Perched overlooking 5 acres of woods and stream, the Potomac House is a contemporary home designed for a young family to grow into while fostering a strong connection to place. The four bedroom, 5,400-square foot home is set on thick concrete walls that acts as a dividing spine separating a formal, curated landscape on the west from the cascading contours of the steeply sloped site on the east. 

When the owners’ purchased the land there was an existing home on the site. Rather than demolishing the structure, the house was deconstructed diverting a large quantity of material away from a landfill to be recycled for future use. The footprint of the new home closely relates to the previous structure’s form, limiting disturbance to a small, previously developed zone. A forest delineation line was defined early in the planning process informing both the location and form of the new home. No development happened outside of this zone to both protect the forest and watershed but also to preserve the dense forest and animal habitat.