McLean, Va., house with garden oasis lists for $3.5 million

McLean, Va., house with garden oasis lists for $3.5 million

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In 2011, when Leo Brooks very first went with his genuine estate agent to see this residence in McLean, Va., he didn’t go into the property correct absent. As an alternative, he wandered to the back of the dwelling, wherever he was smitten.

“I walked through their facet gate, came into the backyard,” he said. “It was just amazing. It was summertime, and [there were] all these gorgeous plants. They had this magnificent pool and a private setting. Correct then, I told myself, ‘I really don’t know what it is likely to look like on the within, but it is going to be hard not to take this, just based mostly on how the gardens look.’ ”

Distinguished houses for sale in the D.C. region

McLean, Va., house | The 4-bedroom, 4-toilet, 5,000-square-foot property on just underneath an acre is shown at $3.5 million. (Nathan Stewart/C. Gauthier Pictures)

The home, which he calls a “cottage in the woods,” was built in 1963 but has been expanded over the yrs. The gabled roofs give it a storybook appearance.

Five several years just after shopping for the house, Leo and his spouse, Debbie, undertook a renovation of the house and gardens. They hired McHale Landscape Design for the exterior and Akseizer Style Group for the inside.

“What’s pleasant is when you have people today that are outstanding but you can also collaborate with,” Debbie reported.

A great deal of the exterior renovation involved uncovering and refreshing. Azaleas wrapped about the swimming pool, concealing it. Large oaks and poplars ringed the house, obscuring a perspective of the residence.

“You could not see the character of the residence due to the fact there ended up so many trees in entrance,” Leo reported.

Ten huge trees were being eradicated. The azaleas and other crops were transplanted to other components of the back garden. The English gardens have been laid out in a extra formal arrangement. Debbie claimed only about 40 to 45 percent of the vegetation are new.

The best obstacle was “trying to marry the aged with the new,” Anthony Cusat, who is a senior landscape architect with McHale and led the renovation, instructed Dwelling & Layout journal. McHale been given an award of difference for the undertaking in 2019 from the Landscape Contractors Affiliation of Maryland, D.C. and Virginia.

With plants staggered to bloom at different instances, the Brookses have an ever-switching landscape as properly as a secluded oasis.

“It’s incredibly personal,” Debbie mentioned. “Wherever we could see an adjacent rooftop, we added one more tree.”

McHale also set a fireplace in a gazebo on the grounds, developed a huge courtyard with a fountain on the side of the property, and designed what Leo calls his “man cave” — an outside kitchen with a grill, refrigerator, tv and large-top seating.

Akseizer Design and style Team assisted renovate the kitchen and the owner’s suite. The owner’s bedroom has a hearth and a 15-foot vaulted ceiling with wooden trusses. Glass double doorways open to a covered deck with automatic screens. The bathroom is done in a design and style Debbie calls “British formal.” It has a heated ground, double vanity, independent shower and soaking tub, a hearth, and a tv. Big dressing parts have created-in shelving and cabinetry.

The four-bed room, 4-lavatory, 5,000-square-foot house on just beneath an acre is mentioned at $3.5 million.

858 Canal Dr., McLean, Va.

  • Bedrooms/bathrooms: 4/4
  • Approximate square-footage: 5,000
  • Great deal dimensions: .92 acre
  • Characteristics: The 1963 house has been expanded above the years. The present-day proprietors renovated the exterior and interior, choosing McHale Landscape Design and style and Akseizer Layout Group. The grounds include things like English gardens, a courtyard, heated swimming pool and spa, an out of doors kitchen, and a gazebo with a fireplace. The two-stage dwelling has four fireplaces. The a few-auto garage is connected.
  • Listing agent: W. Ted Gossett and Joe Kotula, Washington High-quality Qualities