Green & Gorgeous

Written by Trish Donnally Photography by Lydia Cutter

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When Daniel and Carolyn Steinkoler set out to remodel the Wesley Heights home they’d purchased in October 2006, they discovered major structural problems. The foundation slab wasn’t thick enough to support the structure and the soil was soft. Termite and water damage exacerbated conditions. Before long, they realized they’d have to virtually build a new house from scratch. Yet despite the many challenges the couple encountered during the renovation, one goal remained constant: The Steinkolers were determined to save the grand old American beech that graces the front of their home.

Working Around the Roots

“When we looked at the house, the first thing we saw was the tree,” says Daniel Steinkoler, owner of Superior Home Services Inc. The first thing a Realtor friend advised was to have the tree removed. “Why would we have a 150-year-old tree taken down?” Daniel asks. On the contrary, the Steinkolers worked to preserve it. When they realized they needed to replace the existing house, built in 1923, the couple hired Thomas French, president and founder of Thomas French Architect PC.

The Steinkolers wanted their house to fit in with others in the Northwest Washington neighborhood and to feel as if it had been there for years rather than stand out as a new house. So keeping the tree was a natural. “Saving the enormous American beech was a difficult task given the fact that we ran new utilities [drain, water, and gas lines] underground and installed a below grade helical pier system to underpin the new foundation,” says Daniel, who served as general contractor for the project. Superior employees completed about 70 percent of the work on the house. Michael Mulheron of Mulheron Tree Experts was consulted to advise the Steinkolers on how to protect and care for the tree during construction. “It was pretty much a nightmare to build around the tree,” Daniel says. “But worth it,” adds Carolyn Steinkoler, a licensing specialist for Microsoft.

Glorious Gourmet

The Steinkolers built an eco-conscious home with a comfortable flow. Cyndy Alsaif, interior designer at Thomas French Architect PC, played an integral role in the final look and feel of the residence. While she worked on the whole house design, she paid particular attention to the kitchen, because Carolyn loves to cook and entertain. “Carolyn and Danny are like a lot of hard-working people who like to entertain – they wanted quality,” Alsaif says. She collaborated with Sandra Brannock, kitchen designer at NVS Kitchen & Bath, to create a gorgeous gourmet kitchen, which is Carolyn’s favorite space in the house.

“We had a limited amount of space for the kitchen but ended up with an enormous amount of cabinet storage and functionality. It’s an easy kitchen to cook in, especially with the raised dishwasher, pot filler, instant hot [water dispenser], and exhaust fan,” Daniel says. The kitchen opens to the dining room with easy access to the living and great rooms, too. Since the house is on a long, relatively narrow lot and the kitchen gets limited natural light, French and Alsaif worked hard to capture light from wherever they could.

Sustainably Sound

“On a tight lot, it’s always space constraints and finding the light that are the biggest challenges,” says Architect Thomas French, who is proud that the Steinkoler house provides light from several directions. “That makes a house happy. It’s a very warm house from all the light and windows.”

The couple used sustainable building materials where they could. For instance:

• The Carderock stone on the exterior was recycled from a demolished home.
• The Azek trim used around the house is a composite of recycled PVC.
• Trex, used for the deck and back steps, is made from half recycled and reclaimed plastic and half reclaimed wood.
• The Brazilian tiger wood floor was harvested under Tropical Forest Foundation sustainable forest guidelines.
• The gym floor is made from recycled rubber and the laundry room floor is composed of recycled cork, both manufactured by Ecofinishes.

“The roof is an EcoStar recycled rubber composite slate-style roof. It is virtually impossible to tell the difference unless you actually have a slate in your hand,” Daniel says. But of all the effort the Steinkolers took to integrate environmentally friendly features into their home, Carolyn says, “The fact that we could save the tree is the coup d’etat.”