Tucked into the Great Falls Village Centre at 9905 Georgetown Pike, AV Architects + Builders has spent more than two decades quietly redefining what a custom home in Northern Virginia can feel like. Founded in 2001 by Francisca Alonso, the firm is led today by husband-and-wife team Francisca and Antonio “Tony” Alonso, who serve as the creative force behind the company. Francisca’s design philosophy traces back to her childhood in Southern Spain, where she developed what the firm now markets as its signature idea: Vacation Style Living® — the belief that a home should make you feel like you’re on vacation every time you walk through the front door, not just the two weeks a year you actually leave town.
That philosophy has since become a book, a company tagline, and — judging by the firm’s client list — a genuine differentiator in a Northern Virginia market crowded with builders who can pour a foundation but can’t articulate a design point of view.
A Full-Service Model: Architecture, Build, Development, and Real Estate
What sets AV apart operationally is that it designs and manages construction under one roof, giving clients a single point of contact from start to finish — a structure meant to eliminate the friction of coordinating separate architects, contractors, and project managers. The firm is a multidisciplinary practice offering architecture, design-build, development, and consulting services for homeowners, investors, developers, and landowners. Their process is broken into clear stages — a Building Guide to define budget and goals, a Vision phase that produces schematic floor plans and a 3D massing model, and a full Design package of construction drawings — before construction ever begins. For projects outside Virginia and Maryland, they’ll still provide architectural design and pair clients with vetted local builders through their partner network.
Notably, the firm also operates a real estate arm: Francisca Alonso is a licensed Realtor who helps clients identify land and properties aligned with their building plans and long-term vision — a nice full-circle offering for buyers hunting for the right lot before they’ve even sketched a floor plan.
Awards and Recognition
The firm has built a substantial trophy case over the years. Highlights include:
- Best of Houzz — Design & Service Awards, won repeatedly (2019, 2018, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012)
- Best Contractor of Northern Virginia, 2017 — Northern VA Magazine
- Featured in Home & Design Magazine’s Top 100 Designers Portfolio
- Coverage in LUXE Interiors + Design, Washingtonian, Architectural Digest’s professional directory, and The Washington Post
- Licensed Architect and Class A Contractor status, with active membership in the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association (NVBIA), and the Custom Builders Council (CBC)
The firm is also a member of AIA NoVA’s design award circuit and continues to compete for its annual honors.
What Clients Are Saying
Reviews consistently circle back to two themes: distinctiveness of design and ease of the process. One client, Rob, said of his finished home: “We love the uniqueness of our home. Most new homes only differ by the numbers on the mailbox… we wanted something unique, something special.” Veronica, who went through a full gut renovation, credited the firm’s integrated model for keeping what could have been an “extraordinarily difficult process” feeling manageable, since design and construction “flowed seamlessly” under one team. Catherine praised having “a single point of contact that eliminated the usual stress of dealing with multiple parties,” while Andrea and Michael both mentioned specifically seeking out AV for homes built around real, daily living rather than showy square footage — Michael recalling that even on a large Great Falls property, Francisca insisted “they don’t build spaces with no purpose.”
Recent Homes
AV’s portfolio reads like a tour of Great Falls and McLean’s most architecturally distinct properties, several with names that function almost like a gallery of case studies:
- The Architect House — a high-end modern build in Great Falls showcasing the firm’s contemporary aesthetic
- The Vista House — a modern farmhouse-style custom home
- Astron House — another Great Falls modern custom build
- The Hill House — a striking hillside modern home in McLean
Each project leans into clean modern lines, generous glass, and strong indoor-outdoor connection — hallmarks of the Vacation Style Living® approach. The firm regularly publishes new blog content on the practical side of custom building too, covering topics like construction timelines and how to plan a build near a Resource Protection Area, which signals an active, ongoing project pipeline rather than a portfolio resting on past work.
The Bottom Line
For a Great Falls homeowner weighing a renovation or ground-up build, AV Architects + Builders occupies a specific niche: not the cheapest option, but one built around a coherent design philosophy, an integrated architecture-and-construction team, decades of local award recognition, and a founder who can also help you find the land in the first place. Their client testimonials suggest the firm delivers on its promise of a lower-stress process — a meaningful selling point in an industry where coordination breakdowns between architect and builder are one of the most common sources of client frustration…