Baltimore Architects is an online listing and website that curates the top contractors, architects, builders, and remodelers in Maryland. It’s a beautifully designed website that we have a lot of respect for in that it values and elevates the proud architectural legacy of the region.
Winthorpe Design & Build is honored to be featured in Baltimore Architects’ Top Ten Best Custom Home Builders (Design-Build) in Baltimore. For this list, they choose firms that have achieved excellence in their work, have nothing but stellar customer reviews, and come with strong recommendations from a diverse clientele.
Though sometimes it’s hard to blow your own horn, when a highly regarded publication does it for you, there are bragging rights involved. Since we’re in the spotlight, it probably doesn’t hurt to mention that we were once named one of America’s Top Remodelers by Professional Remodeler Magazine, so even though we’re modest, it doesn’t mean we’re not proud.
Building Legacy With Scott Szeliga of Winthorpe Design & Build
Image from facebook.com/pg/WinthorpeDesignBuild
Scott Szeliga built Winthorpe Design & Build from the ground up. What started as a business he ran out of a tiny room in his own home has grown into one of Maryland’s most lauded design-build firms. Founded in 1988 to serve the DC area, Scott’s reach expanded to include all of the Baltimore Washington corridor, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Today, Winthorpe is best known for building custom homes. What makes us different? It’s our unique ability to adapt living spaces to suit the lifestyles of the families that live in them. A full 80 percent of our work comes from referrals, and we are especially proud of our A+ status at the Better Business Bureau.
Despite all of these accolades, we didn’t get here overnight. Through the years, Scott has put together the most talented team of professionals in the region, giving us the bandwidth to achieve excellence in renovations, additions, kitchens, bathrooms, and conversions.
Featured Projects
Some of the more notable properties Winthorpe Design & Build is known for include:
Image from facebook.com/WinthorpeDesignBuild
The Taylor Residence, Annapolis, MD
A three-story house perched on top of a sloping hill, this home features stonework at the entryway of the house that segues seamlessly into the grand fireplace inside. The back of the house faces the water, a view that is enjoyed from almost every room in the house.
Interestingly, the client’s original idea was to renovate a family cottage that was already on the property. In getting to know the Taylors and their goals for the property, the scope of the work began to change.
As it was, the cottage was so small that the family never really spent much time there. They only used it to change when they went out to sail their boat and didn’t feel comfortable staying over, so usually, they would come and sail, then pack up and go home on the same day. Ultimately, what they really wanted was a house they could use as a gathering space for friends and family on holidays and weekends. Together, we decided that a new build would be a more practical use of our time and their resources.
It was a beautiful property, and the location was all about the water, so we wanted to make sure the new build blended in with the scenery and took advantage of the spectacular views and the natural landscapes.
The result was a 5,200-square-foot home that was diminutive in the front compared to its three-stories of glass in the rear. Open-concept floorplans gave the family plenty of room to entertain and enjoy family, and natural materials blended sweetly into the landscape as if it was all meant to be there.
To accommodate their sailboat, we designed a garage on the lower level at the back of the house with a track system to help them move the boat inside for the winter.
Sustainable building practices are always applied, and the Taylor project was no exception. The house features a tankless water system, and we used some pretty nifty techniques to route and absorb rainwater and keep runoff out of the bay.
This project has attracted a lot of attention over the years, and we are pretty proud of it too. It’s the photograph that’s featured on our home page, and it’s also the home that Baltimore Architects chose to feature in their spotlight on us.
If you are thinking about a renovation, remodel, or building a new custom home, why not choose one of the Top Ten Custom Home Builders in Baltimore? You’ve seen us in magazines, and you’ve admired our work from afar; maybe it’s time to see what we can do for you. Reach out today, and let’s start the conversation
