Black Mold and Twisted Beams in Their 1960s Virginia House Turned a Renovation Into a 90% Teardown

David and Priya Menachery love modern architecture, natural light, music and their family, all of which drove the design when it was time to renovate their midcentury home in Alexandria, Virginia. 

“We had these really low ceilings, so the new design included three towers with two-level spaces inserted like piano keys to increase our light and as a nod to our daughter, who plays piano,” said David, 46, an investment manager with Goldman Sachs.

The Menacherys bought their Midcentury Modern home in 2013 because they loved the location tucked into towering trees at the end of a cul-de-sac, but they didn’t love the home’s 7-foot-high ceilings and wanted more space to entertain their extended families and friends. So they worked with local Alexandria-based MODE4 Architecture to triple the size of their home without compromising the wooded site.

Their renovation involved some surprises, but eventually they expanded their house from 2,200 to 6,300 square feet and got the light they craved.

“We thought we might move in 2018 to get more space, but when we looked at other houses we realized we were taking for granted the trees that we love so much,” said Priya Menachery, 46, a stay-at-home mother.

The post-and-beam style two-level home had an open floor plan, but the low ceilings kept it from feeling modern and light.

“Our architect suggested adding some division to the open plan and designed a floor-to-ceiling bookcase with peek-through shelves that function like a wall of windows that defines the foyer and living room,” Priya said.

Lifting the ceiling was beyond their budget, so the initial plan added the towers to bring in height and light, but when construction started, the builder found extensive black mold in every second-floor room. That led to a full gut renovation.

“We also found out the roof needed replacing and the flooring supporting the second floor wasn’t built to code,” David said. “With the redesign, we needed twice as much wood for the roof, but we were able to raise the ceilings on both levels and get these big windows.”

The European windows, initially sold for commercial use, tilt into rooms for easy maintenance and allow for large expanses of glass.

“Everyone’s favorite spot is the corner of the living room, which has these great tall windows,” Priya said. “But we also love our 17-foot-long kitchen island, which gets used for every occasion.”

The Menacherys installed non-traditional cement floors on the first level, which are easy to maintain and provide the cool, sleek modern look they want.

The expansion added a three-car garage with storage to the property, along with a wing that creates an L-shaped footprint for the house and space for a music parlor for their daughter’s piano, an office, a dining room, a pantry with a wet bar and an open staircase that visually connects the front and back of the house. Upstairs are a primary suite with its own stairs to the main level, a gallery overlooking the living area, a guest suite, plus two bedrooms and a second family room where the Menachery children, now 13 and 16, hang out with their friends.

“We both come from big families that were always hosting everything, so we wanted a house where we could do that, too,” David said. “We wanted this house for us, but also for our friends and family.”

The Menacherys spent twice as much as their original budget on their two-year renovation, during which they lived in three rental properties, but they are 100% happy with the result.

“When we finished the renovation, our kids told us they feel really lucky to grow up in this house,” David said.

The Menacherys and Damien Williams, a senior architect associate for MODE4 Architecture in Alexandria, Virginia, offered more insight into the renovation process: 

I would describe the aesthetic as… “modern,” Priya said. “We love clean lines and big windows that let us see this tree-drenched landscape around us.”

The biggest challenge… “was when the compromised structure was revealed,” Williams said. “Our hand was forced to tear down 90% of the existing house, including high-design areas that were previously deliberately out of scope such as the kitchen. The ramifications of such a dramatic change while already under construction were intense and widespread.”

The most dramatic change was… “the existing house had very low ceilings around seven feet and made it very dark on the interior,” Williams said. “We took advantage of having to rebuild the house and raised all the ceilings to 9 feet. This suddenly allowed for larger windows and allowed the daylight to permeate entirely into the home.”

The biggest surprise was… “upon commencing the demolition phase of the existing house, the team was shocked to see a large quantity of the existing structure to be so highly compromised,” Williams said. “Beams had twisted beyond repair, framed walls had been haphazardly constructed and susceptible to collapse, posts had been relocated off their footings.”

My favorite post-renovation feature is… “the ceiling height and openness to the outside,” David said. “We get so much natural light throughout the day from morning to sunset.”

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