By Nigel F. Maynard

Project: Cinder Villa / Location: Washington / Architect: KUBE Architecture, Washington / Photos: Anice Hoachlander

For most house hunters, the right house (usually) means good bones, a great location and lush interiors. For a young house-hunting couple, the perfect home turned out to be a burnt-out shell in the nation’s capital.

The home in Washington’s historic Georgetown neighborhood, the architects say, was a “cinder-villa,” which meant there was an opportunity for the couple to create the exact house they wanted.

“The interior was non-existent due to past fire, so the owners saw this as an opportunity to keep the interior open from front to back,” says architect Richard Loosle-Ortega, a partner in the Washington-based firm, Kube Architecture. “The front windows were small, and could not be altered due to the home’s historic status.”

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Naturally, the interior–at least what was left of it–was a wreck. Most of the existing framing of the house was in poor condition and even damaged, including the framing, electrical and the mechanical work, which did not conform to modern building codes. “The only element we ‘saved’ was the external shell, which had to be reinforced from the inside,” Loosle-Ortega says.

Looking for a “jewel box” within the shell of the historic structure, the clients asked Kube for a light-filled space with elegant materials and a seamless connection to the outdoors. 

The design team added large windows and doors in a new rear addition allowing light to penetrate deep into the interior of the home. A second floor was added in the rear, offering views to the rear yard urban oasis, with green space, fire boxes and space for the children to play. “A roof deck adds to the family’s connection to the outdoors,” the firm says. “The red stain of the front cedar siding is repeated in the rear to tie together old and new. The restoration of the street façade preserves the cottage’s character and connection with the surrounding historic context.”

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Kube gave the clients the clean, modern and warm environment they wanted instead of a traditional interior with segregated rooms and busy decorative details. A steel and wood open-riser staircase anchors the center of the narrow home permitting light to penetrate almost all areas of the home. A glass wall, railing and balustrade system also help accomplish this goal. Veneer kitchen cabinetry with integrated appliances give a main space a furniture feel but also adds warmth, while floor to ceiling windows permit light and views to the backyard. 

Strangely, one of the most challenging aspects of the project was dealing with the Old Georgetown Board, an advisory board of three architects that conduct reviews of Georgetown projects. A tight site didn’t help either.

The existence of the board meant that the architects needed permission to make changes to the exterior. “Anything visible to the public’s eye, from the street, needed to adhere to the Georgetown historic district rules and regulations,” Loosle-Ortega says.

Kube presented to the board on two occasions, during which they determined, among other things, that the front facade needed to go back to the original wood facade and the third floor dormer window must align with the neighboring house dormer window.

“We wanted to have stucco as the front of the house to be consistent throughout the exterior of the house,” the architect explains. “When we had our OGB meeting, it was determined with the architectural historian on the board that the original house was wood siding. Being that we were renovating the exterior, the front facade of the house was required to go back to the original wood facade. The existing stucco at the house was not allowed.  We were able to put stucco around the sides and rear of the house however.”
The resulting project is a nice mix of old and new, restoration and creation. Loosle-Ortega says “the preservation of history is important but does not have to extend into the interior of a modern home. Modern interiors can clearly co-exist with historic exteriors.”

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