Phyllis Michaels sits in the kitchen of an upscale home her company built. Photo by Lisa Helfert

     Phyllis Michaels is not a composer. But the music lover and owner of Crescendo Homes creates a certain harmony as she brings together art, science and technology when building homes in the Washington area.

     Michaels has been building two or three homes per year in Montgomery County and Washington, D.C. since she established Crescendo Homes in 1997, The company grosses $3 million to $4 million annually. 
     Homes by Crescendo, which start at $750,000, have approximately 5,000 to 6,000 square feet of space above ground level, plus a finished lower level and a two-car garage, with granite, marble, ceramic tile and wood finishes.

     Crown mouldings and beamed ceilings add character to the homes, along with built-in bookcases in the hallways and furniture-quality cabinetry and wood-paneled appliances in the kitchen.

     “I have seen spaces inspire, calm and reenergize individuals. On the other hand, I have seen how spaces can agitate and depress individuals,” says Michaels. “I became more interested in residential architecture because it has more of an opportunity to impact people’s personal lives in a more intimate way and for a long period of time.”

     After 29 years as an architectural designer, construction engineer and a home builder, Michaels believes some of the unique characteristics she brings to her homes come from her insight as a woman.

     “I always put a broom closet in the kitchen and a pantry, along with plenty of built-in drawers in the kitchen cabinets,” says Michaels. “I create a niche for the phone with a place for phone books and built-in trash baskets for bottles and regular trash.

     The laundry room, usually placed on the bedroom level, includes a sink, cabinet space, a built-in ironing board and plenty of counter space for folding clothes.

     Robyn Greenhouse purchased a Crescendo home in Bethesda in June with her husband and appreciates the level of detail Michaels’ added to the property.

     “Everything in the house has been well thought-out from the trim around the doors, windows and baseboards to the flow of the rooms,” says Greenhouse. “We also think it’s amazing that Phyllis gave us her cell phone number so we can call her anytime with questions.”

     Annually, Crescendo builds two homes which Michaels’ designs and sells after construction has begun. These “speculative homes” start at $1.8 million. The company also builds a custom home on a client’s property each year.

     Today, the focus of Michaels’ speculative building projects is developing individual homes on lots in existing neighborhoods, also known as infill buildings.

     Michaels anticipates that the trend will strengthen in the Washington area and in other urban areas around the country, fueled by the desire of families to walk to shops and restaurants and play in a local park yet have access to the amenities of a city for work and entertainment.

     “Planned communities with a mix of residential and commercial development successfully mirror what city life was supposed to offer many years ago before urban sprawl began,” says Michaels. “The only shortfall with these mini-communities is that many lack adequate mass transportation to tie their community to other communities and to feel a part of the city.”

     Michaels points to three other trends that will impact residential building in the next decade: casual lifestyles, technology and the need for flexible spaces.

     Present-day entertaining is casual, with friends gathered in the kitchen and family room rather than the formal living and dining rooms.

     Technology has reduced the time spent on home maintenance and allows for people to work at home.

     Michaels builds flexibility into her homes by adding a “smart panel” that allows technology like Internet service and video service for security to reach all the major spaces in the home.

     Crescendo Homes’ adds an elevator shaft to each home so that owners may easily add an elevator if desired, creating a more functional home for aging residents.

     “Whether it is having an extended family member live with them, a nanny in the home or a home business, a family needs a home to be flexible enough to adapt to the changing family lifestyle,” says Michaels.   <

            Michele Lerner is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C.