Carriage House

This project presented numerous challenges in design, zoning and site logistics. The desire for off-street parking for two cars, with a multi-use space above, coupled with not wanting to disturb the existing house or landscaped garden, generated the idea for a traditional carriage house-type structure at the rear of the lot. The narrow site and prescribed zoning produced its distinctive shape, and the use of cheerful colors derived from the main house, asymmetrical placement of windows and shutters, and staggered-edge shingle-cladding create graphic visual interest and texture. This unique architectural expression epitomizes the whimsy of a grown-up tree house, but is rooted within the historic context of its location in the Parker Grey historic district of Alexandria, VA.