Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Ready for Hurricane Season on the Jersey Shore
This family home was designed to stand up to storms. See how the architects built resilience into the design
This family wanted a home that was comfortable, healthy and energy-efficient. And because of its location on the New Jersey Shore, it had to be resilient. The architects at ZeroEnergy Design created a home that uses about 85 percent less energy than a typical new house built to code, can stand up to a hurricane and makes a happy, comfortable dwelling for five.
The front porch provides a visually pleasing transition between the ground and the elevated main floor. Because the porch is just 20 inches above ground, railings weren’t required, allowing for an open and uncluttered look. The cedar trellis overhead provides shade and continues as an overhang down the south side of the house (on the right). The custom-designed planters on the right are cleverly integrated into the porch and trellis design.
To create a tight envelope, the architects used cellulose and continuous rigid insulation paired with triple-pane windows and doors and a continuous air barrier. The photovoltaic panels provide roughly 60% of the electricity the family uses.
Windows and doors: Schuco; metal roof: Englert
To create a tight envelope, the architects used cellulose and continuous rigid insulation paired with triple-pane windows and doors and a continuous air barrier. The photovoltaic panels provide roughly 60% of the electricity the family uses.
Windows and doors: Schuco; metal roof: Englert
Here we see two of the homeowners’ sons playing with their cousins. Because the home is on a tight lot, the driveway serves as the main play area for the kids. The garage is full of surfboards, bikes and other recreational equipment.
When siting the home, Horowitz left enough room for plantings along the side. (0ne of the homeowners and her mother enjoy gardening.) There’s also a system to catch rainwater from the roof and direct it to cisterns in the backyard that provide all of the water for irrigating the yard. “Water is cheap on the East Coast, but this family is very environmentally conscious,” Horowitz says. “It was the right thing to do.”
The overhang wraps from the porch down the side of the house. The cedar structure beneath it houses an outdoor shower, which also creates a threshold between the public front yard and the private backyard. The overhang shades this side of the home from the sun, keeping it cooler in the summer.
Garage door: Avante, Clopay
When siting the home, Horowitz left enough room for plantings along the side. (0ne of the homeowners and her mother enjoy gardening.) There’s also a system to catch rainwater from the roof and direct it to cisterns in the backyard that provide all of the water for irrigating the yard. “Water is cheap on the East Coast, but this family is very environmentally conscious,” Horowitz says. “It was the right thing to do.”
The overhang wraps from the porch down the side of the house. The cedar structure beneath it houses an outdoor shower, which also creates a threshold between the public front yard and the private backyard. The overhang shades this side of the home from the sun, keeping it cooler in the summer.
Garage door: Avante, Clopay
The front door opens into this entry area, which welcomes with a few personal touches. One of the homeowners’ brothers built the oak floating bench, which the firm designed. “We also helped the kids with the Matisse-inspired art project above the bench,” Horowitz says. The firm provided the cedar frame (which matches the porch and trellis), the canvas with the background color blocks and the paint, and then had the children stamp it with their handprints and sign it.
Here one of the homeowners and Lobo are walking from the entry area (back right) into the main living space. Across from the staircase you can see pocket doors that lead to a room that can be used as a guest room, office or den, and also as a first-floor bedroom for aging in place in the future.
The architect spent a lot of time learning how her clients like to live. “There is a place for everything,” she says. The media wall is outfitted with cabinets and shelves from Ikea. It has a clean look and hides items like Legos and board games.
Painting: Bernd Haussmann Studio
The architect spent a lot of time learning how her clients like to live. “There is a place for everything,” she says. The media wall is outfitted with cabinets and shelves from Ikea. It has a clean look and hides items like Legos and board games.
Painting: Bernd Haussmann Studio
The rest of the main floor is an open space that includes the family room, dining room and kitchen. The floorboards are character-grade, quarter-sawn white oak in mixed widths. LED track lighting over the island and dining table allows light to be directed where needed.
Several strategies were used to maintain healthy air in the home. Constant mechanical ventilation throughout brings in fresh air; none of the appliances (for cooking, hot water or heating) are combustion-based; hard, easy-to-clean floor surfaces create far fewer opportunities for hidden dust; and zero-VOC adhesives, surfaces, finishes and furniture were used whenever possible.
Floors: Vermont Plank Flooring
Several strategies were used to maintain healthy air in the home. Constant mechanical ventilation throughout brings in fresh air; none of the appliances (for cooking, hot water or heating) are combustion-based; hard, easy-to-clean floor surfaces create far fewer opportunities for hidden dust; and zero-VOC adhesives, surfaces, finishes and furniture were used whenever possible.
Floors: Vermont Plank Flooring
Horowitz jutted the dining alcove out into the backyard to capture the views and to maintain an easy circulation of movement through the room.
Painting: Bernd Haussmann Studio
Painting: Bernd Haussmann Studio
In the kitchen, cabinets by Henrybuilt create a clean yet warm look. The white laminate facades are bright, the stainless steel countertops and vent hood are sleek, and the warmth comes from the oak wood wrapping the island and the refrigerator surround.
One detail to note here are the tilt-turn windows, which open up different ways. Over the sink you can see one tilted and behind the children you can see the same type of window turned.
Range: 30-inch Masterpiece Series single oven with pro handle: Thermador; vent hood: Eclisse by Best
One detail to note here are the tilt-turn windows, which open up different ways. Over the sink you can see one tilted and behind the children you can see the same type of window turned.
Range: 30-inch Masterpiece Series single oven with pro handle: Thermador; vent hood: Eclisse by Best
“Cabinet-depth refrigerator transitions can be tricky,” Horowitz says. The designers paid careful attention to how the refrigerator surround, cabinets and countertop would meet.
The induction stove has a back-painted glass backsplash.
Stove: 30-inch Masterpiece Series induction cooktop: Thermador
Stove: 30-inch Masterpiece Series induction cooktop: Thermador
Upstairs, Horowitz designed each kid’s bedroom to have a minimal amount of furniture. With no dressers or bureaus, there’s more space for recreation. The clients love Ikea closet systems, so Horowitz designed each closet to fit what each child needed.
The curtains throughout the home are made of parachute fabric and tuck into simple surface-mounted tracks. “This material has really great qualities,” Horowitz says. “It diffuses the light, has great movement and doesn’t take up a lot of space when the drapes are open and stacked, like a heavier material such as velvet or canvas would.”
String pendant lamp: Nuevoliving
String pendant lamp: Nuevoliving
Horowitz designed the kids’ bathroom with sharing in mind. The pocket door on the right leads to a room that contains the toilet and a tub-shower combo. The floating vanity is in the same oak seen in the kitchen. “It still has great storage, and providing room underneath provides a place for the child’s step stool,” she says. “I know how important this is because in my own home we’re always hitting it with the door or tripping over it!”
Also worth noting is that all of the faucets in the home are water-conserving.
Also worth noting is that all of the faucets in the home are water-conserving.
Here’s a view of the outdoor shower from the backyard. The cedar is repeated on the surround, the gate and the fence.
“This family wanted a healthy and comfortable home for their family and to be good stewards of the environment for the future,” Horowitz says. The home achieved certification for the New Jersey Climate Choice Home Program.
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“This family wanted a healthy and comfortable home for their family and to be good stewards of the environment for the future,” Horowitz says. The home achieved certification for the New Jersey Climate Choice Home Program.
Browse more homes by style:
Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of five and its dog and cat
Location: Margate City, New Jersey
Size: 2,600 square feet (242 square meters); five bedrooms, three bathrooms
Architects: ZeroEnergy Design
Architect Stephanie Horowitz kept to a simple palette for the exterior: white fiber cement lap siding, a standing-seam metal roof and a cedar trellis and porch. Photovoltaic panels on the roof generate electricity. The home is highly energy-efficient, consuming only 15% of the energy that a typical new home built to code would consume.
The house is also resilient, a characteristic that has taken on a whole new importance in this region in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The foundation is elevated 4 feet to prevent damage from flooding, the materials are durable, the trim on the windows is outfitted with channels for storm shutters and there’s a backup generator.