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(Left to right) Rick Genuario, Louis Genuario, Jr., and Arthur Genuario.
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The kitchen at Hybla Valley Farms, Wakefield Homes’ latest project with The Patterson Group of TTR Sotheby’s.
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The bathroom at Hybla Valley Farms, Wakefield Homes’ latest project with The Patterson Group of TTR Sotheby’s.
1. Tell our readers a little bit about your company — how did it get started?
Wakefield Homes LC began with Louis V. Genuario, Sr., a West Point graduate who spent his military career with the US Army Corps of Engineers. After retiring from the Military in 1966 and spending three years in industry, Lou Sr. founded what was then called LV Genuario and Associates in 1969 and began building custom homes. From there the Genuario building entities grew to include Genuario Const. Co., Inc. (GCC), Wakefield Homes, LC, and Genuario Properties, Inc. Rick joined GCC in 1979 after working two years with Hughes Aircraft with Louis Jr. joining a few years later in 1984 after working four years with Bechtel Engineering. Brothers Rick and Louis have been running the businesses solely for over twenty years.
2. Does Wakefield Homes build mainly in Alexandria?
Yes, our primary focus is on building single family detached homes in Fairfax County and townhomes in the City of Alexandria. You can see our builds and models throughout the Fort Hunt, Wellington, Hybla Valley, and Mount Vernon neighborhoods, just to name a few.
3. What are some of the biggest design changes in homes that you've seen over the years?
From the 1980s through 2008, new homes have increased in size with open floor plans, taller ceilings, and more customized features in appliances, flooring, and ceramic tile. From 2010 to present, house footprints are smaller with expandable space especially with fully finished basements and 3rd level Lofts. Open floor plans continue to be desirable, with flexibility for two home office spaces.
4. What sort of trends are your customers asking for these days when it comes to building a home?
Buyers today are looking for decks and screened in porches for outdoor entertaining. There is also a shift towards fewer formal spaces, and a focus on finished basements and lofts to create additional flex spaces and home offices. Buyers also want luxurious and gourmet kitchens and energy efficiency in the home.
5. What tips do you have for anyone considering building a home?
Use a local builder who has a proven track record. We encourage those looking to build to reach out and explore our Build-On-Your-Lot program where the purchaser selects a home from our models for their own lot. Often, builders offer competitive construction to permanent loan programs for their BOYL purchasers. Our Build-On-Your-Lot program is made to help clients build their dream home, with a close working relationship with our team throughout the process.
6. Do you mainly work with clients before plans are even created or do you build homes and then put them on the market?
We mainly build our model homes on in-fill or subdivision lots, then sell them to prospective purchasers. Wakefield Homes LC is a Custom Production builder that customizes homes for our purchasers either prior to starting construction, or sometimes during the construction of speculative homes. We also take on projects to build custom homes, designed by architects who we know.
7. What is the biggest challenge your company is facing these days?
Costs and delays due to regulations and the complex permit process, difficulty in finding and purchasing buildable lots, the rising costs for labor and material, and the currently high costs of financing projects.
8. What is your company most proud of when it comes to your product?
How is it different from other builders? We are proud of dedication to our customers and the product we produce, adding to the landscape of the community we love and live in. We do an excellent job of bringing refreshing designs to infill lots that are proportional to the neighborhood but adds positively to the revitalization to these older, yet desirable locations.
9. Anything else you'd like our readers to know?
With over fifty years of active involvement in building within our community, we are proud of our well-earned reputation as an excellent builder in the very community we call home. We participate towards the continued improvement of the communities we build in through our well received houses and our long-standing involvement as volunteers in charitable, sports, schools and civic organizations.
This spring, we are partnering with The Patterson Group of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty to launch our latest project. We are thrilled to introduce Hybla Valley Farms, where modern craftsmanship meets comfortable living and entertaining. Located on lots at 2804, 2800, 2784, & 2724 Boswell Avenue, Alexandria VA 22306, this collection of single-family homes is meticulously designed to provide a harmonious blend of style and functionality, each built on a half-acre lot. Each residence at Hybla Valley Farms offers spacious living areas, emphasizing an open-concept layout that seamlessly connects the gourmet kitchen to family room, well-appointed dining/living room, versatile flex spaces that can serve as offices or playrooms, bedroom level laundry, luxurious primary suite, and two-car garage. Each host five bedrooms, four full bathrooms, one powder room, and an expansive walk-out lower level. Interior finishes feature painted kitchen cabinetry, stunning quartz countertops with tiled backsplashes, and stainless-steel appliances, with hardwood floors and elegant trim details found throughout these beautiful homes. Hybla Valley Farms is conveniently sited near local shopping, restaurants, community library, and parks. For more information, please contact The Patterson Group at 703.310.6201 or explore the floor plans and finishes online at