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101 Caroline St. >> Home blends into its environs

Date published: 4/12/2007

BY JENN ROWELL

Being the first house built in the 100-year flood plain, regulations and pesky details stood between Charles and Tricia McDaniel and the construction of their house.

Getting the land wasn't a problem since Charles' parents owned it, but there was "no promise to be able to build," Charles said. "It was uncharted territory."

Charles grew up a few houses down at 133 Caroline St. and met Tricia, a Charleston native, while they were both students at the University of Virginia.

The couple always wanted to live downtown, Tricia said. In 2000, they moved into their 5,000-square-foot house on the bank of the Rappahannock River.

During construction, the plan changed several times to meet requirements, but in the end, they had a house that blended with the neighborhood and met the family's needs.

The front of the house is one room wide to blend in with the narrower neighborhood homes, Charles said.

Each room on the main floor has two ways in and out, and they aren't especially formal, although antique furniture and Persian rugs are scattered throughout.

"We're not modern, but we're very casual. We wanted a home you could be comfortable in. We didn't want to build a museum, but we also wanted to respect the older houses on the street," Charles said.

Widening out toward the back, the house ends with what the McDaniels call the River Room with a wall of windows and sliding glass doors that open onto the deck overlooking the river.

"I think what makes this house unique is one, it's new on lower Caroline, and I think the other thing that makes this house is the river," Charles said.

A major highlight of the house is the original artwork by local artists hanging on the brightly painted walls of the main floor.

River scenes by Johnny Johnson accent the granite countertops and maple cabinets in the kitchen. And a commissioned Ellen Worthy Stokes painting of the Fredericksburg skyline hangs above the couch in the living room.

A recent addition to the house is Charles' bar room that was previously a screened-in porch.

Autographed helmets and footballs line one wall and a large wine collection lines another. The room's main feature is the black walnut and oak bar built in front of an original exterior brick wall.

Glass doors in the bar open onto the deck where visitors can take in the river as well as the patio and fire pit surrounded by crape myrtles, irises and iteas. Going down the steps to ground level, the upper garden comes into view with river birch trees, Annabel hydrangeas, daffodils, tulips and alliums.

Although most of the plants won't be in full bloom until later this spring, the garden should start filling out in time for Garden Week, Tricia said.

"We tried to keep it a natural garden and not a formal garden because of where we are on the river," she said. "Everything is to focus on the river."

Jenn Rowell: 540/374-5418
Email: jrowell@freelancestar.com

It was the first house built in 100-year flood plain. Original artwork by local artists hangs from brightly painted walls in each room of the main floor. Bar room showcasing football memorabilia and wine collection has recently taken the place of a screened-in porch. Charles McDaniel grew up a few houses down and his brother recently built a house next door.

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Date published: 4/12/2007