This LEED Platinum certified house reflects the homeowner's desire for an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment, within a traditional neighborhood. INFILL SITE. The family, who moved from another area of Wellesley, sought out this property to be within walking distance of the high school and downtown area. An existing structure on the tight lot was removed to make way for the new home. 84% of the construction waste, from both the previous structure and the new home, was diverted from a landfill. ZED designed to preserve the existing mature trees on the perimeter of the property to minimize site impacts, and to maintain the character of the neighborhood as well as privacy on the site. EXTERIOR EXPRESSION. The street facade of the home relates to the local New England vernacular. The rear uses contemporary language, a nod to the family’s Californian roots, to incorporate a roof deck, solar panels, outdoor living space, and the backyard swimming pool. ZED’s careful planning avoided to the need to face the garage doors towards the street, a common syndrome of a narrow lot. THOUGHTFUL SPACE. Homes with dual entries can often result in duplicate and unused spaces. In this home, the everyday and formal entry areas are one and the same; the front and garage doors share the entry program of coat closets, mudroom storage with bench for removing your shoes, and a laundry room with generous closets for the children's sporting equipment. The entry area leads directly to the living space, encompassing the kitchen, dining and sitting area areas in an L-shaped open plan arrangement. The kitchen is placed at the south-west corner of the space to allow for a strong connection to the dining, sitting and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit on the deck satisfies the family’s desire for an open flame while a sealed gas fireplace is used indoors - ZED’s preference after omitting gas burning appliances completely from an airtight home. A small study, with a window seat, is conveniently located just off of the living space. A first floor guest bedroom includes an accessible bathroom for aging visitors and can be used as a master suite to accommodate aging in place. HEALTHY LIVING. The client requested a home that was easy to clean and would provide a respite from seasonal allergies and common contaminants that are found in many indoor spaces. ZED selected easy to clean solid surface flooring throughout, provided ample space for cleaning supplies on each floor, and designed a mechanical system with ventilation that provides a constant supply of fresh outdoor air. ZED selected durable materials, finishes, cabinetry, and casework with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and no added urea formaldehyde. YEAR-ROUND COMFORT. The home is super insulated and air-tight, paired with high performance triple-paned windows, to ensure it is draft-free throughout the winter (even when in front of the large windows and doors). ZED designed a right-sized heating and cooling system to pair with the thermally improved building enclosure to ensure year-round comfort. The glazing on the home maximizes passive solar gains, and facilitates cross ventilation and daylighting. ENERGY EFFICIENT. As one of the most energy efficient houses built to date in Wellesley, the home highlights a practical solution for Massachusetts. First, the building enclosure reduces the largest energy requirement for typical houses (heating). Super-insulation, exceptional air sealing, a thermally broken wall assembly, triple pane windows, and passive solar gain combine for a sizable heating load reduction. Second, within the house only efficient systems consume energy. These include an air source heat pump for heating & cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation, and high efficiency appliances. Lastly, photovoltaics provide renewable energy help offset energy consumption. The result is an 89% reduction in energy use compared to a similar brand new home built to code requirements. RESILIENT. The home will fare well in extreme weather events. During a winter power outage, heat loss will be very slow due to the super-insulated and airtight envelope– taking multiple days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. An engineered drainage system, paired with careful the detailing of the foundation, will help to keep the finished basement dry. A generator will provide full operation of the all-electric house during a power outage. OVERALL. The home is a reflection of the family goals and an expression of their values, beautifully enabling health, comfort, safety, resilience, and utility, all while respecting the planet. ZED - Architect & Mechanical Designer Bevilacqua Builders Inc - Contractor Creative Land & Water Engineering - Civil Engineering Barbara Peterson Landscape - Landscape Design Nest & Company - Interior Furnishings Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Protection from the heat and UV rays. A great way to enjoy your backyard in the summer.
Example of a mid-sized classic backyard concrete patio design with a roof extension

Energy efficient Earthwise windows and doors have earned both Energy Star ratings and the Good Housekeeping Seal.
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Clean simple lines giving you protection from the heat of the summer. This patio cover blocks all UV rays while allowing the light to shine through. Low maintenance.

Bi Fold doors conveniently hide away toaster and Kitchen Aid mixer. It's not often that you can take advantage of a lake view out in the suburbs of Chicago. This previously closed off kitchen now features an updated design with a great sightlines of the marvelous backyard landscape. The PB Kitchens Design team eliminated the formal eating area and instead, created an island with four spaces for seating, a second sink, and an abundance of storage. The outdoors is brought in via the large new windows and the earthy grey cabinet colors. Project specs: Cabinets by Signature Custom Cabinetry. The island features a Peruvian walnut island top from Grothouse Lumber. Dark granite countertop on the perimeter cabinetry. Quarter sawn white oak is used on the perimeter and island cabinets. Both are stained a weathered grey with the island a darker shade. Peruvian walnut island top from Grothouse Lumber are signature elements in this transitional kitchen.

Erin Kelleher
Example of a mid-sized trendy look-out basement design in DC Metro with blue walls

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Contemporary and automated lighting fixtures to complete the look of the house and allow a reduction in energy costs.
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Skylights let a great amount of natural light in but also cause damage to furnishings and cause rooms to heat up. Window film blocks Ultra-violet light that damages furnishings and skin while reducing the amount of solar heat allowed to enter the space.

Fu-Tung Cheng, CHENG Design • Front Entryway of House 6 concrete and wood home. House 6, is Cheng Design’s sixth custom home project, was redesigned and constructed from top-to-bottom. The project represents a major career milestone thanks to the unique and innovative use of concrete, as this residence is one of Cheng Design’s first-ever ‘hybrid’ structures, constructed as a combination of wood and concrete. Photography: Matthew Millman

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Patio - mid-sized traditional backyard patio idea in Toronto with a roof extension

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Skylights let a great amount of natural light in but also cause damage to furnishings and cause rooms to heat up. Window film blocks Ultra-violet light that damages furnishings and skin while reducing the amount of solar heat allowed to enter the space.

Contemporary home built on an infill lot in downtown Harrisonburg. The goal of saving as many trees as possible led to the creation of a bridge to the front door. This not only allowed for saving trees, but also created a reduction is site development costs.

Never get caught in the rain again while trying to open your front door. This little beauty gives great coverage for rain and heat. Acrylite acrylic roof and an aluminum frame give a great low maintenance front porch.