Your Next Place

By Franklin Schneider

This fantastic house is perfect for a family; bright, expansive spaces, a massive deck and fenced-in yard, and it backs right up to Archibald-Glover Park. Totally close to everything, but feels like a country house. If it was any more perfect it would be Emma Watson.

Inside, there are acres of gleaming hardwood floors, and oversized windows. The open floor plan gives the house a real sense of flow; no matter where you are in the house, you could quickly and easily find a family member to annoy. (“Hey Dad, do you ever wish you dated more before you got married?” I actually asked my father this question one time; he didn't even answer, he just stared straight ahead like a POW being tortured.) This house is huge, inside and out. Five bedrooms and 3.5 baths in, and a backyard that seems as big as a football field. Beyond the fence is the lush greenery of the park, bisected by a burbling little creek. The previous owner actually used stone recovered from the creekbed to build a fireplace mantle in the house. Where else in DC are you going to be able to do something like this? When I first moved to Shaw, years ago, my uber-artsy girlfriend at the time built a mobile out of crack vials from the alley behind our rowhouse. Yeah, not quite the same.

There's also a crap ton of parking, and a rear gate that leads to a dog park, tennis courts, a playground, and some other stuff that I couldn't see because my vision had suddenly clouded over with a bright green fog of pure envy.

3310 Idaho Avenue NW

$1,193,310

5 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths