Washington Post House of the Week 

This renovation represents one of the most detailed and painstaking Cook Architecture renovations of a Goodman mid century modern to date. For the original 2 bedroom/1 bath, 880 sq. ft. home, Charles Goodman and his architectural associates packed a lot of high-design concepts into this modest house. It was important to him that "good design" was accessible to everyone. This democratic notion was incredible for the time. Goodman basically had the same prescription for these small houses as the larger, higher-end, custom homes he designed for the DC elite. Everybody got the same thing, just on different scales. In this home, those design elements include cathedral ceilings, an open floor plan concept, natural materials such as solid oak flooring, and a large brick fireplace surrounded by 28 feet of floor to ceiling windows, all creating fantastic living spaces with garden areas flowing inside.

In 1968, architect John Cahill built an addition that focused on adding two bedrooms and a full bathroom. Our addition of roughly 350 square feet centers on creating a larger kitchen and dining area as well as two new bathrooms and improved circulation paths. Our new window walls duplicate the Goodman window module of posts at 3' – 1” on center in two L-shaped configurations, directing the views to the new outdoor patio and garden space to the east and west, and away from the adjacent neighbor. 

For the new roof line, we “clipped” the new roof framing onto the existing down-sloped gable roof so that the ceiling line from inside appears to resemble a piece of paper. The roof of the kitchen volume slopes upward to an 11’ – 6” height at the outer south facing wall.

All windows have been replaced with insulated glass fitted into restored Goodman-style window frames. The house features all new plumbing, electrical, insulation (spray foam and batt), flooring including long-board red oak and mid-century appropriate cork, and restored vintage lighting. The two-zoned HVAC has been upgraded.

The detailed renovation includes custom millwork, molding, trim and doors, including solid birch doors on the bedrooms, and solid ash cabinetry in the bathrooms.

The siding of the kitchen addition plays off the original board and batten style siding with T-111 board and cedar batten.

Extensive thought and resources also were devoted to the landscape and drainage system (including sump pump) on the site and large, repurposed concrete retaining walls. A hardscaped seating and patio area with a built-in fire pit sits just off the living room to connect the inside and out entertaining areas.