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

The front entry includes a built-in bench and storage for the family's shoes. Photographer: Tyler Chartier
Mid-sized 1960s dark wood floor entryway photo in San Francisco with a dark wood front door and white walls

This client wanted something clean and contemporary without being cold or too modern. We used porcelain wood for the flooring to add warmth but keep it low maintenance. The shower floor is in a beautiful silver slate.

Master bath Photo by: Papillos
Inspiration for a transitional beige tile and stone tile beige floor bathroom remodel in New Orleans with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets and dark wood cabinets

VISION AND NEEDS: Our client came to us with a vision for their family dream house that offered adequate space and a lot of character. They were drawn to the traditional form and contemporary feel of a Modern Farmhouse. MCHUGH SOLUTION: In showing multiple options at the schematic stage, the client approved a traditional L shaped porch with simple barn-like columns. The entry foyer is simple in it's two-story volume and it's mono-chromatic (white & black) finishes. The living space which includes a kitchen & dining area - is an open floor plan, allowing natural light to fill the space.VISION AND NEEDS: Our client came to us with a vision for their family dream house that offered adequate space and a lot of character. They were drawn to the traditional form and contemporary feel of a Modern Farmhouse. MCHUGH SOLUTION: In showing multiple options at the schematic stage, the client approved a traditional L shaped porch with simple barn-like columns. The entry foyer is simple in it's two-story volume and it's mono-chromatic (white & black) finishes. The living space which includes a kitchen & dining area - is an open floor plan, allowing natural light to fill the space.

All of the cuts in the tile were deliberate. Notice the equal reveal on either side of the soap niche. A rectangular soap niche is not only modern and unique, but also has a much higher storage capacity than the traditional small square recess. The pony wall provides separation and privacy and also is able to support the long floating bench across the back wall.

Ceramic and Terracotta Vibe offers a fresh direction in wall tile, inviting you to cover entire walls with intricate patterns and saturated color. The collection Usage: Residential: Bathroom walls / floors, shower walls / floors, vanity tops, kitchen backsplashes and light traffic flooring. Commercial: Interior walls and light traffic floors. See Tools | Usage Guide for more details. For more information on this product, visit http://walkerzanger.com/collections/products.php?view=mat&mat=Vibe&coll=Vibe

Photo: Sarah Greenman © 2014 Houzz Design: New Leaf Construction
Bathroom - contemporary master gray tile concrete floor bathroom idea in Dallas with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets and beige walls

Fox Point, WI Bathroom Sazama Design Build Remodel LLC
Inspiration for a transitional master white tile dark wood floor double shower remodel in Milwaukee with recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets and gray walls

Inspiration for a small contemporary master green tile and ceramic tile ceramic tile, gray floor and double-sink bathroom remodel in Other with shaker cabinets, light wood cabinets, a one-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, quartzite countertops, white countertops, a niche and a built-in vanity

The master bath seen here is compact in its footprint - again drawing from the local boat building traditions. Tongue and groove fir walls conceal hidden compartments and feel tailored yet simple. The hanging wall cabinet allow for a more open feeling as well. The shower is given a large amount of the floor area of the room. A curb-less configuration with two shower heads and a continuous shelf. The shower utilizes polished finishes on the walls and a sandblasted finish on the floor. Eric Reinholdt - Project Architect/Lead Designer with Elliott + Elliott Architecture Photo: Tom Crane Photography, Inc.

Aaron Leitz
Example of a trendy beige tile and ceramic tile bathroom design in Seattle with blue walls

The open style master shower is 6 feet by 12 feet and features a Brazilian walnut walkway that bisects the Carrera marble floor and continues outdoors as the deck of the outside shower. A Bonisolli Photography

Large Master bathroom remodel with new curved wall entry and vanity for better flow, a "Beauty bar" dressing station, Statuarito marble floors, and marble with mirror mosaic tile accents. Steam shower with dual shower heads on slide bars, rain head, and surround sound speakers. Construction by JP Lindstrom, Inc. Bernard Andre Photography

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional master bathroom remodel in San Francisco with an undermount tub, gray walls, an undermount sink, marble countertops, a hinged shower door and a niche

This 1930's Barrington Hills farmhouse was in need of some TLC when it was purchased by this southern family of five who planned to make it their new home. The renovation taken on by Advance Design Studio's designer Scott Christensen and master carpenter Justin Davis included a custom porch, custom built in cabinetry in the living room and children's bedrooms, 2 children's on-suite baths, a guest powder room, a fabulous new master bath with custom closet and makeup area, a new upstairs laundry room, a workout basement, a mud room, new flooring and custom wainscot stairs with planked walls and ceilings throughout the home. The home's original mechanicals were in dire need of updating, so HVAC, plumbing and electrical were all replaced with newer materials and equipment. A dramatic change to the exterior took place with the addition of a quaint standing seam metal roofed farmhouse porch perfect for sipping lemonade on a lazy hot summer day. In addition to the changes to the home, a guest house on the property underwent a major transformation as well. Newly outfitted with updated gas and electric, a new stacking washer/dryer space was created along with an updated bath complete with a glass enclosed shower, something the bath did not previously have. A beautiful kitchenette with ample cabinetry space, refrigeration and a sink was transformed as well to provide all the comforts of home for guests visiting at the classic cottage retreat. The biggest design challenge was to keep in line with the charm the old home possessed, all the while giving the family all the convenience and efficiency of modern functioning amenities. One of the most interesting uses of material was the porcelain "wood-looking" tile used in all the baths and most of the home's common areas. All the efficiency of porcelain tile, with the nostalgic look and feel of worn and weathered hardwood floors. The home’s casual entry has an 8" rustic antique barn wood look porcelain tile in a rich brown to create a warm and welcoming first impression. Painted distressed cabinetry in muted shades of gray/green was used in the powder room to bring out the rustic feel of the space which was accentuated with wood planked walls and ceilings. Fresh white painted shaker cabinetry was used throughout the rest of the rooms, accentuated by bright chrome fixtures and muted pastel tones to create a calm and relaxing feeling throughout the home. Custom cabinetry was designed and built by Advance Design specifically for a large 70” TV in the living room, for each of the children’s bedroom’s built in storage, custom closets, and book shelves, and for a mudroom fit with custom niches for each family member by name. The ample master bath was fitted with double vanity areas in white. A generous shower with a bench features classic white subway tiles and light blue/green glass accents, as well as a large free standing soaking tub nestled under a window with double sconces to dim while relaxing in a luxurious bath. A custom classic white bookcase for plush towels greets you as you enter the sanctuary bath.

Our clients wished for a larger main bathroom with more light and storage. We expanded the footprint and used light colored marble tile, countertops and paint colors to give the room a brighter feel and added a cherry wood vanity to warm up the space. The matt black finish of the glass shower panels and the mirrors allows for top billing in this design and gives it a more modern feel.

curbless, infinity shower with handheld and nooks.
Bathroom - large modern master beige tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile and beige floor bathroom idea in Sacramento with a hinged shower door, dark wood cabinets, white walls, a vessel sink and quartz countertops

The bathroom was previously closed in and had a large tub off the door. Making this a glass stand up shower, left the space brighter and more spacious. Other tricks like the wall mount faucet and light finishes add to the open clean feel.