Savvy Design Studio

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Collaborative | Creative | Custom Residential Architecture

SAVVY Design Studio is a boutique Residential Architect serving Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC specializing in creating legacy homes.

Lessons from Summer Vacation / September Series Part 1This summer, I had the opportunity to visit architecture a little ...
09/02/2026

Lessons from Summer Vacation / September Series Part 1

This summer, I had the opportunity to visit architecture a little further from home. Many of the outstanding buildings I saw seemed to come from the ground they were sitting on. The materials had a relationship with the landscape around them: Stone that matched the local hillside; wood that weathered the way everything else weathered nearby. When materials come from the region, a building feels like it belongs. When they don't, even a well-built home can feel placed rather than rooted.

When you're undertaking a custom home project, how well the design gets executed in the field matters just as much as th...
08/26/2026

When you're undertaking a custom home project, how well the design gets executed in the field matters just as much as the design itself. One contractor I genuinely enjoy working with is Justin Wigfield of Wigfield Custom Renovations (https://www.wigfieldcustomrenovations.com/).

Justin brings a woodworker's precision to the work - detail-oriented, proactive, and always thinking ahead to coordinate trades before anything becomes a problem on site. That kind of attentiveness is what allows a carefully considered design to show up the way it was intended to.

Not all contractors approach it that way, which is why finding ones who do makes such a difference.

The most productive schematic design conversations tend to start with homeowners who've done a bit of thinking ahead of ...
08/19/2026

The most productive schematic design conversations tend to start with homeowners who've done a bit of thinking ahead of time - a rough list of must-have spaces, some visual references, a general sense of budget. That groundwork gives your architect a launchpad.

The clearer the picture of what matters most to you, the more useful the early options for your Legacy Home tend to be. If you're at the research stage and trying to understand how a project sequences from start to finish, I have a planning guide that walks through the full process and typical timelines. Message me and I'll send it over.

One of the consistent patterns I see in schematic design - the early phase where we're exploring how a home is organized...
08/12/2026

One of the consistent patterns I see in schematic design - the early phase where we're exploring how a home is organized and how it sits on its site - is clients being surprised by what they end up responding to. You arrive with a strong sense of what you want. Then you see very different interpretations of your home laid out in front of you. And something unexpected resonates. That's not a failure of preparation. That's the process working exactly as it should. You can't know which direction is right until you've seen the alternatives and had the chance to respond to each one thoughtfully.

A potential client reached out recently with floor plans for her addition already drawn. She didn't need design help - s...
08/05/2026

A potential client reached out recently with floor plans for her addition already drawn. She didn't need design help - she "just needed them drafted and stamped for permit."

When we dug into the details, there was no site plan, no building code review, and no real consideration of whether the design was the best design solution. As drawn, the plans would not have been approved.

But the deeper issue wasn't the drawings. It was the belief that the design process starts with a floor plan. It doesn't. It starts with questions - about your site, your life, and what's actually possible.

When a project is going well, it usually means the right people are working together at the right time.One of the collab...
07/29/2026

When a project is going well, it usually means the right people are working together at the right time.

One of the collaborators I'm grateful to work alongside is Todd Howard Ezrin, Principal Interior Designer at TOBE DesignGroup (https://www.tobedesigngroup.com/). What makes the relationship work is that Todd genuinely understands the back-and-forth between architecture and interior design that real design requires. That kind of coordination makes a meaningful difference in how a project comes together.

Whether you're rebuilding from scratch or taking on a major renovation, the team behind the project shapes the outcome as much as the design itself.

When people compare a renovation/addition to teardown, the first instinct is to ask which costs less. It's the right que...
07/22/2026

When people compare a renovation/addition to teardown, the first instinct is to ask which costs less. It's the right question. But both paths carry costs that rarely show up in early estimates.

Renovations hide surprises: Aging systems, water damage, materials that need remediation. Teardowns have their own unique costs: Demolition, utility reconnections, temporary housing for the full construction period, and full compliance with current codes.

Neither path is automatically cheaper. Getting a realistic picture of the numbers before you commit matters. If you're early in this kind of project, I have a planning guide that can help you build a baseline cost picture. Just send me a message and I'll share it.

One of the most common assumptions I encounter goes something like this: "We can build on top of what's already there." ...
07/15/2026

One of the most common assumptions I encounter goes something like this: "We can build on top of what's already there." It feels logical. The structure exists, so why not use it?

Recently, a client wanted to add a second story over their carport. It seemed reasonable — until we looked more carefully. The carport wasn't original to the house, impeded the required setbacks significantly, and had likely never been permitted. That option was off the table. But closing one door opened others. Once I understood the lot's full constraints, I was able to identify options that would win approval.

Assumptions about existing structures can quietly shape your entire project, often before you realize it. Need help checking the reality vs. assumptions for your project? Send me a message and I'll get you started on the right path (it's never too early!).

Not long ago, I met with a couple deciding between a large addition and a full teardown and rebuild. On paper, it was cl...
07/08/2026

Not long ago, I met with a couple deciding between a large addition and a full teardown and rebuild. On paper, it was close. But one thing changed the math: They had already put significant time and money into interior renovations, including a brand-new kitchen. When I worked through rough numbers, that investment tipped the balance toward the addition.

Had the interior been original and untouched, I think the rebuild could have made more sense. It was that close.

The takeaway isn't sentimental. It's practical. What you've already put into a house is part of the calculation, and it often matters more than people expect.

Need help figuring out what is the right decision for your home? Send me a message and I'll hook you up with a free budgeting resource.

Most people begin thinking about a home project with a collection of images: A floor plan they like, a kitchen they've s...
07/01/2026

Most people begin thinking about a home project with a collection of images: A floor plan they like, a kitchen they've saved, a style they keep coming back to. That's a natural starting point, but it's not always the most useful one.

Strong design tends to begin with a different set of questions. How do you actually live? What does the space need to do for your family? What does success look and feel like when the project is finished?

If you're in the early stages and want help getting clear on this, I offer a short guide on putting together a design brief here: https://offer.savvydesignstudio.net/design-brief-opt-in

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Gaithersburg, MD
20878

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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