Photo by George Dzahristos
Photo of a traditional partial sun stone formal garden in Detroit.

Longshadow limestone planters welcome spring with blue hydrangea, white stock, purple pansies, and english ivy. Hannah Goering Photography
This is an example of a large traditional full sun front yard stone flower bed in Chicago for spring.

Inspiration for a rustic brown one-story wood gable roof remodel in Seattle

Photo of a traditional shade concrete paver garden path in Philadelphia.

Whit Preston, Photographer
Mid-century modern gray one-story wood flat roof idea in Austin

Example of a small front yard patio container garden design in Oklahoma City

Aaron Leitz
Inspiration for a modern home design remodel in San Francisco

Garden 31 in La Canada Flintridge

Lincoln Farmhouse LEED-H Platinum, Net-Positive Energy OVERVIEW. This LEED Platinum certified modern farmhouse ties into the cultural landscape of Lincoln, Massachusetts - a town known for its rich history, farming traditions, conservation efforts, and visionary architecture. The goal was to design and build a new single family home on 1.8 acres that respects the neighborhood’s agrarian roots, produces more energy than it consumes, and provides the family with flexible spaces to live-play-work-entertain. The resulting 2,800 SF home is proof that families do not need to compromise on style, space or comfort in a highly energy-efficient and healthy home. CONNECTION TO NATURE. The attached garage is ubiquitous in new construction in New England’s cold climate. This home’s barn-inspired garage is intentionally detached from the main dwelling. A covered walkway connects the two structures, creating an intentional connection with the outdoors between auto and home. FUNCTIONAL FLEXIBILITY. With a modest footprint, each space must serve a specific use, but also be flexible for atypical scenarios. The Mudroom serves everyday use for the couple and their children, but is also easy to tidy up to receive guests, eliminating the need for two entries found in most homes. A workspace is conveniently located off the mudroom; it looks out on to the back yard to supervise the children and can be closed off with a sliding door when not in use. The Away Room opens up to the Living Room for everyday use; it can be closed off with its oversized pocket door for secondary use as a guest bedroom with en suite bath. NET POSITIVE ENERGY. The all-electric home consumes 70% less energy than a code-built house, and with measured energy data produces 48% more energy annually than it consumes, making it a 'net positive' home. Thick walls and roofs lack thermal bridging, windows are high performance, triple-glazed, and a continuous air barrier yields minimal leakage (0.27ACH50) making the home among the tightest in the US. Systems include an air source heat pump, an energy recovery ventilator, and a 13.1kW photovoltaic system to offset consumption and support future electric cars. ACTUAL PERFORMANCE. -6.3 kBtu/sf/yr Energy Use Intensity (Actual monitored project data reported for the firm’s 2016 AIA 2030 Commitment. Average single family home is 52.0 kBtu/sf/yr.) o 10,900 kwh total consumption (8.5 kbtu/ft2 EUI) o 16,200 kwh total production o 5,300 kwh net surplus, equivalent to 15,000-25,000 electric car miles per year. 48% net positive. WATER EFFICIENCY. Plumbing fixtures and water closets consume a mere 60% of the federal standard, while high efficiency appliances such as the dishwasher and clothes washer also reduce consumption rates. FOOD PRODUCTION. After clearing all invasive species, apple, pear, peach and cherry trees were planted. Future plans include blueberry, raspberry and strawberry bushes, along with raised beds for vegetable gardening. The house also offers a below ground root cellar, built outside the home's thermal envelope, to gain the passive benefit of long term energy-free food storage. RESILIENCY. The home's ability to weather unforeseen challenges is predictable - it will fare well. The super-insulated envelope means during a winter storm with power outage, heat loss will be slow - taking days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. During normal conditions, reduced energy consumption plus energy production means shelter from the burden of utility costs. Surplus production can power electric cars & appliances. The home exceeds snow & wind structural requirements, plus far surpasses standard construction for long term durability planning. ARCHITECT: ZeroEnergy Design http://zeroenergy.com/lincoln-farmhouse CONTRACTOR: Thoughtforms http://thoughtforms-corp.com/ PHOTOGRAPHER: Chuck Choi http://www.chuckchoi.com/

Photo: Monica Lee

Example of a mid-sized transitional freestanding desk dark wood floor and brown floor study room design in New York with beige walls and no fireplace

borage
Example of a small trendy rooftop deck container garden design in Montreal with no cover

This set of curving front stairs was designed to allow for a gradual rise to the front door. The homeowners wanted a classic design using natural stone materials to fit the with the style of their home. Short risers were used and a railing was installed to help make the sidewalk usable as the homeowner's age and have increased limitations. The natural stone planters were built using Fond du lac limestone. The planters are filled with shrubs, perennials, and annuals.

This set of curving front stairs was designed to allow for a gradual rise to the front door. The homeowners wanted a classic design using natural stone materials to fit the with the style of their home. Short risers were used and a railing was installed to help make the sidewalk usable as the homeowner's age and have increased limitations. The natural stone planters were built using Fond du lac limestone. The planters are filled with shrubs, perennials, and annuals.

This set of curving front stairs was designed to allow for a gradual rise to the front door. The homeowners wanted a classic design using natural stone materials to fit the with the style of their home. Short risers were used and a railing was installed to help make the sidewalk usable as the homeowner's age and have increased limitations. The natural stone planters were built using Fond du lac limestone. The planters are filled with shrubs, perennials, and annuals.

This set of curving front stairs was designed to allow for a gradual rise to the front door. The homeowners wanted a classic design using natural stone materials to fit the with the style of their home. Short risers were used and a railing was installed to help make the sidewalk usable as the homeowner's age and have increased limitations. The natural stone planters were built using Fond du lac limestone. The planters are filled with shrubs, perennials, and annuals.

The goal of this project was to provide a lush and vast garden for the new owners of this recently remodeled brick Georgian. Located in Wheaton this acre plus property is surrounded by beautiful Oaks. Preserving the Oaks became a particular challenge with the ample front walk and generous entertaining spaces the client desired. Under most of the Oaks the turf was in very poor condition, and most of the property was covered with undesirable overgrown underbrush such as Garlic Mustard weed and Buckthorn. With a recently completed addition, the garages were pushed farther from the front door leaving a large distance between the drive and entry to the home. This prompted the addition of a secondary door off the kitchen. A meandering walk curves past the secondary entry and leads guests through the front garden to the main entry. Off the secondary door a “kitchen patio” complete with a custom gate and Green Mountain Boxwood hedge give the clients a quaint space to enjoy a morning cup of joe. Stepping stone pathways lead around the home and weave through multiple pocket gardens within the vast backyard. The paths extend deep into the property leading to individual and unique gardens with a variety of plantings that are tied together with rustic stonewalls and sinuous turf areas. Closer to the home a large paver patio opens up to the backyard gardens. New stoops were constructed and existing stoops were covered in bluestone and mortared stonewalls were added, complimenting the classic Georgian architecture. The completed project accomplished all the goals of creating a lush and vast garden that fit the remodeled home and lifestyle of its new owners. Through careful planning, all mature Oaks were preserved, undesirables removed and numerous new plantings along with detailed stonework helped to define the new landscape.

bruce damonte
Example of a minimalist home design design in San Francisco