Historic Chevy Chase Residence

This Queen Anne style residence features a new addition, a complete interior and exterior renovation, and a thoroughly modern landscape scheme. The new garden plan reinforces the historic character of the neighborhood and improves the utility of all the outdoor spaces for a young family who enjoys entertaining and gathering at the fire table lounge for making s’mores.

At the front, improvements include terraced plantings along the slope leading up to the house. New dry-laid brick for the stairs and entry path are in keeping with the era of the house and a pair of existing birch trees were retained to frame the restored 1890s façade. The classic white, picket fencing was moved up to embrace the house and provide a clear enclosure for the rear yard, which underwent a major transformation.

From the front porch, a pathway of stone bands leads to the picket gate and into the private, rear garden. Screening evergreens, hydrangeas, and massings of blush-colored astilbe, cat mint, yews, and boxwood define the edges along the putting green, a cooking/dining patio, a lounge area with the fire table, and a swath of lawn. The landscape lighting plan emphasizes the uplighting of majestic trees and moonlights the ground plane, which creates welcoming outdoor rooms long past sundown. Of interest perhaps, is what is not visible. Stormwater management dictated the placement of all elements and required a balance of environmental sensitivity and design ingenuity.

  • Architect: GTM Architects
  • General Contractor: Structure
  • Landscape Contractor: Chick Landscaping
  • Photographer: Kate Wichlinski
Two-story white house with a covered front porch and gray shutters, framed by two large trees. A brick walkway leads up to the central front entrance, which is illuminated by warm porch lights at dusk.
A two-story cream-colored house with a wrap-around porch and a balcony above. The home features gray shutters and is surrounded by a green lawn, large trees, and a white picket fence.
Cream-colored house with pale blue shutters and two white window boxes filled with pink flowers. A covered porch with arched entryways and a black iron railing leads to the front door. A neatly trimmed green hedge runs along the foundation.
A white two-story house features a wide, arched porch with wicker furniture and glass doors. A row of pink astilbe flowers grows in front of a lattice foundation, bordering a stone path set into a green lawn.
A stone path leads through a white picket gate into a backyard garden. A wooden bench sits on a patio at the end of the path, framed by lush trees and manicured lawns.
A white house features a wide, arched porch with a railed balcony above and glass-paned doors. A stone walkway leads through a lush lawn alongside a bed of blooming purple flowers and a low white fence.
A manicured green lawn bordered by a long row of purple astilbe flowers and tall evergreen trees. A stone walkway edges the lawn on the right, leading toward a wooden fence in the distance.
A white house exterior featuring a slate path alongside rows of small green bushes and purple flowering plants. Beyond the path, a manicured lawn is bordered by mature trees under a clear blue sky.
A large white two-story house with a wrap-around porch and a stone patio. The patio is furnished with wicker seating and a dining set, surrounded by a lawn and trees.
A stone patio featuring a wooden dining set and a lounge area with a low fire pit. The backyard includes a manicured lawn, a border of purple flowers, and mature trees against a white house.
A backyard putting green with two flags sits in front of a white house with a covered porch. A patio with outdoor dining furniture and a grill extends from the house toward a grassy lawn and dense trees.
A two-story white house at dusk featuring a stone patio with a fire pit, outdoor sofa, and dining set. The backyard includes a manicured lawn, a white picket fence, and surrounding trees.
A two-story white house with a columned porch and illuminated windows at twilight. The house is framed by two large trees in a grassy front yard with a white picket fence.

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