Developer Keyhan Ejtemai likes to build houses that stand out. In this McLean, Va., mansion, with its black-and-white stucco facade and eye-catching gapped roof, he achieved that goal.
Ejtemai’s latest statement as a developer, at 7007 Churchill Rd., was completed this year and is on the market for $4.275 million. He described building houses as a “hobby and passion” that took root after he built one for himself in 2013.
He has a job as general counsel, or chief attorney, for an oil company, but he started a business, Core Build Plus, to pursue this other interest. The company, he said, will transform a run-down property into a “space that elevates and inspires the human soul.” It has built eight houses and has more underway.
He described the architecture of this McLean house — the work of a company design team — as “warm,” though not in the way design students, and most people, define the term. “I’ve seen a lot of very modern designs that are a nod to warm,” he said. “What is warm? A convenient and intuitive, very comfortable and user-friendly space.”
Ejtemai said that means anticipating the needs of homeowners. The two kitchens inside this house, for example, were situated next to the garage to avoid long trips with heavy grocery bags. A first-floor bathroom was located inside the door that leads to the pool to make changing in and out of swimwear more convenient.
“I put myself in every space in the home when we are going through the design with my architect to envision what are the best features, what are the best locations for every space,” he said.
He anticipates other needs, too. The house has a bunker with 10-inch-thick concrete walls because “in the world we live in, it’s safe, whether it’s natural disasters or man-made disasters, to have a panic room they can use.”
Less apocalyptic is the two-tiered home movie theater, with an overhead projector and a pop of bright red carpet.
The entryway opens to a foyer with a floating-step staircase. To the left, a hallway leads to a powder room, a sitting area and an office. This wing also has a guest bedroom with an en suite bathroom. To the right are two kitchens — a two-story-high family kitchen with a large island and a catering kitchen with a pantry. The adjacent living room shares a two-sided fireplace with a space that could be another sitting area or a dining room. There is also a patio outside the living room.
The second floor also has two wings, one dedicated to the primary bedroom suite, which includes a sitting room, two walk-in closets, two bathrooms and a bedroom with an attached balcony. The other wing has four bedrooms and three bathrooms.
On one side, the lower level has a wine cellar and two bedrooms that share a bathroom — as well as the emergency bunker and the home theater. The other side has a home gym, a living room with a wet bar, a bedroom with en suite bathroom and storage space.
The house has a third kitchen on a patio near the pool. The patio also has a built-in audio system.
$4,275,000
- Bedrooms/bathrooms: 7/8
- Approximate square footage: 8,000
- Lot size: Nearly a third of an acre
- Features: The house was completed in October. It has two kitchens inside and one outside; an emergency bunker, a home theater and a wine cellar on the lower level; and several fireplaces and skylights. The garage has one parking space, with more parking available on the driveway.
- Listing agent: Shahab Nasrin, TTR Sotheby’s International Realty
