Kevin and Alyssa Wheeler lived in Washington, D.C., for many years—first in Mount Vernon Triangle and then in Southwest—but, like many urbanites, they yearned for a single-family home where they could start a family. Their search took them to Arlington.
“We zeroed in on a couple of potential neighborhoods, but ultimately settled on Country Club Hills,” says Kevin, an attorney who works in private practice. (Alyssa is also a lawyer.) “A large part of it was because of the location and how accessible it is.”
The neighborhood hit all the right notes, with its mature trees, diverse mix of architectural styles and easy commute into D.C.
Bonus: The elevated property they ended up buying in 2020 offered views of the National Cathedral and beyond, although the existing house on the lot wasn’t taking advantage of that asset.
In fact, the old home, a split-level, had seen better days. Built around 1940, it wasn’t in great shape. Razing it and starting from scratch made sense.
To build the five-bedroom house of their dreams, the Wheelers selected GTM Architects in Bethesda and Arlington contractor Ventura Group. “We were aware of GTM because we had seen them around,” Kevin says, “but we have a close mutual friend who introduced us to [principal] Mark Kaufman.”
The couple’s brief to Kaufman was relatively simple. They wanted “a traditional home that had updated styling” and pointed to a GTM-designed home they liked in Chevy Chase as a starting point. “It wasn’t a replica, but it definitely provided some inspiration for our house,” Kevin says.
Kaufman’s first—and perhaps most important—decision was where to position the 7,000-square-foot residence on the lot, which spanned nearly a third of an acre. The previous house had faced east, with a 14-foot slope running from south to north. The Wheelers had a strong preference for a sunny, south-facing front door.
“We had to reorient and rethink how the lot was being utilized,” Kaufman says, “meaning if there’s a big sloping lot from left to right … it’s now gonna be from the front of the house to the back of the house.”
Rotating the new home’s orientation opened up a number of design opportunities. It allowed the architects to tuck a garage into the lower level, add a terrace and a pool in back, and maximize the views from the upper floors.
“With the slope, they’re able to drive under the house into the basement level for the garage, so we’re not sacrificing any first floor living space for a two-car garage,” Kaufman says. “And because we have a full walk-out on the north side of the house, you get great light.”
In addition to the garage, the lower level contains an exercise room, wine cellar, guest bedroom and rec room, and connects to a covered patio with access to the pool.
The main level is essentially a modified open plan. A foyer flanked by a dining room on one side and a living room (“which we call the ‘piano room’ because that’s what we use it for,” Alyssa says) on the other leads to the kitchen in back. The main floor also has a powder room, home office, screened porch, stairs and an elevator.
The uppermost level features three generously sized bedrooms, plus an owner’s suite with a large deck that captures views of the D.C. skyline to the north.
High ceilings (10 feet on the main level and 9 feet in the bedrooms) make the spaces feel grand. A collaboration with Bethesda-based interior designer Erica Burns produced an aesthetic that can be described as “pared back traditional,” with beefy trim work, crown moldings, wall paneling and extra-large windows.
“On the first floor, we did 9-foot-tall double-hung windows. They start about 9 inches above the floor and go all the way up,” Kaufman says. “In the main family room spaces, you really want to have a lot of connection to the outside and a lot of daylight.”
The kitchen exudes French country vibes with white-painted perimeter cabinets topped with quartz countertops, and an island with the same door style but rendered in oak. A blue French range strikes a dashing pose and is complemented by a large, plaster-finished range hood. For continuity, the same plaster technique was used on the fireplace in the adjacent family room.
With its pitched roof, operable shutters, copper gutters and downspouts, and clapboard siding, the house fits in nicely among the neighboring Tudors, Colonials and Federal-style homes. The whitewashed brick was a client request. Additional cladding in fiber cement and composite slate contribute to a low maintenance exterior.
“A lot of the material you see on the house is consistent within the neighborhood,” says the architect. “We might have used it in a slightly different manner or had some different architectural elements.” But the palette speaks the same language.
As in so many successful custom homes, landscaping completes the look. A plan by D.C. landscape architect Joseph Richardson uses retaining walls to create terraces, combined with an array of trees, shrubs and flowering plants for privacy and aesthetics.
Having lived in their new home for two years now—during which they welcomed a baby boy—the Wheelers say it’s everything they hoped it would be.
“The benefit of building a custom home is that we were able to design it with our life in mind,” Alyssa says. “The spaces feel like they all have their purpose, which was really important to us. We didn’t want [anything to feel] awkward. Everything has a purpose. I think that helps it feel like home.”
Project Credits
Architect: GTM Architects
Interior Designer: Erica Burns Interiors
Landscape Design: Richardson & Associates Landscape Architecture
Builder: Ventura Grouphttp://venturagroupllc.com
Kitchen Cabinetry: Amy Collins, Division 12 Design
Nigel F. Maynard is a writer and DIY home remodeler in historic Hyattsville, Maryland. Follow him on Instagram @products_hound and @custom_home_hacker.