Corner Courtyard Residence
This new Maryland home was designed for empty nesters seeking a modern residence that supports aging in place. Located on a corner lot in an established suburban neighborhood, the design carefully addresses interior and exterior privacy while fulfilling the clients’ request for firstfloor living, including a groundfloor primary suite, two guest rooms for visiting adult children, and a separate entrance to a lowerlevel office that can later convert into a caregiver’s suite.
The house is positioned toward the southeast corner of the site, with the main mass to the north to buffer the neighboring property. A southwestfacing courtyard becomes the organizing feature, framed by a cedar privacy fence that extends the architecture and by large sliding doors that connect interior spaces to a patio composed of pebbles and tinted concrete panels. A tall hedge along the west property line offers landscape views while enhancing privacy.
A discreet path along the north side leads to the lowerlevel office suite, which overlooks a sunken Buddha garden inspired by the client’s interest in Asian art. Deep overhangs, operable windows, and thick stucco masonry walls improve comfort and energy performance, complemented by stained cedar siding, steel accents, and generous upper glazing. Sustainability measures include reusing materials from the dismantled former home, highefficiency HVAC, foam insulation, insulated glazing, and allLED lighting.
Modest in scale, the home stands in contrast to surrounding speculative houses and demonstrates a thoughtful, adaptable model for aging in place.
Project team includes:
- Contractor: McNamara Brothers
- Custom Mill Work including Kitchen Cabinets: The Masters Woodshop
- Landscape Design: Lila Fendrick Landscape Architects
- Photography: © Hoachlander Davis Photography LLC
