Chevy Chase
Custom home builders for both sides of Chevy Chase. Finished homes in both Maryland and the District.
Chevy Chase is a Maryland town, a cluster of villages, and a DC neighborhood that all share one name. We're licensed in both Maryland and the District, and we've been building custom homes, teardown rebuilds, remodels, and additions here since 2007.
Chevy Chase is a Maryland town, a cluster of villages, and a DC neighborhood that all share one name. We're licensed in both Maryland and the District, and we've been building custom homes, teardown rebuilds, remodels, and additions here since 2007.
Chevy Chase is more than one place. We build on both sides of the line.
On the Maryland side there's the Town of Chevy Chase, Chevy Chase Village, Section 3, Section 5, and Martin's Additions, each its own municipality, all sharing the 20815 zip code. Cross Western Avenue and you're in Chevy Chase, DC: a different city, a different permit office, and the same streets of brick colonials. People who live here don't think much about the line. For a builder, it determines which permit office, review process, and inspection schedule apply.
The housing stock dates mostly to the 1910s through the 1940s - center-hall colonials, Tudors, and foursquares put up when the streetcar still ran out Connecticut Avenue. They were good houses then and most are still good houses now, but they were designed for a different era: kitchens walled off from the rest of the house, one full bath upstairs, low basements. Meanwhile, the lots under them have become some of the most valuable residential land in the region. When the land is worth more than the house standing on it, a major remodel or a full rebuild is usually the sound use of the property.
That work runs through more review here than almost anywhere else in the area. Several of the villages run their own building review on top of Montgomery County's permit process: setbacks, tree protection, and in some cases the design itself. On the DC side, the District runs separate permitting with its own forms, fees, and inspectors. None of it rules out a project, but the schedule has to account for each review. We have filed in all of these offices, so the timeline in your first estimate already reflects them.
We build custom homes, teardown rebuilds, whole-home remodels, and additions on either side of the line. You can come to us with your architect's finished drawings, a plan you bought online, or nothing but an address and a list of what isn't working. All three have produced finished houses.
Built in Chevy Chase - the DC side counts too.
Two of our builds stand a few doors apart on the same street in Chevy Chase, DC:
- 5437 33rd St NW - Chevy Chase, Washington, DC
- 5445 33rd St NW - Chevy Chase, Washington, DC
Both sit on the District side of the line. Plenty of builders who advertise Chevy Chase work only the Maryland half; if your project is in the District, you can drive past our finished work before you ever call us.
You can also buy one of our homes outright. We build and sell 5 to 10 new homes a year, and when one goes to market, The Synergy Group of Compass handles the listing from their office on Wisconsin Avenue in Chevy Chase, MD 20815.
One neighborhood, two governments. We carry the licenses for both.
Western Avenue is the boundary. On the Maryland side, projects run through Montgomery County's Department of Permitting Services, plus the village's own review if you live inside one. On the DC side, projects run through the District's Department of Buildings, with different applications, different inspections, and its own schedule.
Most builders work one side of the line or the other. We're licensed in both Maryland and the District (the license numbers are in the footer of every page on this site), and we run both permit processes ourselves: the filings, the inspections, and the scheduling around them.
What that means for you: if the right lot turns out to sit a block into DC, or the house you want to redo is just over the line in Maryland, you don't have to start a new builder search. You get the same contract, the same process, and the same owner on site on either side of Western Avenue.
Five ways into a Chevy Chase project. Start from wherever you are.
- Custom Homes - a ground-up build on your lot, designed around the way you live.
- Design-Build - one team and one accountable builder for both the drawings and the construction.
- Teardown & Rebuild - a new house on the lot you already own, when the old one can't be reworked into what you need.
- Whole-Home Remodeling - keep the shell and the street presence, rebuild the layout and systems inside it.
- Home Additions - more space without moving, built as a full second story on the house you have.
Talk to the builder who works both sides. Bring your lot, your plan, or neither.
If your project sits in Chevy Chase, either Chevy Chase, sit down with us. Kevin Slezak, the owner, has run every project personally, more than 200 homes. He walks the lot with you before anyone talks numbers, and he's the same person you'll see on site when the finish work goes in.
For projects deeper into the District, see our Washington, DC work. Also serving Bethesda.
Questions we hear in Chevy Chase, from homeowners on both sides of the line.
Do you build on the DC side of Chevy Chase?
Yes. We’re licensed in both Maryland and the District, and we’ve built at 5437 and 5445 33rd St NW in Chevy Chase, DC. DC projects run through the District’s own permit process, which we handle the same way we handle Montgomery County’s - ourselves, start to finish.
Will village design review slow down my project?
It adds time, and we plan for it. Chevy Chase Village, the Town, and several of the smaller villages each review building projects on top of the county permit: setbacks, trees, and sometimes design details. We build that review time into the schedule from the start, so the completion date you see in the estimate already includes it.
Should I tear down my 1920s colonial or remodel it?
It depends on three things: the structure, the lot rules, and the gap between what you want and what the existing house can give you. A sound shell with a workable footprint often argues for a whole-home remodel; a failing foundation or a layout that no longer works argues for a rebuild. We also build and sell new homes on lots we purchase ourselves, so we evaluate teardown candidates regularly. Bring us the address and we’ll walk it with you.
What does it cost to build a custom home in Chevy Chase?
Our design-build projects have historically run from about $350K for major remodels and additions to $3M and up for full custom homes. In Chevy Chase, the big cost drivers are demolition, lot conditions, village or District review, square footage, and finish level. We agree on the construction contract after design, with finish materials and allowances settled, and you review the full budget before construction begins.
Who handles the permits - you or us?
We do, on either side of the line. Maryland projects go through Montgomery County, plus the village if you’re in one. DC projects go through the Department of Buildings. We prepare the filings, attend the inspections, and set the schedule around how long each office takes.
Tell us about your project. We'll tell you what it takes.
Fill out the short form and we will call you to set up a consultation, or skip the form and call us directly: 443-752-5621.