The Chesterbrook area of McLean, Va., attracts residents who appreciate the beauty of gently rolling hills, towering trees and proximity to downtown Washington. Residents here can reach the city in minutes or drive to Arlington or Tysons Corner, Va., or downtown McLean for shops, restaurants and work.
The average recent sales price for homes in this section of McLean is $1,587,000, according to listing agent Bill Detty of the Huckaby Briscoe Group of Keller Williams Realty.
The single-family homes in the Birchwood community in Chesterbrook represent a variety of styles, in part because many of the original 1960s ramblers have been expanded and modernized in recent decades. The home at 6418 Noble Drive, on the market for $1,098,000, was built in 1965 and remodeled in 2004. The extensive addition nearly doubled the home’s size and created a warm focal point for the home while leaving an expansive backyard.
While the carefully designed addition is appealing, the home’s location may be an even bigger draw. Residents can walk to Chesterbrook Elementary School and can reach Longfellow Middle School and McLean High School in a short drive. The home rests on a quiet street just off Kirby Road, yet within minutes, residents can reach dozens of shops and restaurants in McLean or head into Georgetown or downtown Washington.
The home sits on about a quarter-acre, with level lawns and professionally landscaped garden beds in the front and back of the home. A flagstone front walk leads to the flagstone front stoop. The backyard ends at a row of towering trees with a wooded area on the opposite side of the fence.
The custom-designed addition to the home is raised above ground level in the back of the house, adding a carport for one car. A second car could be parked in tandem under the addition, and there is also a one-car garage and an asphalt drive with more space for off-street parking.
The addition also creates a shaded patio for dining or relaxing out of the sun. Plenty of additional space is available for relaxing outdoors in the rest of the backyard.
The home has been meticulously maintained by the owners and includes discreet universal design features that allow for easier access for someone with limited mobility or using a wheelchair. The former rambler has all the main living areas and bedrooms on one level, with a lower level for added living space. Universal design features include widened doorways and carefully placed light switches and outlets, plus a shower with a gently sloping entrance instead of a step.
The original section of this all-brick rambler was remodeled in 2004, when the addition was designed and built. The front door opens into a foyer with hardwood flooring and a spectacular view of the trees at the back of the property.
To the right of the foyer, a wide doorway leads into the formal living room, which has hardwood flooring, a picture window and a wood-burning fireplace with a brick surround, a slate hearth and a mantel.
The living room has crown molding and a wide doorway into the adjacent formal dining room. The dining room has crown and chair-rail molding, hardwood flooring and a chandelier. A doorway in the dining room opens to reveal oak stairs leading to a floored attic storage area.
While the living room and dining room provide elegant spaces for entertaining, the family spends most of their time in the dramatic two-story addition to the home, an open family room, breakfast area and kitchen with walls of floor-to-ceiling windows facing the woods. A soaring cathedral ceiling includes recessed lighting, while hardwood flooring blends with the colors of the nearby trees.
The 25-by-18-foot family room doubles as a gathering area for large groups and a space for casual family dinners. Two sets of picture windows with transoms frame views of the manicured backyard and trees. Crown molding and oversized trim for the windows and doorways add character to this room.
The family room is open to the kitchen, which has a generously sized breakfast bar and granite counters. The kitchen includes hardwood flooring, custom-designed cabinets - including a wine rack - and stainless steel appliances.
French doors lead from the family room into another section of the addition, a conservatory that also functions as a library. The conservatory shares the two-story cathedral ceiling of the family room and also has a wall of windows facing the woods. Floor-to-ceiling built-in bookcases are set along one wall, and the room has two more tall windows facing the side yard.
This home has three bedrooms and two baths on the main level, including the master bedroom suite. All of the bedrooms have hardwood flooring. The master suite has a bedroom with a wall of mirrored closets with built-in organizers and a ceiling fan. The attached master bath has been remodeled and expanded and includes marble flooring and walls, a combination tub and shower with marble walls, an oversized skylight and a large medicine cabinet, plus a built-in vanity with space for a seat.
Each of two additional bedrooms on this level has a closet with double doors. They share the full bath off the hall. This bath has been remodeled and includes decorative ceramic tile walls and flooring and a gently sloped entrance into a shower with ceramic tile walls and a glass door.
The finished lower level of this home has ceramic tile flooring and a fireplace surrounded by a wall of brick and a raised brick hearth. The lower level also has a bedroom with a walk-in closet and an adjacent full bath.
This level also has a laundry room and a storage room with a door to the backyard.
DETAILS:
Address: 6418 Noble Drive, McLean, VA 22101
Community: Birchwood
Age: Built in 1965, remodeled in 2004
Price: $1,098,000
Size: Approximately 2,158 finished square feet on a quarter-acre site
Taxes: $7,866 in 2009
Homeowners association fee: None
Exterior features: Raised rambler-style single-family home, brick-and-wood exterior, flagstone walkway and front stoop, professional landscaping, extensive backyard with lawn and mature trees, backs to woods, one-car garage, one-car carport
Interior features: Four bedrooms; three full baths; hardwood flooring throughout main level; ceramic tile flooring on lower level; formal living room with fireplace; formal dining room with crown and chair-rail molding; two-story family room addition with cathedral ceiling and wall of windows; French doors open into conservatory or library with cathedral ceiling; recessed lighting; open center-island kitchen with granite counters, breakfast bar and stainless steel appliances; master suite with private marble bath and wall of mirrored closets; two additional bedrooms on the main level share hall bath; finished lower level with recreation room, fireplace, bedroom, full bath, laundry room and extensive storage rooms
Amenities: Covered patio and dining area in backyard, two wood-burning fireplaces, attic storage reached from solid wood stairs, gas heat and hot water.
Close by: Walk to Chesterbrook Elementary School, near shopping centers, minutes to shops and restaurants in McLean and to downtown Washington and Arlington.
Schools: Chesterbrook Elementary, Longfellow Middle, McLean High
Open house: 1 to 4 p.m. Nov. 28
Contact: Realtor Bill Detty with the Huckaby Briscoe Group at Keller Williams Realty at 703/795-8490 or visit www.HuckabyBriscoe.com
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