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Adam B. Auel
Tom Glass of Glass Construction, Washington, D.C.
Pacesetters 2012: Tom Glass, Glass Construction
2 MIN READ
Tom Glass has a passion for old houses. “My favorite period in American architecture is probably the latter part of the 18th century,” he says. “I really love the Federal-style houses—I’m drawn to the clean lines, the simple fenestration, the lack of ornamentation.” Luckily, he’s in the right city. Washington, D.C., is filled with Federal homes, as well as many other styles of 18th-, 19th-, and 20th-century residences. And Glass Construction has renovated many of them.
The company usually works in tony urban neighborhoods like Georgetown, Cleveland Park, and Dupont Circle. Every job is different, but a typical project will combine a faithful exterior restoration, per local codes, with an interior renovation that adapts the home to modern lifestyles. Kitchens and baths usually receive a major makeover. “A lot of our focus on kitchens is on making them function better, with better circulation, so people can cook together,” Glass says. Especially when remodeling a townhouse, gaining light for the interiors becomes an almost universal goal. “We open up a lot of stairwells and remove some of the walls as a way of introducing more sunlight into the interiors,” he explains.
Older homes can be notorious energy hogs, and Glass’ clients frequently ask for high-efficiency heating and cooling. He increases air-tightness with foam insulation and has installed “a fair number” of geothermal systems. Salvaging and recycling materials are standard parts of his building process. “I just feel like restoring these existing houses and keeping them in place, rather than building new, is a green approach,” he adds.
Glass even salvaged his own weekend house a couple of years back. He took advantage of the slowest part of the recession to purchase and move a dilapidated 1797 Federal-style house in rural Virginia, then painstakingly renovated it. (See Custom Home, November/December 2010.)
Business has picked up lately; Glass Construction has five residential renovations under way, as well as a rare commercial project. The company also builds Modernist work, such as a recently completed studio for the artist Sam Gilliam. No matter what the style, Glass says he always finds pleasure in renewing the life of a building. “It does give you a huge sense of accomplishment to see these houses occupied and lived in, furnished and with art on the walls. A lot of hard work goes into it—it takes a lot of people to make it happen.”
View all 2012 Pacesetter Awards winners.
Glass Construction / Washington, D.C. / www.gcidc.com / Years in business: 22 / Employees: 19 / 2011 volume: $4.4 million / 2011 starts: 6
