5321 Glenwood R, Bethesda Md 20814
site plan
basement
first floor
second floor
west elevation
east elevation
front (south) elevation e
north elevation
(left) Siding study. (below this page and right) Front Facade.
Walk-out to large deck with beautiful view is part of the inside-out entertainment and family space designed on the first level. Deck has a direct connection through stairs with yard as well.
Comfortable kitchen with island opening on to family room and a flowing entertaining space inside and outside to the deck, are just some of key attributes of this home.
The open kitchen is located at the heart of the home. This enhances modern and comfortable living.
Transition into the intimacy of the bedrooms. Beautiful illuminated staircase and upstairs hallway.
Spacious, spa inspired master bath including shower, large bathtub, double sinks and separate toilet room. The goal was to enjoy the tree tops without losing the sense of privacy.
The basement includes a mudroom, machine room an multi-use room. Also, separated by a door what can be configured as office/in-law apartment/rental. This includes a living area with kitchen (see above) 2 bedrooms, 1 shower room, a laundry closet with hook-ups for stacked laundry machines the can be It even has its one access an beautiful brick patio.
Category Name = Custom Home less than $1,000,000.00 Glenwood Residence 1. Explanation and scope Glenwood Residence was conceived as a dream of the design and development group of creating a home a little bit different than what the market offers. The idea was to do a custom, unique home with well thought design ideas and materials kept within an accessible budget. Even before starting with the design and after long meetings with the realtors, we came with a scope suitable for the potential clients according to the location, lot, proximities, etc. The result of months of planning, design and construction is a spacious new home close to downtown Bethesda with 6 bedrooms and 4.5 baths. It maximizes space, light and energy efficiency for convenient, flexible, modern and comfortable living. 2. and 3.Achieved goals. Functionality and safety. Natural light and views. The goal was to capture as much light and beautiful views without compromising privacy. Window budget was another goal to be met. A lot of thought was put in to this and with the help of our window provider we were able to accomplish an optimal equilibrium. Meeting the needs of the program and conception of the house within the established square footage and budget. Through study of family living and each part of the program we achieved a very satisfactory architectural project. A couple of features where the following: comfortable dimensions without wasting valuable space, 10’ ceilings to promoted openness and optimal material choices. Transitions. A lot of thought went into the transitions from inside out, from public to private. The idea was to provide flexibility without compromising privacy and to slowly transition into the most intimate rooms of the house. Comfortable living and logic flow. Plan achieves a very efficient use of space and a clear, straight forward circulation. The kitchen, in the heart of the home serves as a connector and a focal point without compromising its independent functionality, safety and flow. The staircase works as the spine of the house, located in the center. Provides light and transparency while providing straight forward circulation and safety. Materials were very well thought as well. Well-being of the users, them being enjoyable to senses, and its durability were some aspects considered at the time the materials where chosen. Some examples below. a. warm and nice to touch = wood floor and wood entrance (warm welcome to HOME) b. sturdy and clean = granite, porcelain c. durability and permeability = reused concrete pavers d. energy efficient and durable = fixtures and appliances 4. Form The house was conceptually conceived as a cube/prism that would shelter a family, windows and siding were designed to reinforce the verticals. Inside a central spine, would organize the space. Symmetry, fluidity and balance between the 3 different levels where key in the design process. The cube would have two main connections to the exterior. First a wood portal that would mark and emphasis the main threshold into the house. Second, a terrace on the first floor what would allow entertaining and family circulation to flow inside-out. The basement includes a mudroom, machine room a multi-use room. Also, separated by a door what can be configured as office/in-law apartment/rental unit. This includes a living area with kitchen, 2 bedrooms,
full bathroom, a laundry closet with hook-ups for stacked laundry machines, it even has its one access to a private beautiful brick patio. 5. and 6. Craftsmanship and innovation. The team of construction was carefully selected. They were evaluated by their experience in each field, care for details, open to creative unconventional solutions that would enhance the value of the house. Some examples below. a. Pavers = carefully removed from another project and reused. b. Moldings = custom crisp, simple wood molding. c. Painting = sensibly selected colors and very cautiously applied to walls, moldings and doors. d. Hand picking of tile e. Shower enclosures f. Cedar wood siding in entrance = handpicked and installed. g. Cement siding = thoughtful design and installation. Durable material. h. Countertops 7. and 8. Obstacles and challenges During the planning and design process we went back and forth with Montgomery county lineaments. Issues like the area of the house, amount of levels, drainage requirements caused changes in the project. Other of the challenges was to do more for less, budget-wise; so we came up with the idea of using more design and less “special/expensive” materials that would give us a good balance. When we started the project we agreed not to do a garage, but leave the space under the deck as a carport. By the time we were about to pour the slab, the realtor called saying that we do need a car garage for two cars! So we had to adjust the project in no time to accommodate the garage, we stretched a bit the back and carved a bit from the basement to make room for two cars; we also added the driveway, extended for the cars to turn back and a drywell at the bottom to capture most of the rainwater. Because of design and layouts adjustments, we started later in fall which took us into a very challenging and tough early winter to complete the envelope to work inside during the winter months. 9. Creative solutions to challenges We wanted to create an open plan in the first floor but we designed the stairs in the middle to minimize circulation area and using the back of the stairs for HVAC trunks and closets. So we created two big openings on the sides which we closed with tempered glass to be able to see through and allow light to flow. We used the coat closet in the first floor to hide the open kitchen behind and give some privacy to the entrance of the powder room. Instead of building a portico, we carved the entry space into the volume of the house to reinforce the idea of a clean prism. 10. Overall results of the project The project came out as a well-balanced house. The team was very pleased with the openness, flow and flexibility of the first floor, the privacy and functionality of the second floor, and the support areas of the basement (apartment, office, in law, etc.) The aesthetics of the envelope and the interior, a look which the team likes to call “transitional”, is another of the project’s achievements. Done by using traditional colors and materials with a twist. Also, accomplished by using big windows and simple shapes, giving the right importance to the main entrance.