We help Philadelphia buyers find homes with good bones, understand renovation scope before closing, and transform them into thoughtfully designed homes — through one coordinated process.
You scroll through homes in Fishtown, Graduate Hospital, Fitler Square, Passyunk, and Bella Vista, and the pattern is usually the same. The finished homes feel overpriced or get overbid, and the ones in your budget need more work, more imagination, and more coordination than most buyers are prepared to take on.
Most buyers walk into a home that needs work and only see the problems. Seeing the bones, the layout potential, what is worth preserving, and what the home could realistically become takes a different kind of eye.
Even when a home has real potential, most buyers do not know what the renovation will cost, how long it will take, or which contractor is right for the project. That uncertainty is what keeps people stuck, or worse, pushes them into expensive decisions with the wrong team.
They buy something that is close enough, or they spend another year hoping the perfect home hits the market. Usually, neither option gets them where they actually want to go. We built Studio Di Gabriele for buyers who want a more thoughtful path.
Our process is built to reduce uncertainty, align the right people early, and help you move from search to finished home with far more clarity.
We start with a 60-minute consultation to understand your goals, neighborhoods, budget, timeline, and the level of renovation you are open to. This is where we begin shaping the strategy.
Marco leads the search with a focus on homes with strong underlying potential. We are not just looking at finishes — we are evaluating bones, layout opportunity, resale strength, and overall fit. Taylor joins on second showings when design perspective is needed.
During the due diligence period, Taylor works with the appropriate GC to develop a preliminary concept and real renovation scope so you can make a more informed decision before closing.
Once you close, the project moves into construction. The GC leads the build, while Taylor coordinates design, selections, drawings, and construction administration to help keep the process cohesive and intentional.
For clients who want a more complete result, Taylor offers an optional furnishing plan with room-by-room specifications, tear sheets, and sourcing links — so the home feels finished, layered, and consistent.
We help close out the process with punch-list oversight, final styling support, and finished photography where appropriate. The goal is not just to renovate the house, but to create a home that feels fully resolved.
Before
After
Before offering this as a service, we bought a Philadelphia home that needed work and went through the process firsthand. We found the right contractor, designed the home end to end, and learned exactly how valuable it is to understand scope, pricing, and coordination before a project starts unraveling.
That experience shaped everything about Studio Di Gabriele. The process we now guide clients through is one we tested on our own home first.
Marco leads the real estate side of every engagement, including strategy, search, showings, offer guidance, and settlement. Through Rarity Real Estate and Keller Williams Empower, he helps clients buy smarter by identifying the right opportunities and navigating the purchase with clarity and confidence. License RS338768.
Taylor leads concept development, space planning, construction documents, and construction administration. Her work helps clients understand what a home can become before they commit, and then guides the design process through construction so the finished result feels cohesive, warm, and deeply considered.
If you've been searching for a home and keep coming back to the same conclusion — that what you want isn't on the market — the Vision Consultation is where we figure out whether this path is right for you.