I wonder if anyone in the DC area can recommend a carpenter or a company to help renovate an old free standing house, of the Arts and Crafts era. (It is not a typical Arts and Crafts/ Craftsman bungalow, unfortunately.) I am looking for A. someone who works the job himself or herself with helpers--not someone who leaves some untrained guy in charge--and B. someone who really understands carpentry and also understands the aesthetic appeal of old houses.

I have gotten my fingers burned by a contractor who was highly recommended on Angie's list (perhaps by a friend or two rigging the system?). What I really want is more of a design-build plus repair person, as in someone who respects the beauty of plaster walls, but might modify them, someone who might rebuild a porch deck but would incline more toward a rot resistant wood rather than Trex. An old fashioned carpenter type with experience who oversees his or her workers on site, does not have to buy pre-made plastic porch piers--rot-resistant as they might be--at Home Depot, but rather knows salvage stores and knows wood.

Ideally, I'd like someone who could do a range of different things, such as build additions (to code), decks, porches, bathrooms, etc., but will tolerate our doing some of the work in order to cut down on costs or speed things up. And will try to match molding, etc.

We really do not want to and do not know how to do most of this work ourselves.

Thanks a ton,

SCander