17501 KIRK LN Rockville, MD 20853

Custom mid-century modern-inspired Deck House on two-acre wooded lot backing to parkland. The post-and-beam home was custom built by the sellers who have meticulously maintained the home and are now proud to present it to the market for the first time. The design of this Deck House model emphasizes the great room with a window wall overlooking the deck facing due south into the forest of tall red oak, white oak, hickory, and tulip poplar trees. The house uses renewable geothermal energy for heating and cooling and has a back-up generator.

The two-level home has four bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms and is close to 3,000 square feet. The upper level includes the open living-dining room, kitchen and primary suite and second full bathroom. The primary suite features a large walk-in closet and ensuite bathroom with shower/tub and new Caesarstone quartz sink countertops.

When designing the home, the sellers expanded the kitchen design and opted not to place a wall between the kitchen and dining room. They instead designed a pass-through area with most cabinets in that area accessible from both the kitchen and the dining room sides. With the hidden LED lighting and electrical outlets above the pass-through counter top, it provides for easy daily use and a special feature for having parties. The original stone counter top in the kitchen and the Formica counter tops in the bathrooms were just replaced with Caesarstone quartz counter. The kitchen also features a new induction cooktop and a new over-the-range microwave.

The lower level includes three additional bedrooms, the third full bathroom, family room and utility/laundry room. There is additional plumbing downstairs to add a fourth bathroom.
Deck House was founded in 1959 by William Berkes and Robert Brownell. Both worked as young men for architect Carl Koch building prefab Techbuilt houses.

The company, still in existence as Acorn Deck House, describes the design this way: Deck House offers an efficient post and beam building system with exposed structure, making a powerful statement of beauty, strength and function. Floor to ceiling glass frames connect with the natural environment to create a feeling of living in the outdoors. Interior spaces flow freely, accented by a rich combination of natural woods. Deck House is a quiet statement about ones own self-confidence a home of relaxed elegance in perfect harmony with the natural world, inside and out.

The forest on the south side of the home continues on the west side of the home, where the lot borders the stream valley parkland of the north branch of Rock Creek. The forest continues on the north side of the lot and parkland continues on the north side of Kirk Lane across from homes lot line. The property has more than 3,000 daffodils and more than 70 Japanese maple trees of more than 40 varieties that are either red or green most of the year and turn into a range of beautiful colors in the fall. The area below the north-facing windows in the kitchen and dining room has a delightful variety of Japanese maple trees and a granite Japanese snow lantern.

The combination of the extended roof overhang, the leaves on the tall trees, the double layer of aluminum covered two-inch foam roof insulation, and the low-e insulated glass windows of the great room reduces the heat gain in summer. In winter, the leaves are gone, the sun is lower in the south, and the increased heat gain reduces the heating costs.

The air conditioning and heating are provided by a quiet and economical geothermal heat pump made by Water Furnace. A Broan ERV (energy recovery ventilator) draws air from the three bathrooms and exchanges heat and humidity with fresh air drawn from the outside of the house.

While set on a quiet, private lot, the home is just 10 minutes to Roots Market, Starbucks, the restaurants and retail in Olney and Olney Manor Recreation Park. It is seven miles to Shady Grove Metro and a half hour north of Bethesda.