built hundreds of his own designs, ranging from modest bungalows to large-scale luxury residences.
Read the rest of Bruce’s bio.
