March-April - Viva Tysons Magazine

This Octogon House in McLean is on of only a few hundred left in the Unites States. They became
popular in the mid-19th century influenced by architect Orson Fowler. One characteristic of an
Octogon House is the veranda or porch that circumscribes the entire house.
room and an additional guest room.
As one would expect of a home in a Romanticrevival
style, the transition from inside to outside
is a critical piece of the overall architectural
statement. A generous veranda completely
circumscribes the home’s main block. A
spacious breezeway—crowned with a 16’x 16’
skylight---links the house, in turn, to a two story
outbuilding that contains a garage, a workshop,
a half bath and ample second level storage.
Burton notes that an essential consideration
when working with an Octagon house is to site
the structure with an eye towards maximizing
focal points. On this score, Burton deliberately
positioned the living room fireplace and built-ins
to obstruct a view of the only close neighbor.
Other windows present inviting portraits of
surrounding woodland, a vista Cooper has
begun enhancing with a series of landscaping
projects.
Joe Burton periodically holds workshops on
residential architecture. For further information:
703/321-0021 or jburton@burtonarch.com
John Byrd has been writing about residential architecture,
building and remodeling for 30 years. His work has
appeared in House Beautiful, Architectural Digest,
Southern Living and many national and regional
publications. He has also written and produced segments
for HGTV and other cable outlets. He can be reached
byrdmatx@comcast.net
This open veranda with its unique large skylights provides a very functional outdoor space as well
as a connection to the two story outbuilding that houses a workshop, garage, and half bath.
vivatysons.com MARCH - APRIL 2011 | VivaTysons 77