Resale of the week: '05 home fits Cleveland Park

Living in Cleveland Park in Northwest Washington is a dream come true for residents who want to enjoy the charm of some of the citys most picturesque streets, where visitors exclaim over the Victorian, Cape Cod, Craftsman and Colonial-style homes with their old-fashioned front porches, fillips of architectural whimsy and lovely gardens.

The tree-lined side streets of Cleveland Park extend between Wisconsin and Connecticut avenues, where residents can enjoy the delights of city living, including shops, restaurants, movie theaters and such Washington treasures as the National Cathedral and the National Zoo. An abundance of bus and Metro service links Cleveland Park to Dupont Circle, downtown Washington and Georgetown.

While many of Cleveland Parks homes date back 80 to 100 years, a handful of newer homes have been designed for seamless incorporation into the neighborhood so homeowners can enjoy the full range of modern amenities along with an architectural nod to the past.

The home at 3517 Porter St. NW, on the market for $1,849,000, was designed and built in 2005 by an architect who opted to live in the property. This Craftsman-style cedar-shingle semidetached home has mature trees, professional landscaping and a side entrance with a porch with columns. An arched gate provides an entrance to the fully fenced backyard, which also is accessible from French doors off the family room.

The multilevel flagstone patio provides sitting and dining areas as well as garden beds. The owners even have tented the area for special events. A detached one-car garage leftover from the home that previously was on the site has been restored by the owners, who also added storage along one wall. An off-street parking space, accessible through a wide alley with two entrances, is adjacent to the garage.

The home, which looks deceptively small from the outside, fits easily into the surrounding community. Inside, it has four finished levels with more than 4,100 finished square feet. Each room has been beautifully finished with high-end materials, including hardwood flooring on all three upper levels, built-in cabinets and bookcases, and detailed crown molding. Each of the homes three fireplaces has a detailed mantel. Myriad windows on all four levels fill the home with natural light.

The front door opens into the foyer, which includes hardwood stairs to the upper levels and is flanked by the living room and dining room. The living room includes a gas fireplace and a triple window facing the front garden. On either side of the fireplace are built-in cabinets with both wood and glass doors.

Two columns frame the entrance from the foyer into the formal dining room, which also has columns flanking the entrance to the central hall. The dining room includes a double window facing the side garden and a third window that frames a view of the front porch. The dining room includes chair-rail molding in addition to the crown molding found throughout the home. Every room also has recessed lighting.

The hallway provides access to a coat closet, stairs to the lower level and a powder room with hardwood flooring and a pedestal sink. At the back of the house are an open center-island kitchen, breakfast area and family room. The kitchen has pendant lighting over the oversized island, which has a granite counter, a breakfast bar and plenty of additional storage.

The kitchen includes custom-made wood cabinets, granite counters and high-end stainless steel appliances, including a Viking range, double wall ovens, a built-in microwave, a dishwasher and a Viking refrigerator. The breakfast area has a chandelier and is open to the family room, which has a fireplace with a mantel and a built-in entertainment center as well as additional cabinets.

View post:
Resale of the week: '05 home fits Cleveland Park