husband at GMU LAW school, school kids in arlington?

[ACWhite]

Hi, Planc,

Arlington has a lot of required inspections and restrictive zoning, some of which was changed to reduce the incidence of McMansion building on too-small lots, ruining the character of the older neighborhoods. An architect or builder here should be able to tell you more, and you may want to visit the Arlington website. They are encouraging green these days.

Development : Topics : Arlington, Virginia

I suspect the neighbors' reactions will depend on how skillfully the addition is designed and executed. It will be much easier for you to assess some of these things once you arrive. You may also want to contact David Ricks, an architect located in Arlington who has done a variety of projects.

[ArlingtonMom]

APS does have Montessori programs but the available spots are very few each year, plus they are full day and not from 9-12 like the traditional Montessori schools for 2.5, 3, and 4 year olds (a bit too long for my taste). We went the private Montessori route. The waiting list is super long but we got lucky. I think most of the open houses will take place this month or next. Make sure that you go and mingle with the school personel and PTA.

[CaliByWayOfAnnArbor]

I'm looking into a job in the Herndon area and, since we have a glassy older contemporary in a wooded area here in Ann Arbor, I figured I'd google same for the NOVA area... got this site ([url=http://www.poplarterraces.com/]Houses of Poplar Terrace,contemporary,modern,falls church,virginia,inside beltway,new,home[/url]). I know it's out of your price range but have to wonder if the neighborhood (in Falls Church) doesn't support more progressive architecture. AND,... this might be a good place to look for a job with a more progressive architectural firm ([FONT=Verdana][URL="http://www.studio109plc.com/"]studio109plc.com[/URL])[/FONT].

If I am offered a job and take it (iffy, given what I'd have to be offered financially and relocation-wise), this is the kind of place I'd love to find (for, ahem, half the price... yes, I know,... I'm dreaming...)

[planc]

there are contemporary houses spread throughout the area - plenty in my budget, too. Beautiful, sexy, older contemporaries (I lived in Ann Arbor for 6 yrs...are you a new graduate?) but I have school age kids and have to be more selective...some of the homes I have seen are in fantastic settings and have perfect bones...I hope I can find that magic combination...still looking...thank you for your post.

[vanyali]

Originally Posted by planc

Charles Goodman designed-built some mid-century homes in the hollin hills community south of alexandria...they are beautiful in a woodsy setting but schools are a factor though.

You're not going to find that sort of thing outside of Hollin Hills. Hollin Hills isn't that far from Arlington, but there's a notorious traffic snarl between the two places. Law school is only 3 years though, and he could take the Metro (Hollin Hills is within close driving distance of a couple of Metro stations). The Hollin Hills homes are neat, and that whole neighborhood is wooded. And the last time I looked, you could get one in the 700k range.

You don't want to commute to Herndon from Hollin Hills though. So, either give up on the house, or give up on the job, because the two just don't go together. I saw a funny contemporary-styled cinderblock house for sale in Bethesda/Chevy Chase on some realtor site yesterday though. It was surrounded by traditional homes, and you just know the neighbors hate the thing. See if this link works:
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I'm pretty sure that neighborhood is zoned for West Potomac High School. I don't have any up-to-date info on that school, but it was pretty diverse when my husband went there -- lots of rich kids, lots of poor kids, lots of minority kids. There were AP classes and annual shootings. It's a weird place.

You could also apply to get your kid into Thomas Jefferson. That's nowhere near Hollin Hills, but it's a Fairfax County magnet school (high school). If you pass the test (or whatever their entrance criteria is now) you can go there from anywhere in the county. If you want sheltered, man, that's the place. The whole time I was there, there was one fight, and it wasn't even on school grounds. I think it's gotten tougher to get into in recent years.