This small addition and kitchen remodel reimagines a classic St. Paul home for a growing family—prioritizing natural light, smart function, and modern warmth. A modest side-yard addition creates space for a mudroom and ¾ bath, carefully positioned to preserve the dining room’s original piano windows. New windows throughout balance light, privacy, and flow. Inside, custom bleached butternut cabinets and a curved enameled tambour island bring warmth and sculptural contrast. Heated porcelain tile floors extend to a new deck, blending indoors and out. The exterior pairs vertical cedar with dark cement board for a subtle, modern update. Small in size, big in intention—this project honors the past while supporting the way this family lives now

Ipe hardwood deck and potting bench; Photo-Mark Edgar

the finished new deck and outdoor space.
Deck - traditional deck idea in Portland with decking

The “V” pattern of the Fiberon Horizon Ipe deck boards creates an eye-catching floor design. Using the same composite deck boards as top rails provides a striking contrast to the Fiberon Horizon white posts and visually connects the space. The wide flat top rail also doubles as table-top dining. Add in the outdoor kitchen and lighting, and this deck is an impressive extension of the home. One of the best things about this outdoor space is that the decking and railing are low-maintenance Fiberon composites.

Low maintenance, stain- and scratch-resistant AZEK Deck carries a limited lifetime warranty and is designed to last beautifully. Available in 17 colors and several grain textures, AZEK Deck has a color to complement any housing exterior. Shown here is AZEK Deck in Acacia with AZEK Deck in Kona used as a border. Offering easy living at its finest, AZEK Deck lets you enhance your backyard experience. With superior workability, AZEK Deck is perfect to create complete outdoor spaces with built-in benches, planters, and even works great around hot tubs and pools.

The front of the house features an open porch, a common feature in the neighborhood. Stairs leading up to it are tucked behind one of a pair of brick walls. The brick was installed with raked (recessed) horizontal joints which soften the overall scale of the walls. The clerestory windows topping the taller of the brick walls bring light into the foyer and a large closet without sacrificing privacy. The living room windows feature a slight tint which provides a greater sense of privacy during the day without having to draw the drapes. An overhang lined on its underside in stained cedar leads to the entry door which again is hidden by one of the brick walls.

This modern green home offers both a vacation destination on Cape Cod near local family members and an opportunity for rental income. FAMILY ROOTS. A West Coast couple living in the San Francisco Bay Area sought a permanent East Coast vacation home near family members living on Cape Cod. As academic professionals focused on sustainability, they sought a green, energy efficient home that was well-aligned with their values. With no green homes available for sale on Cape Cod, they decided to purchase land near their family and build their own. SLOPED SITE. Comprised of a 3/4 acre lot nestled in the pines, the steeply sloping terrain called for a plan that embraced and took advantage of the slope. Of equal priority was optimizing solar exposure, preserving privacy from abutters, and creating outdoor living space. The design accomplished these goals with a simple, rectilinear form, offering living space on the both entry and lower/basement levels. The stepped foundation allows for a walk-out basement level with light-filled living space on the down-hill side of the home. The traditional basement on the eastern, up-hill side houses mechanical equipment and a home gym. The house welcomes natural light throughout, captures views of the forest, and delivers entertainment space that connects indoor living space to outdoor deck and dining patio. MODERN VISION. The clean building form and uncomplicated finishes pay homage to the modern architectural legacy on the outer Cape. Durable and economical fiber cement panels, fixed with aluminum channels, clad the primary form. Cedar clapboards provide a visual accent at the south-facing living room, which extends a single roof plane to cover the entry porch. SMART USE OF SPACE. On the entry level, the “L”-shaped living, dining, and kitchen space connects to the exterior living, dining, and grilling spaces to effectively double the home’s summertime entertainment area. Placed at the western end of the entry level (where it can retain privacy but still claim expansive downhill views) is the master suite with a built-in study. The lower level has two guest bedrooms, a second full bathroom, and laundry. The flexibility of the space—crucial in a house with a modest footprint—emerges in one of the guest bedrooms, which doubles as home office by opening the barn-style double doors to connect it to the bright, airy open stair leading up to the entry level. Thoughtful design, generous ceiling heights and large windows transform the modest 1,100 sf* footprint into a well-lit, spacious home. *(total finished space is 1800 sf) RENTAL INCOME. The property works for its owners by netting rental income when the owners are home in San Francisco. The house especially caters to vacationers bound for nearby Mayo Beach and includes an outdoor shower adjacent to the lower level entry door. In contrast to the bare bones cottages that are typically available on the Cape, this home offers prospective tenants a modern aesthetic, paired with luxurious and green features. Durable finishes inside and out will ensure longevity with the heavier use that comes with a rental property. COMFORT YEAR-ROUND. The home is super-insulated and air-tight, with mechanical ventilation to provide continuous fresh air from the outside. High performance triple-paned windows complement the building enclosure and maximize passive solar gain while ensuring a warm, draft-free winter, even when sitting close to the glass. A properly sized air source heat pump offers efficient heating & cooling, and includes a carefully designed the duct distribution system to provide even comfort throughout the house. The super-insulated envelope allows us to significantly reduce the equipment capacity, duct size, and airflow quantities, while maintaining unparalleled thermal comfort. ENERGY EFFICIENT. The building’s shell and mechanical systems play instrumental roles in the home’s exceptional performance. The building enclosure reduces the most significant energy glutton: heating. Continuous super-insulation, thorough air sealing, triple-pane windows, and passive solar gain work together to yield a miniscule heating load. All active energy consumers are extremely efficient: an air source heat pump for heating and cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation (ERV), and high efficiency appliances. The result is a home that uses 70% less energy than a similar new home built to code requirements. OVERALL. The home embodies the owners’ goals and values while comprehensively enabling thermal comfort, energy efficiency, a vacation respite, and supplementary income. PROJECT TEAM ZeroEnergy Design - Architect & Mechanical Designer A.F. Hultin & Co. - Contractor Pamet Valley Landscape Design - Landscape & Masonry Lisa Finch - Original Artwork European Architectural Supply - Windows Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Craig Westerman
Example of a large classic backyard mixed material railing deck design in Baltimore

Designed using Trex Transcend decking in Lava Rock – a rich reddish-black shade with subtle shading and natural shade variations creating distinctive hardwood-like streaking and intense tropical hues and Trex Transcend decking in Tiki Torch – a warm, earthy shade features rich, reddish-brown hardwood streaking, and is designed to off the look of real tropical hardwoods with slight variations of color and streaking. Additional Trex products featured include Trex Elevations, Trex Reveal railing, Trex Pergola, Trex Outdoor Furniture and Trex Outdoor Lighting – stair riser lights, post cap lights and recessed lights.

CJ South
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern backyard deck remodel in Detroit with a fire pit and a roof extension

Stone veneer can really add highlights to your home and create visual interest when you are adding a product like Hardie Board Cement Board. It is important to find the right mixes of stone veneer and the exterior siding. Think of stone as the accent to highlight the home.

This eco-friendly deck is made from Fiberon composite decking. The step-up design helps define different areas of the space. The planting beds at the perimeter of the deck also frame the space and add extra color. The home owner found a creative use for the deck boards... matching built-in bench seats! The product used is Fiberon's ProTect Advantage, in the 'Western Cedar' color.

Modern mahogany deck. On the rooftop, a perimeter trellis frames the sky and distant view, neatly defining an open living space while maintaining intimacy. Photo by: Nat Rea Photography

Modern pergola on Chicago rooftop deck. Minimal materials used and clean lines define the space and pergola. Lounge seating under retractable mesh shade panels on a track system. Roof deck materials are composite and built on frame system. Contemporary rooftop deck. Bradley Foto, Chris Bradley

Released in 2015, the AZEK Deck Vintage Collection is upping the ante in the decking industry. With rich colors and classic style, the Vintage Collection represents a complete game-changer within the capped PVC decking category. Its unprecedented natural, classic looks are designed to completely reinvent the category of low maintenance PVC decking. The Vintage Collection, which must be seen to be appreciated, consists of three natural shades that have the definitive look of freshly stained wood. But forget the work as these boards will maintain their beauty and richness without the need for applying stain. AZEK Deck’s Vintage Collection striking color options are: Mahogany, a mid-brown with hints of red and dark streaking; Cypress, a light, sunny, reddish hue; and Dark Hickory, a deep, rich gray with lighter streaking.

Ipe deck with cable railing. Under deck storage and horizontal deck skirting, stainless LED deck lighting
Trendy deck photo in San Diego with decking and no cover

This contemporary deck off the kitchen features vibrant orange wire dining chairs paired with concrete benches and dining tabletops supported by black metal legs. A sliding glass door with black trim connects the indoor and outdoor spaces, while a black metal awning provides shade and architectural interest. The wood deck adds warmth and texture, creating a stylish and functional outdoor dining area that complements the modern kitchen interior. Photo by Thomas Kuoh.

arbors, trellis, pergolas, decking, custom wood structure, outdoor living space, outdoor seating, outdoor cook station
Example of a classic backyard deck design in Portland with decking and a bbq area

Stone veneer can really add highlights to your home and create visual interest when you are adding a product like Hardie Board Cement Board. It is important to find the right mixes of stone veneer and the exterior siding. Think of stone as the accent to highlight the home.