Catherine and Ben Wood moved from D.C. to McLean’s Franklin Park in 2009, and for a good 10 years contemplated buying a vacation home, too. But as their three daughters got older and sports took over the family’s weekends, getaways proved nearly impossible. So they decided to turn their half-acre property into a resort-like setting. “We wanted our backyard to feel like we’re on vacation,” Catherine says.
As timing would have it, Covid shuttered pools and swim practices, rendering the entire family homebound. They dove in, hiring Richardson & Associates Landscape Architecture, Winn Design + Build, and landscape contractor Black Pearl to add a heated saltwater pool where their girls (now in high school) could swim laps, plus a pool house and a 2,400-square-foot terrace with an outdoor kitchen, spa and fire pit.
The pool house features charcoal-painted beams, generous storage and what the Woods say is their nicest bathroom. Its textured concrete gas fireplace is almost always clicked on, and the TV is often best viewed from in the pool…