This was a really interesting project for the last remaining empty lot overlooking the beautiful Glen Echo ravine. The homeowner had just completed a 5 years renovation of the main residence, and needed a garage to complete the project. This was not to be any garage, however. Our only instructions were to maximize the view, and to use as many of the left-over, high-performance windows that the home-owner had saved. So with the stunning panoramic views over the ravine that this lot had to offer, as well as the homeowner’s ministry desires, what resulted was anything but typical.

From its shingled exterior, trellised garage doors, and flared, battered porch columns, there are custom details at every turn—and go a long way in creating a true Carriage House full of character. To start with, fiber cement shingles were chosen to blend in with the wooded environment while providing an extremely low-maintenance surface, and to relate well with the existing and adjacent Dutch Colonial Revival home. Despite boasting 9.0’ walls on the ground level and a vaulted ceiling on the 2nd floor level, the roof peak of the carriage house is lower than the adjacent home, and the clipped gables front and rear are effective in reducing the structure’s visual mass. Other tools we used to decrease the apparent size of the structure was the wide belt-course, the full-length porch, and even trimming down the 2nd floor wall heights a couple of inches to decrease the actual height where we could.

Because the homeowner is very handy and enjoys building things, the ground floor contains extra deep garage bays that double as a workshop. More than ample lighting and electrical service ensures a proper working environment for a craftsman, and easy ground floor access to mechanicals was provided. Because most of our conditioning requirements in this part of the country are heating requirements, I was happy to be able to put the furnace on the ground floor and let the “stack effect” (the natural tendency of heat to rise) work with us. Another advantage to locating the mechanicals on the ground floor was the future installation of an alternative-fuel stove as an option, with its ductwork tied to the existing furnace ductwork. In addition, the garage doors are insulated to R-10, ground floor walls are 6” thick, and both the walls and ceiling are super-insulated for maximum buffering from the conditions outside.

A long porch serves to provide shade and shelter from the elements, as well as to invite and draw the guest to the rear of the structure, toward the ravine and its view, and to the separate entry to the living quarters upstairs. Inside, a small foyer contains a practical coat closet and access to the garage. A staircase serves as transition space between upstairs and down, but more importantly, a wall of tall windows (tempered) beside the staircase offer expansive views of the Ravine, and blurs the boundary between inside and out.

Upstairs we find a surprisingly luxurious apartment that is intended to feel as if it is floating in the trees above the ravine. Complete with a vaulted ceiling in the great room, a fully equipped kitchen, a bathroom with a unique soaking tub, and even a sleeping and storage loft accessed via a concealed “ship’s” ladder, the Carriage House continues with its intrigue and delight. In addition, there are windows on every façade, and day-lighting is emphasized. Ample southern windows bring warm and sunny light into the bedroom and bathroom, while the vaulted great room maximizes its ravine views with its double height wall of windows.

Unfortunately, due to unexpected financial constraints, this project has yet to be constructed.