Search results for "Activity levels" in Home Design Ideas

A three level terraced garden with a spa, waterfall and patio at the top, a mid level pool and fireplace lounge, and a lower level sport court for basketball and synthetic turf field for soccer and lacrosse. Perfect for an active family who wanted outdoor entertainment and a multi-use sports field on a relatively steep hill.

Split Level 1970 home of a young and active family of four. The main public spaces in this home were remodeled to create a fresh, clean look.
The Jack + Mare demo'd the kitchen and dining room down to studs and removed the wall between the kitchen/dining and living room to create an open concept space with a clean and fresh new kitchen and dining with ample storage. Now the family can all be together and enjoy one another's company even if mom or dad is busy in the kitchen prepping the next meal.
The custom white cabinets and the blue accent island (and walls) really give a nice clean and fun feel to the space. The island has a gorgeous local solid slab of wood on top. A local artisan salvaged and milled up the big leaf maple for this project. In fact, the tree was from the University of Portland's campus located right where the client once rode the bus to school when she was a child. So it's an extra special custom piece! (fun fact: there is a bullet lodged in the wood that is visible...we estimate it was shot into the tree 30-35 years ago!)
The 'public' spaces were given a brand new waterproof luxury vinyl wide plank tile. With 2 young daughters, a large golden retriever and elderly cat, the durable floor was a must.
project scope at quick glance:
- demo'd and rebuild kitchen and dining room.
- removed wall separating kitchen/dining and living room
- removed carpet and installed new flooring in public spaces
- removed stair carpet and gave fresh black and white paint
- painted all public spaces
- new hallway doorknob harware
- all new LED lighting (kitchen, dining, living room and hallway)
Jason Quigley Photography
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The new level entry home in this well established nieghbourhood provides a more functional layout for this active and busy family. A custom timber entry design compliments the beautiful West Coast environment.
Photo Credit: Arlene Deptuck - Copper West Contracting Ltd.

2013 NARI CAPITAL COTY, MERIT AWARD WINNER, RESIDENTIAL EXTERIOR
A family of five living in a Chantilly, Virginia, neighborhood with a lot of improvement going on decided to do a project of their own. An active family, they decided their old deck was ragged, beat up and needed revamping.
After discussing their needs, the design team at Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes developed a plan for a covered porch and a wrap-around upscale deck. Traffic flow and multiple entrances were important, as was a place for the kids to leave their muddy shoes.
A double staircase leading the deck into the large backyard provides a panoramic view of the parkland behind the property. A side staircase lets the kids come into the covered porch and mudroom prior to entering the main house.
The covered porch touts large colonial style columns, a beaded cedar (stained) ceiling, recess lighting, ceiling fans and a large television with outdoor surround sound.
The deck touts synthetic railing and stained grade decking and offers extended living space just outside of the kitchen and family room, as well as a grill space and outdoor patio seating.
This new outdoor facility has become the jewel of their neighborhood and now the family can enjoy their backyard activities more than ever.

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

A three level terraced garden with a spa, waterfall and patio at the top, a mid level pool and fireplace lounge, and a lower level sport court for basketball and synthetic turf field for soccer and lacrosse. Perfect for an active family who wanted outdoor entertainment and a multi-use sports field on a relatively steep hill.

A three level terraced garden with a spa, waterfall and patio at the top, a mid level pool and fireplace lounge, and a lower level sport court for basketball and synthetic turf field for soccer and lacrosse. Perfect for an active family who wanted outdoor entertainment and a multi-use sports field on a relatively steep hill.

A three level terraced garden with a spa, waterfall and patio at the top, a mid level pool and fireplace lounge, and a lower level sport court for basketball and synthetic turf field for soccer and lacrosse. Perfect for an active family who wanted outdoor entertainment and a multi-use sports field on a relatively steep hill.

The Bristol - Homesite 60 Horton Estates
Featuring 2 Bedrooms, Den/Study, 2 Baths, Open Design and everything on one level.
Example of a minimalist exterior home design in Providence
Example of a minimalist exterior home design in Providence

A three level terraced garden with a spa, waterfall and patio at the top, a mid level pool and fireplace lounge, and a lower level sport court for basketball and synthetic turf field for soccer and lacrosse. Perfect for an active family who wanted outdoor entertainment and a multi-use sports field on a relatively steep hill.

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

This spacious Timber Tech low maintenance deck was built to give the homeowners a place to enjoy the view of their yard while giving them different areas to enjoy different activities. The round aluminum pickets on the rails open the view while creating a sleek look. This multi level deck was custom designed and built in Aurora by Archadeck of Chicagoland.

Saturday, August 8, 9:00 to 10:30am | Aspen | DBX3 by Sheri Sanzone and Christine Shine of Bluegreen
A modern residential community with a storied past, the Double Bar X Ranch is steeped in the rich history of Colorado’s mining and agrarian roots. Today the site of a contemporary, ranch-inspired community, this rustic landscape was once part of the largest silver-producing mining district in the U.S. It later supported an array of intensive, agricultural activities. From the gentle rise of tilled-rubble walls and the patterning of open meadow, to the remnants of sculpted earthworks, evidence of the site’s prior use abounds. Winding foot trails allow visitors to experience panoramic views of the timbered landscape and structural features reminiscent of the historic ranch, including the large, wooden water trough that serves as a central focal point of the property. The design of the current landscape celebrates this juxtaposition of past and present; it revels in its contemporary context while embracing a historically minded design intent and honoring its latent history through selected materials and textures. The result of this mindful effort is an expression of thoughtful transition from the bygone, ranch of yesterday to a modern-day interpretation of the agrarian homestead.
Photo by Jason Dewey Photography, courtesy Bluegreen

Designed for an active family, this exceptional, welcoming Lake Minnetonka home features main level living with lower-level walkout for easy access to the lake, firepit, and sand beach. Amazing views are captured from nearly every main level space, including a unique center kitchen with built-in banquet. The main level opens fully to a screen porch for dining, grilling, and relaxing by the fireplace.

There's no need to fear loss of light or space from making the ceiling black when the space is as tall and bright as this! Even so, we have installed Laqfoil high gloss black stretched ceiling in much smaller spaces with attractive results, because of its amazing show of reflections. In this loft, the ceiling reflects activity at street level below, constantly activating the space like a piece of kinetic art, without loss of privacy.

The Hillcrest’s spacious lower level is an activity center for the ages. Whether it is during the cold winter months or too rainy to be out on the lake, the lower level includes a spacious exercise area, rec and game room, designated golf area with up-to-date golf simulator, and 4-season room that faces the lake.

Designed for an active family, this exceptional, welcoming Lake Minnetonka home features main level living with lower-level walkout for easy access to the lake, firepit, and sand beach. Amazing views are captured from nearly every main level space, including a unique center kitchen with built-in banquet. The main level opens fully to a screen porch for dining, grilling, and relaxing by the fireplace.

For a family who believes fitness is not only an essential part of life but also a fun opportunity for the whole family to connect, build and achieve greatness together there is nothing better than a custom designed obstacle course right in your back yard.
THEME
The theme of this half mile trail through the woods is evident in the fun, creative and all-inclusive obstacles hidden in the natural flow of the land around this amazing family home. The course was created with adults and children, advanced and beginner athletes, competitive and entertaining events all accounted for. Each of the 13 obstacles was designed to be challenging no matter the size, skill or ability of the athlete lucky enough to run the course.
FOCUS
The focus for this family was to create an outdoor adventure that could be an athletic, social and personal outlet for their entire family while maintaining the natural beauty of the landscape and without altering the sweeping views from the home. The large scale of the challenging obstacles is camouflaged within the landscape using the rolling hills and mature trees as a natural curtain in every season. The beauty of the course does not diminish the functional and demanding nature of the obstacles which are designed to focus on multiple strength, agility, and cardio fitness abilities and intensities.
STORAGE
The start of the trail includes a raised training area offering a dedicated space clear from the ground to place bags, mats and other equipment used during the run. A small all-terrain storage cart was provided for use with 6 yoga mats, 3 medicine balls of various weights, rings, sprinting cones, and a large digital timer to record laps.
GROWTH
The course was designed to provide an athletic and fun challenge for children, teens and adults no matter their experience or athletic prowess. This course offers competitive athletes a challenge and budding athletes an opportunity to experience and ignite their passion for physical activity. Initially the concept for the course was focused on the youngest of the family however as the design grew so did the obstacles and now it is a true family experience that will meet their adapting needs for years. Each obstacle is paired with an instructional sign directing the runners in proper use of the obstacle, adaptations for skill levels and tips on form. These signs are all customized for this course and are printed on metal to ensure they last for many years.
SAFETY
Safety is crucial for all physical activity and an obstacle course of this scale presents unique safety concerns. Children should always be supervised when participating in an adventure on the course however additional care was paid to details on the course to ensure everyone has a great time. All of the course obstacles have been created with pressure treated lumber that will withstand the seasonal poundings. All footer pilings that support obstacles have been placed into the ground between 3 to 4 feet (.9 to 1.2 meters) and each piling has 2 to 3 bags of concrete (totaling over 90 bags used throughout the course) ensuring stability of the structure and safety of the participants. Additionally, all obstacle lumber has been given rounded corners and sanded down offering less splintering and more time for everyone to enjoy the course.
This athletic and charismatic family strives to incorporate a healthy active lifestyle into their daily life and this obstacle course offers their family an opportunity to strengthen themselves and host some memorable and active events at their amazing home.

This young family in Richmond Hill had a shallow sloping lot on a ravine with such a sharp drop that it was impractical for most backyard activities. The dog ran around there but most family activities were restricted to the glass panelled porch. Betz provided a solution and helped to secure conservation approval for a four-foot retaining wall to level the area for a pool and patio.
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