Home to Stay

A colorful house with a cheerful disposition

Written by Marion Butterworth
Photographed by Kenneth M. Wyner

Clad in bright “Newport blue” cedar shakes, this Dutch colonial in Bethesda is an impressive counter argument to the complaint that infill houses lack architectural style.

The process that resulted in this vibrant home started innocently enough when an owner of an older Bethesda home took a picture off the wall one day. Lurking beneath it, like the tell-tale dark spot on an x-ray, was evidence of an insidious infection that—untreated—would eventually threaten to bring the house down.

All wood custom cabinets from Tedd Wood Cabinetry in Pa. lend cottage charm to commercial grade Thermador appliances.

Even before the discovery of the moldy wallboard, these two young professionals, he in commercial real estate and she, a special education teacher, were feeling the squeeze that an older home puts on a growing family. “We definitely wanted more room,” she says, “but mostly, we wanted a healthy house.”

Problems with a Teardown

Removal of mold-affected wood and wallboard and an addition were possible solutions, but the further they got into investigating an addition, the more daunting—and expensive—the prospect became.

“We considered every possible scenario,” explains the husband. “We looked at a teardown and rebuild where we’d have to move out for a year or so. That would have been almost as expensive as a new home,” he says. ”We started working with an architect to do it, but the problem was that the house we wanted was going to be too big on our small lot. The house would have taken up the whole lot.”

“Doing an addition on our old house became such a hassle because of all its issues,” explains the wife, “that we thought maybe a new house was the way to go.”

The color and configuration of this couch from Urban Country in Bethesda make it a perfect match to the family room’s casual sophistication.

They still craved the character of an older home and wanted to stay close in. Both husband and wife grew up in the area and wanted to stay in Bethesda.

“I lived in the same house my whole life. We moved in two weeks before I was born. All my life I pictured myself in a house like my mom’s,” says the wife, explaining that she wanted that same permanence for her children.

New Home Search

With mixed emotions, the couple decided to sell their old house and start fresh with a new Block Builders house.

“We had been looking for the right house basically since we were married. We’d seen every new house that had been built in Battery Park, Edgemoor, English Village and Bradley Hills,” says the husband. He “learned a lot about which builders were good and which weren’t.”

“Sundance Yellow” by Benjamin Moore imbues the kitchen, front hall and family room with cheerful dispositions.

The houses they liked had one thing in common; they were designed by GTM Architects Inc. “Their homes sort of have an old-school feel to them. They’re great. A lot of houses, we’d look at and like, and then we’d see the GTM sign,” he says.

“We’d drive up and down Bradley Boulevard two to three times a day. For 18 months we watched some homes being built near there that have a great presence to them. We watched the first two homes go up and finally took a look,” the husband says. The houses built by Block Builders, owned by Tony Paulos, were not tract houses and had great curb appeal, says the husband.

“We primarily use GTM Architects. I like the style of house they do,” Paulos said, adding the best clients are those that have done their homework.

The family room flows into the screen porch, blurring the line between inside and out.

Recognizing Quality

The couple was able to scrutinize the two houses that they had watched Block build. “We got to see the finish work. Quality materials were used. One thing that drew me to the house was the Weather Shield® windows. Tony doesn’t ‘cheap out,’” says the husband. They also liked that the windows have true panes instead of snap-in mullions.

“Neon Celery” by Benjamin Moore enlivens the living room walls.

“Because we had so many issues with our old house, we were very cautious,” the wife explains. “My husband’s brother is a contractor, and we had him walk through while it was being framed. He said it was very well constructed. My husband loved that Tony used 2 x 6s for framing instead of 2 x 4s.” Paulos describes his construction style as “overkill.”

Coming from a family experienced in real estate and construction, the couple had two independent inspections while the house was being built. “The inspector was amazed by the roof trusses. They are incredibly strong—stronger than required,” says the husband. “The house has more steel than others. You’re spending so much money; you want to make sure you’re getting a well-built house. You could tell this is a solid house.”

Style Matters

“We first saw our house when it was just a skeleton. I loved the style. It has a New England sort of look,” says the wife, whose fondness for the style stems from spending time in Maine as a child.

“I’d always wanted a cedar shake house,” she says. The other two houses already built by Block on the street were part cedar shake. “I liked the flexibility of choosing the siding,” she says. “I loved that it was a Dutch colonial. I liked the roof line,” a mansard roof that Paulos says is unusual.

Soothing “Caribbean Coast” by Benjamin Moore bathes the master bedroom in tranquility.

“I like the fact that this house is bigger than our old house; it’s a good size. We don’t feel overwhelmed by it, and we use every room. Nothing is set off for special occasions,” the wife says.

The easy flow from room to room also appeals to them both.

“I like that the kitchen is the center of the house and accessible from every room. The floor plan is good for kids because all the rooms are connected,” says the wife.

Another of her favorite features is that Paulos’s standard is hardwood floors throughout. “We used 3 1/4 inch red oak,” he says. “It gives the house a different feel. Years ago, most houses were built with hardwood floors.”

Her husband’s favorite feature of the house, other than its sturdiness, is the screen porch off the family room. He says that he was pleased with how it turned out even though they gave Tony no directions regarding it. “We trusted him to do it right,” says the husband.

A chandelier adorned with pink and green crystal flowers helped establish the dining room’s color scheme.

“We used Tendura on the floor. It’s a synthetic product that doesn’t have to be painted. It’s got to be covered; it can’t be exposed to direct sun, but it doesn’t warp, rot or break down. It looks like the (tongue and groove) wooden porch floors in older homes,” says Paulos.

“The architect said that this floor would have cost an additional $3,000 from another builder,” explains the husband, “but it wasn’t extra with Tony.”

“We had lots of options,” says the wife. “I chose the kitchen cabinets and the light fixtures. I chose Zodiaq for the countertop because we could get it in bright colors. It’s Celestial Blue.”

Color Happy

“The way these homeowners personalized the house with color is unique. Most people are afraid of color. It’s bold and impressive,” says Paulos.

“I wanted our house to be happy and warm and cheerful; I knew the colors I wanted before we moved in. I gave Tony the paint chips and his painters painted. I did all the molding in high gloss white because I think it makes the other colors stand out more,” she says.

As if these garden party hues weren’t enough, she reveals that the inside of the front hall closet is Benjamin Moore’s “Peony Pink,” a vivid hot pink, and the basement is orange.

“This is only our second house and we expect to be here forever,” she says. “We’re really happy here. We heard horror stories (about builders) and we felt blessed that we didn’t have…issues. It’s a great house for a family.”

Tony Paulos, pictured here with his wife Cathy, says the best clients are those that have done their homework.