Room to Grow

A multilevel addition renders a cramped house comfortable.

Photographed by Lou Mazzatenta
Written by Marion Butterworth

Photo courtesy of Moss Construction Company

Their newly added sunroom gives John and Andrea Sekel the perfect spot to relax and enjoy the view that motivated their purchase of this Great Falls home.

Houses are a little like spouses. All are imperfect. Compromise and concession are the norms. And as any good shrink will tell you, you can only change yourself. You’ve got to accept your mate’s shortcomings and embrace the virtues.

Happily, your house is another story. It offers countless opportunities for change, growth and improvement. What you see is not necessarily what you get. Television’s mania for home makeover shows is a case in point. Start with one or more redeeming features—location, site, schools—and you’ve got the basis for creating a home that works for your family and lifestyle.

A Lot to Love

So discovered the Sekel family when they purchased their Great Falls home in 2002. With five kids, Andrea and John Sekel knew that a big yard, kid-friendly neighborhood and top-quality schools were more important than the perfect floor plan, granite countertops or a two-person Jacuzzi.

16-year-old J.T. and 5 1/2-year-old Faith decorated their new rooms to reflect their personalities and interests.

In their search for a new home, a level two-acre lot just off Leesburg Pike won them over, dotted as it is with sturdy trees that invite climbing. The clincher was the creek that rambles through the woods behind the park-like backyard, tempting little boys and girls with its slick salamanders and darting tadpoles, ripe for catching.

Andrea, a stay-at-home mom, and John, an executive with ExxonMobil, realized that the four-bedroom house originally built in 1996 would need some modifications to fit their family. Although they loved the lot and neighborhood, “I knew when we moved in that the house wouldn’t work long term,” Andrea says.

With baby Faith, 6-year-old Jacob, 8-year-old Zach, 10-year-old Nicole and 12-year-old J.T., “We had four kids sharing two rooms,” she explains.

The family needed more space. Plus, the view from the foyer is straight into the family room where all seven Sekels hung out. Andrea didn’t like that everyone’s “stuff” was in plain view all the time.

Taking Time to Listen

The Sekels had been in their home for three years when they started seeking estimates from contractors for an addition.

Jacob, 10, enjoys the privacy of his new room.

“I found companies in the local papers, magazines and on signs in the neighborhood. When contractors came for the initial consultation, I told them what I wanted and most spent about five minutes with me. But Jason [Hampel, president of Moss Construction Company] spent an hour. He listened and was interested. The house really came together with Moss Construction,” she says.

In business since 2001, Moss Construction Company is a family affair, owned jointly by Jason Hampel, his dad Pete and his brother-in-law Justin Schopp. Among Moss’s 23 full-time employees are one PhD and six MBAs, many of whom came to the remodeling field with years of experience in corporate management.

12-year-old Zach puts his newfound space to good use.

Andrea says that Moss is different from other contractors because of their ability to communicate and pay attention. “Working with them was so easy,” she says. “Jason is a pleasure,” she says. “He made the project painless.”

Customers consistently give Moss’s full-time customer service manager, Jodi Jameson, an excellent rating on the performance evaluation form each client is asked to fill out after the job is completed. “Jodi (is) amazing. I feel like I made a fabulous new friend. She is such a great sounding board, easily juggles schedule changes that we asked for and is so organized,” enthuses one customer.

Functional Square Footage

From left, Andrea Sekel, Jason Hampel, John Sekel, Pete Hampel and Justin Schopp discuss a future project. Andrea says that working with Moss is easy; deciding what to do next is the hard part.

The difference between a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy is about 50 pounds, 5 inches, 20 decibels and $30 a week in groceries. Multiply those stats by five kids, divide by four bedrooms and a remodel is the product. “I didn’t want only to add square footage,” says Andrea, adding, “it had to function.”

The Sekels had three main requirements for the remodel. They needed two more bedrooms and to enlarge two existing bedrooms. They also wanted to eliminate the squabbles provoked when one of the kids monopolized the Jack-and-Jill bathroom that four of them shared. Finally, the addition needed to address the noise problem.

While open floor plans and vaulted ceilings create a sense of spaciousness and flow, they make it more difficult to keep sound contained. The Sekels’ second floor features a bridge-like hallway that overlooks the family room on one side and the foyer on the other. “We could always hear the kids upstairs when we were in the family room,” says Andrea. Sounds from televisions, video games, music and people floated up and down.

Adding Livable Space

A French door separates the new bedroom hall from the bridge that is open to the family room and foyer below to reduce sound from traveling.

Moss Construction Company and the Sekels came up with a simple, inspired solution to the noise issue. A French door now separates a hall, housing four bedrooms and a unique two-room bath, from the open bridge. “I didn’t want to block the light, so the French door works well. We can close it and the bedroom doors and reduce the noise.”

Andrea, along with architect Dwight Stonerook of DRS Architecture in Leesburg, came up with a novel redesign of the Jack-and-Jill bathroom. They increased the square footage of the bathroom and walled off the toilet, adding a tiny, low-slung sink, which is just the right height for little Faith, now 5 1/2, to reach without a stool. In the adjacent bathroom, two sinks, a shower and a tub make morning ablutions more peaceful.

The three-story addition also gave the family space to spread out. On the main level they now have a more private family room that’s adjoined by a sunny sitting room, in which they can “enjoy what drew us to the house, the backyard,” says Andrea. Below grade they gained a game room and unfinished storage space. This 18 x 29 foot addition added just over 1,500 feet to the house.

“There is no wasted space. The whole addition turned out to be practical, usable, needed space. It works nicely for our family. Maybe the kitchen will be next,” Andrea says with a smile.