This Week’s Find: An Uncommon DC Rowhouse

• May 8, 2014

by Lark Turner

A rowhouse restored with reused industrial materials is on the market in Shaw, and it’s unlike most other rowhouses you will find in the city. The three-bedroom at 446 N Street NW (map) was built in 1900 by architect Nicholas T. Haller. Its modern-day owner, engineer Ozzie Zehner, bought the house in a state of disrepair in 2001 and wanted to do a renovation that showed off the home’s original architecture, including its aged beams.

When he bought it, Zehner told UrbanTurf, the house had a tree growing where a spiral staircase now stands. But its decay wasn’t all bad.

“I found that to be one of the intriguing parts of the house, because all of the original beams and everything were really beautiful and I liked the story that they told,” said Zehner, who did most of the renovation work on the house himself.

Zehner used recycled or low-impact materials in much of the house, including a steel door that opens up an upstairs bedroom to the main living space, as well as a shipping container repurposed into a kitchen island.

“I was trying to leave as much of the original fabric that I appreciated from the building and I also tried to use recycled or reused materials wherever I could,” he said. “The floors were unsalvageable, but parts of the original floor still remain with other uses in the house.”

The downstairs half-bath is a European-style wet bath, meaning it doubles as a shower. The bedrooms upstairs are connected by a glass-and-steel catwalk that allows light from the skylights to travel down to the open main floor.

Zehner bought the home 13 years ago for $76,500, but the complete renovation, growing popularity of homes in the neighborhood and decade-plus of appreciation mean it’s now listed at a heftier price.

Here’s some additional information on the property:

• Full Listing: 446 N Street NW (map)
• Price: $699,000
• Bedrooms: Three
• Bathrooms: 1.5
• Square Footage: 1,400
• Year Built: 1900
• Listing Agents: Tyler Garrison, TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/this_weeks_find_a_rowhouse-turned-industrial_loft/8464