Hiring a Remodeler? Michael Nash, the Most Awarded Firm in the Nation’s Chrysalis Program, Says These Signals Actually Matter

Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes of Fairfax, Virginia just won three national Chrysalis Awards in one year. Founder Sonny Nazemian explains how homeowners can separate real track records from marketing.

A major remodel is one of the largest checks most families will ever write, and it comes with a problem no other big purchase has: you cannot test-drive it. By the time you know whether you hired the right contractor, the walls are open and the deposit is spent.

Few firms have watched homeowners wrestle with that decision longer than Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes. The Fairfax, Virginia design-build company just won three 2026 Chrysalis Awards for Remodeling Excellence, its eighteenth consecutive year winning in the national program and the most of any company in the country, bringing its total to a record 53. Founder Sonny Nazemian is quick to say that homeowners should not pick a remodeler because of trophies. They should pick one the way award juries do: by looking at evidence.

Here is what the Michael Nash founder tells families to check before signing anything.

1. Look for verification you did not have to take on faith

Reviews matter, but they are self-selected and easy to game in both directions. Juried industry awards involve professionals examining budgets, plans, and finished work against hundreds of competing entries. Licensing records, permit histories, and years in business under the same name are equally hard to fake.

“Anyone can tell you they do great work,” Nazemian says. “The question is who else, with no stake in your project, has looked at that work closely and agreed.”

2. Weigh consistency more than highlights

Any firm can show you its best three projects. What predicts your experience is the baseline. Nazemian suggests asking how long the company has operated in your market, whether its recognition spans many years or clusters around one, and whether it performs across different project types. Michael Nash’s own record covers kitchens, baths, additions, and whole-house remodels across nearly two decades of continuous recognition, which is the pattern he says homeowners should look for anywhere they shop.

“A firm that gets judged well across many categories, year after year, is demonstrating an operating system, not a lucky streak.”

3. Understand who is actually doing the work

Design-build firms like Michael Nash keep design, architecture, project management, and construction under one roof, which means one contract and one accountable party. Firms that broker everything out can still do good work, but the homeowner often becomes the de facto general contractor when problems arise. Ask directly: who designs, who builds, who supervises, and who do I call when something goes wrong?

4. Treat the sales process as a preview

The estimate stage is the best behavior you will ever see from a contractor. If communication is slow, scope is vague, or pricing keeps shifting before the contract is signed, expect the same pattern with your money committed. Precision early is the cheapest insurance you can get.

5. Ask what happens in the hard years

Materials costs spike, permits stall, and labor markets tighten. Nazemian argues that the most revealing question a homeowner can ask is how a firm handled its most difficult recent project or season. Companies with genuine standards can answer specifically, because holding the line in bad conditions is what they are proudest of.

“The jury does not grade on effort, and neither does your house,” he says. “Either the work holds up or it does not. Hire the company that has been proving it holds up for a long time, in public, in front of people qualified to judge.”

Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes is a full-service design-build firm serving Northern Virginia, Washington, DC, and nearby Maryland communities. The full Michael Nash awards archive and project galleries are available at michaelnashdesignbuild.com.