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Fairfax County officials have ordered construction to remain stopped on a controversial three-story home addition in Greenbriar, rejecting the homeowner’s plea to continue a project intended to bring his family under one roof.

The addition on Marble Lane drew widespread attention in 2025 after neighbors called it an eyesore and raised concerns about its size and proximity to an adjacent home.

Homeowner Minh Nguyen appealed a stop-work order issued in November after the project failed a wind-bracing inspection. On Wednesday, however, the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals unanimously denied his appeal.

Nguyen told the board that the project grew from his parents’ desire to spend more time with their grandchildren.

“We somehow came up that, ‘OK I can build something, an addition, and then we can all live together,’” Nguyen said. “So the grandparents, as much time as they have left, can spend the time with my kids.”

County documents said the addition failed to meet a subsection of the county code because it was not “in character with the existing dwelling and surrounding development.” Officials also concluded that its scale, design and location would harm neighboring property owners’ ability to use and enjoy their homes.

Supervisor Pat Herrity said the addition “does not belong this close to an adjacent residential property” and negatively affects both the neighboring home and the wider community.

Nguyen said the increased scrutiny made his family realize that its plans did not align with how others viewed the project. He maintained that they had worked with the county to meet its requirements and preserve their goal of living together.

The dispute comes as Fairfax County considers potential changes to its long-standing limits on house heights. County leaders said in July that increasingly complex and taller home designs are testing existing rules.

Proposals presented to the Board of Supervisors would not directly resolve the issues surrounding the Greenbriar addition, but officials described them as an initial step in what could become a lengthy review of the county’s regulations.