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Community Corner

Lakeside Living: Lake Barcroft Contemporary

Modern design expands on the vision of architect Charles M. Goodman in this home now on the market for $5 million.

Bill and Julie Roberts’ three-level, six-bedroom home at 3614 Boat Dock Drive on is a contemporary showplace. Originally built in 1965 by renowned architect —he also designed the original National Airport and homes in —it combines striking architecture with spectacular lake views. The couple has enjoyed living in the spacious home for nearly 24 years, but it took Bill’s dogged determination to get them there in the first place.

“For eight years, Bill was obsessed with buying this house,” said Julie, laughing.  Julie, president of financial consulting firm JS Roberts Consulting and Bill, an attorney with Wiley Rein, had lived in two prior homes in the Lake Barcroft neighborhood, the first off-lake, and the second on the water. But Bill long had his eye on a third place, the house on Boat Dock Drive.

“We used to ride by the house in our boat and look at the house,” Julie noted. “Bill loved its location on the lake and the lines of the house. For seven or eight years, he would call the home’s owners on a regular basis to see if they wanted to sell it.”

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When the owners were finally ready to sell, it required a leap of faith and a bit of vision from the Robertses. “We weren’t even allowed to see the inside of the house until we put an offer on it,” Julie said. “And, I was not as obsessed with it as Bill. It was too rustic for my taste.”

To complicate matters further, the owners wanted to close immediately on the sale, but then to rent back the house so that they could have their wedding there. The Robertses agreed to the terms. “The first time I met my neighbors was at the wedding reception of the former owners,” Julie noted.

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Making a Few Changes

After buying the then-five bedroom home and moving in with their two children, the Robertses made a few changes. First, they added a pool. Then, in 1992, they began an 18-month renovation that grew considerably in scope over those months.

“This was an upside down house,” said Julie. “You’d walk in on the main level with the dining room, but the living room was on the lower level. We wanted to add more logical space and have better finishes.”

Julie added, “We also wanted to preserve the clean lines and contemporary look, the high ceilings, sky lights, and use of glass. We didn’t want the new space to look like an addition. I think we did a good job of blending the two parts.”

The couple built a new third floor for a master bedroom suite with a tray ceiling, a luxurious bathroom, walls of windows, and a private deck overlooking the water. They added a new entrance, guest bedroom, and two bathrooms, and created new living and dining rooms on the same level. They also transformed the kitchen from a room tucked into a corner to an open, sunny space with lake views on all sides and a small, covered deck that is now one of Julie’s favorite spots.  By the time they were done, the house had doubled in size, to 8,627 square feet. 

Wood, Marble and Glass

It was important to Julie that the finishing on some house features be made more polished in order to look less rustic. An example is the tongue-and-groove redwood wall of the second-floor landing/catwalk that overlooks the living room.

“That wall is original to the house,” Julie said, noting that it includes camouflaged “secret” doors that open to closets. “It had a rough, rustic finish and when we moved in, we thought we would remove it. But instead, we had it sanded for a smooth finish and now it has a very different, much more contemporary feel.”

The couple replaced the floors on the catwalk area with two colors of marble; the darker marble inlays were chosen to match the color of the wood wall. The black railings along the catwalk were painted white, and the wood tops were refinished.

The couple created a main-level living room that is open to a dining room, but has a granite-topped, cherry storage cabinet that acts as a divider between the two spaces. The living room fireplace is granite, to match the top of the divider; the artwork above the mantel is by Julie, who created an art studio in one of the home’s guest bedrooms.

A focal point of the living room is a hand-carved, curved cherry bookcase with window inserts. “Design elements on the outside of the house inspired the curved shape of the bookcase inside,” Julie pointed out.

The couple has used the home for large gatherings, including a 250-guest wedding reception for a friend, and a political fundraiser. “We’ve used the house for entertaining a lot, especially around the pool,” Julie said. “We try to time the events for around sunset.”

Bill and Julie have become Florida residents, and are now selling their home for $4,999,000 through Roy Melloni of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

“We do it with mixed emotions,” Julie noted. “It is a great home, close to the city, but it feels like living in the country. We have a lot of wonderful memories with our kids there.”

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Do you know a home ready for its close-up? Email Associate Regional Editor Mary Ann Barton at: maryann.barton@patch.com.

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