Former Olympian Swaps Skates for a Toolbelt

Two-time Olympian and U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Famer Michael Weiss found great success on the ice while partnering with his wife Lisa on his choreography. Though his competitive days are behind him, he has been applying the same dedication to the couple’s business, The Wine Cellar Company. Lisa’s creative design skills paired with Mike’s contractor experience allow them to build custom wine cellars, bars, speakeasies, basements, and kitchens. They also upgrade and renovate McLean homes, with their latest project being their own personal residence, 7126 Merrimac Dr, an 8,400 square foot 6-bedroom home in McLean just listed for $3,495,000.

Purchased in 2021, the couple has spent the last 2 1/2 years thoughtfully upgrading the residence. “We wanted every amenity in the home to take advantage of modern convenience while being a joy to live in every day”, Mike said. One of the home’s standout features is an imported custom chandelier that suspends 25 feet in the centre of the grand curved staircase. Another is the custom wine bar that Lisa designed. “A lot of thought was put into the design for the wine bar,” she said. “The cellar sits in the centre with floating backlit shelves on each side, separated by large half-round columns, which brought symmetry to the 20’ wall. The luxurious blue porcelain slabs added just the right amount of colour to the space. It’s a great place for entertaining.” Other upgrades include custom chandeliers in all bedrooms, designer wallpaper, 3 ovens, a warming drawer, and a complete butler’s pantry. Mike can often be found doing projects in his garage, so he added a thermostat-controlled heater and recessed lighting.

The Weiss’s love a house full of friends and family, so the dining room and kitchen layout can easily accommodate a large gathering, while the basement is large enough for a gaming area, cinema, and the custom wine bar. The basement also features a fully equipped gym, which currently displays Mike’s 3 National Champion medals, the Olympic Torch he carried in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and his Hall of Fame induction medal. The Upper Level offers a unique open space in the hallway, which Lisa enclosed in frameless glass. “I didn’t want to make the area feel smaller and block the light from the 3 windows by closing it off with walls,” said Lisa, originally considering turning the area into an office space. “Though I did want to isolate some of the noise of phone calls from the rest of the floor”. The frameless glass retains the open feel, yet still allows the light, and isolates phone calls. “It was just a solution to a problem, but the result was a modern feature, I love how it turned out,” Lisa said. One of the 6 bedrooms is Mike’s office with a feature wall adorned with stained glass in the pattern of the Olympic Rings. Mike grins, “The Olympic rings don’t come with the house, those are special to me.”

So, what projects does Weiss Design and Build have in the works?  Lisa and Mike are in the early stage of designing and building a 2nd home in Martinsburg, WV. Mike shared “We found this gorgeous lot overlooking the Potomac River, this will be our weekend retreat from Washington. I’ve always been known as Mike the Skater, but now I enjoy even more, being known as Mike the Builder.”

Brad Thornton and Daryl Judy at Washington Fine Properties are representing the sellers of the residence