THE
WASHINGTON
POST
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SATURDAY,MAY
28, 2022
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to a covered deck with automatic
screens. The bathroom is done in
a style Debbie calls “British for-
mal.” It has a heated floor, double
vanity, separate shower and
soaking tub, a fireplace, and a
television. Large dressing areas
have built-in shelving and cabin-
etry.
The four-bedroom, four-bath-
room, 5,000-square-foot house
on just under an acre is listed at
$3.5 million.a gazebo on the grounds, built a
large courtyard with a fountain
on the side of the house, and
created what Leo calls his “man
cave” — an outdoor kitchen with
a grill, refrigerator, television
and high-top seating.
Akseizer Design Group helped
renovate the kitchen and the
owner’s suite. The owner’s bed-
room has a fireplace and a 15-
foot vaulted ceiling with wood
trusses. Glass double doors open2019 from the Landscape Con-
tractors Association of Mary-
land, D.C. and Virginia.
With plants staggered to
bloom at different times, the
Brookses have an ever-changing
landscape as well as a secluded
oasis.
“It’s very private,” Debbie said.
“Wherever we could see an adja-
cent rooftop, we added another
tree.”
McHale also put a fireplace inof the garden. The English gar-
dens were laid out in a more
formal arrangement. Debbie said
only about 40 to 45 percent of the
plants are new.
The greatest challenge was
“trying to marry the old with the
new,” Anthony Cusat, who is a
senior landscape architect with
McHale and led the renovation,
told Home & Design magazine.
McHale received an award of
distinction for the project inBY KATHY ORTON
In 2011, when Leo Brooks first
went with his real estate agent to
see this property in McLean, Va.,
he didn’t go into the house right
away. Instead, he wandered to
the back of the house, where he
was smitten.
“I walked through their side
gate, came into the backyard,” he
said. “It was just amazing. It was
summertime, and [there were]
all these beautiful plants. They
had this gorgeous pool and a
private setting. Right then, I told
myself, ‘I don’t know what it is
going to look like on the inside,
but it’s going to be hard not to
take this, just based on how the
gardens look.’ ”
The house, which he calls a
“cottage in the woods,” was built
in 1963 but has been expanded
over the years. The gabled roofs
give it a storybook appearance.
Five years after buying the
property, Leo and his wife, Deb-
bie, undertook a renovation of
the house and gardens. They
hired McHale Landscape Design
for the exterior and Akseizer
Design Group for the interior.
“What’s nice is when you have
people that are magnificent but
you can also collaborate with,”
Debbie said.
Much of the exterior renova-
tion involved uncovering and
refreshing. Azaleas wrapped
around the swimming pool, con-
cealing it. Large oaks and pop-
lars ringed the property, obscur-
ing a view of the house.
“You couldn’t see the charac-
ter of the house because there
were so many trees in front,” Leo
said.
Ten large trees were removed.
The azaleas and other plants
were transplanted to other partsHouse of the Week
McLean property basks in glory of its gardens
$3.5 million
858 Canal Dr., McLean, Va.
Bedrooms/bathrooms : 4/4
Approximate square-footage :
5,000
Lot size : 0.92 acre
Features : The 1963 house has
been expanded over the years. The
current owners renovated the
exterior and interior, hiring McHale
Landscape Design and Akseizer
Design Group. The grounds include
English gardens, a courtyard,
heated swimming pool and spa, an
outdoor kitchen, and a gazebo with
a fireplace. The two-level house
has four fireplaces. The three-car
garage is attached.
Listing agent : W. Ted Gossett and
Joe Kotula, Washington Fine
PropertiesPHOTOS BY NATHAN STEWART/C. GAUTHIER PHOTOGRAPHY
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: The heated swimming pool at 858 Canal Dr. in McLean, surrounded by award-winning gardens; the owner’s
bedroom, with a vaulted ceiling and wood trusses; t he 5,000-square-foot h ouse and grounds. The house, built in 1963, has been enlarged.