This Week's Find: A Treehouse in Barnaby Woods

• April 19th 2018

by Nena Perry-Brown

Originally constructed in 1936 and updated 70 years later, This Week's Find has a striking look that blurs the line between indoor and outdoor living.

The renovation, completed by the current owners and Meditch Murphey Architects, took a traditional Colonial and created something that would connect with the wooded area at the back of the property, earning it the nickname Tree House. 

“We wanted to pull the backyard right through the house and tight up to the front door," explained architect John Dennis Murphey in an ArchitectureDC magazine feature. To accomplish this, the original stair was removed from the center of the house and inserted into a corner of a new addition, creating a six foot-wide center hall from the front door to the back of the home.

With the placement of the new hall, the main level is arranged in a series of long rooms on either side. The living room and family room have a retractable frosted glass wall that can either separate the spaces or create open flow between them.

The dining room sits at the back of the house with a telescoping wall that opens the room to the backyard, with an option to also deploy a mechanized screen instead of leaving the room exposed. 

A two foot-tall clerestory window panel runs beneath the ceiling on the main level, providing a "borrowed view". Windows on the second level are at what Murphey referred to as "pillow height", enhancing the treehouse feel. 

Opposite the window wall facing the sideyard, the dining room wall close to a neighboring house is also composed of frosted glass, allowing in natural light while still preserving privacy. The floating staircase has a small balcony alcove off the landing.

The master suite enjoys a pitched roof, a wall of glass and private terrace space. A garage at the rear of the property got a similar treatment to the house, with translucent panels along one wall that allow the building to serve as a light fixture. 

Additional images and details are below.

• Address: 6404 31st Place NW (map)
• Price: $1,799,000
• Bedrooms: Four
• Bathrooms: 4.5
• Square Feet: 3,236
• Year Built: 1936
• Listing Agents: Jeff Lockard, Andrew Smith, TTR Sotheby's International Realty

Photos courtesy of HomeVisit. 

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/this-weeks-find-a-treehouse-in-barnaby-woods/13864.