After revamping a 1920s, Spanish Revival home in Kalorama, BarnesVanze Architects designed a pool and pool house on the picturesque property. “The clients wanted to be able to entertain,” recalls architect Stephen Vanze, who teamed with colleague Melanie Giordano on the upgrade.

A 20-foot retaining wall separates the house from its side neighbors. In the backyard, the gently sloping lawn was terraced to accommodate the pool and pool house. “The pool is on axis with a family room addition we’d done previously,” Vanze says.

The home’s strong architectural identity dictated the building’s aesthetic. “It was an opportunity for the outside spaces to reflect the existing architecture,” Giordano notes, pointing to the pool house’s distinctive style. “The structures talk to each other.”

EXPERT INSIGHTS
Advice from architects Stephen Vanze & Melanie Giordano

• Vanze: A pool house can mimic the style of the home so it blends in, or it can be a foil, something different to look at.
• Giordano: There are advantages to new materials, like maintenance. But we want to see examples of them working long-term.
• Vanze: When building a structure on a historic property in DC, expect maneuvering around tight city regulations.

Architecture: Stephen J. Vanze, FAIA, LEED AP; Melanie Giordano, AIA, BarnesVanze Architects, Washington, DC.. Interior Design: Lisa Vandenburgh Ltd., Washington, DC. Builder: Abe Sari, Alliance Builders, Annapolis, Maryland. Landscape Architecture: Amy Mills, ASLA, DCA Landscape Architects, Inc., Washington, DC.