Perched on a narrow site overlooking the Potomac River, this home was designed to replace a plain, ordinary rancher that was destroyed by fire.  Though tragic, the client saw this as an opportunity to re-imagine their humble weekend retreat.  As a painter and art historian respectively, they sought a replacement that was modest yet inspiring, consisting of a small painting studio, study, master suite, living room, dining room, and kitchen.   Paramount to their programmatic needs was an aspiration for the house to connect and preserve the beauty of the site; permitting nature to permeate the domestic realm. Ridge House is a modern reinterpretation of the vernacular dog trot house found commonly in Appalachia.