The Challenge
The rear landscape elements of this capital hill row house in Washington DC had fallen into neglect over the years. The rear addition (with upper deck) was in need of restoration, and the view offered from the breakfast room was of a dilapidated deck over the garage. The clients wished to have a restored addition that offered views to a new deck with easy access from the kitchen, and a low-maintenance court below.
The Solution
The breakfast room addition was torn down and re-constructed with full-height windows facing the new upper deck. Steel members create a picture frame to the new deck and courtyard below. The deck above the garage is linked to the house by a new bridge made of open grate steel. The deck itself is a combination of ipe and white and blue resin panels, which together help reduce the boxed-in effect from which many urban decks suffer, while still providing privacy from the alley. The client is an avid gardener, and the addition of planters on the deck, as well as herb beds in the lower courtyard, allow her to vary the plantings seasonally. In addition, the mixture of stone, concrete and greenery help create a varied graphic pattern in the courtyard when viewed from the decks and breakfast room above.
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