Joseph Smith
Example of a mountain style exterior home design in Atlanta

Photography by Chipper Hatter
Mid-sized trendy 3/4 blue tile and mosaic tile mosaic tile floor bathroom photo in Los Angeles with a trough sink, concrete countertops and multicolored walls

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Eric Roth Photo

Design Consultant Jeff Doubét is the author of Creating Spanish Style Homes: Before & After – Techniques – Designs – Insights. The 240 page “Design Consultation in a Book” is now available. Please visit SantaBarbaraHomeDesigner.com for more info. Jeff Doubét specializes in Santa Barbara style home and landscape designs. To learn more info about the variety of custom design services I offer, please visit SantaBarbaraHomeDesigner.com Jeff Doubét is the Founder of Santa Barbara Home Design - a design studio based in Santa Barbara, California USA.

Daniel Shea
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary medium tone wood floor hallway remodel in New York with white walls

Complete Renovation
Great room - mid-sized modern light wood floor great room idea in New York with white walls and no fireplace

Photo: Heather Banks © 2015 Houzz
Trendy patio photo in Austin

Photo: Caroline Sharpnack © 2017 Houzz
Example of a southwest home design design in Nashville

Tucked away in the backwoods of Torch Lake, this home marries “rustic” with the sleek elegance of modern. The combination of wood, stone and metal textures embrace the charm of a classic farmhouse. Although this is not your average farmhouse. The home is outfitted with a high performing system that seamlessly works with the design and architecture. The tall ceilings and windows allow ample natural light into the main room. Spire Integrated Systems installed Lutron QS Wireless motorized shades paired with Hartmann & Forbes windowcovers to offer privacy and block harsh light. The custom 18′ windowcover’s woven natural fabric complements the organic esthetics of the room. The shades are artfully concealed in the millwork when not in use. Spire installed B&W in-ceiling speakers and Sonance invisible in-wall speakers to deliver ambient music that emanates throughout the space with no visual footprint. Spire also installed a Sonance Landscape Audio System so the homeowner can enjoy music outside. Each system is easily controlled using Savant. Spire personalized the settings to the homeowner’s preference making controlling the home efficient and convenient.

Modern Loft Bedroom w/ Floating Plywood Bookshelf
Example of a small trendy loft-style carpeted and gray floor bedroom design in San Francisco with white walls

Mastic vinyl siding and TimberTech AZEK porches gave this New Bedford, MA multi-family a maintenance-free exterior! The homeowner chose to install Mastic Carvedwood 44 vinyl siding in the color, Misty Shadow. Built to handle extreme New England weather, Mastic Carvedwood 44 vinyl siding has a 200 mph wind rating and exclusive Hang-Tough Technology to make sure your siding stays in place! This fade, crack, and chip resistant vinyl siding eliminates the need to paint every 4-5 years which saves homeowners the costly maintenance of painting. This low maintenance product comes in a wide variety of colors and styles to suit your personal style. Additionally, with a VIP limited lifetime warranty and our 10 year workmanship guarantee homeowners can feel confident that their home is protected. Urban properties have to make the most of their space. To give tenants on both floors an outdoor space, the homeowner chose to rebuild their front porches with Timbertech AZEK decking and rails. This capped polymer decking is rot, insect, scratch, and fade resistant. It’s the perfect product for rental properties – no need to worry about sanding, staining, or painting their porches! As one of the few TimberTech AZEK Platinum contractors in the area, you can trust our team to build the deck or porch of your dreams! Thinking of having your own exterior makeover? With over 40 years of experience, we have thousands of satisfied customers throughout Cape Cod, Southeastern Massachusetts, and Eastern Rhode Island. In addition to an extensive list of industry awards and credentials, we have been an A+ rated, Accredited member of the Better Business Bureau for more than 25 years! Qualified homeowners can even take advantage of our affordable home improvement financing options. Get started with a FREE quote by calling (508) 997-1111 or submit your information online and make your house a Care Free home!

Mastic vinyl siding and TimberTech AZEK porches gave this New Bedford, MA multi-family a maintenance-free exterior! The homeowner chose to install Mastic Carvedwood 44 vinyl siding in the color, Misty Shadow. Built to handle extreme New England weather, Mastic Carvedwood 44 vinyl siding has a 200 mph wind rating and exclusive Hang-Tough Technology to make sure your siding stays in place! This fade, crack, and chip resistant vinyl siding eliminates the need to paint every 4-5 years which saves homeowners the costly maintenance of painting. This low maintenance product comes in a wide variety of colors and styles to suit your personal style. Additionally, with a VIP limited lifetime warranty and our 10 year workmanship guarantee homeowners can feel confident that their home is protected. Urban properties have to make the most of their space. To give tenants on both floors an outdoor space, the homeowner chose to rebuild their front porches with Timbertech AZEK decking and rails. This capped polymer decking is rot, insect, scratch, and fade resistant. It’s the perfect product for rental properties – no need to worry about sanding, staining, or painting their porches! As one of the few TimberTech AZEK Platinum contractors in the area, you can trust our team to build the deck or porch of your dreams! Thinking of having your own exterior makeover? With over 40 years of experience, we have thousands of satisfied customers throughout Cape Cod, Southeastern Massachusetts, and Eastern Rhode Island. In addition to an extensive list of industry awards and credentials, we have been an A+ rated, Accredited member of the Better Business Bureau for more than 25 years! Qualified homeowners can even take advantage of our affordable home improvement financing options. Get started with a FREE quote by calling (508) 997-1111 or submit your information online and make your house a Care Free home!

Mastic vinyl siding and TimberTech AZEK porches gave this New Bedford, MA multi-family a maintenance-free exterior! The homeowner chose to install Mastic Carvedwood 44 vinyl siding in the color, Misty Shadow. Built to handle extreme New England weather, Mastic Carvedwood 44 vinyl siding has a 200 mph wind rating and exclusive Hang-Tough Technology to make sure your siding stays in place! This fade, crack, and chip resistant vinyl siding eliminates the need to paint every 4-5 years which saves homeowners the costly maintenance of painting. This low maintenance product comes in a wide variety of colors and styles to suit your personal style. Additionally, with a VIP limited lifetime warranty and our 10 year workmanship guarantee homeowners can feel confident that their home is protected. Urban properties have to make the most of their space. To give tenants on both floors an outdoor space, the homeowner chose to rebuild their front porches with Timbertech AZEK decking and rails. This capped polymer decking is rot, insect, scratch, and fade resistant. It’s the perfect product for rental properties – no need to worry about sanding, staining, or painting their porches! As one of the few TimberTech AZEK Platinum contractors in the area, you can trust our team to build the deck or porch of your dreams! Thinking of having your own exterior makeover? With over 40 years of experience, we have thousands of satisfied customers throughout Cape Cod, Southeastern Massachusetts, and Eastern Rhode Island. In addition to an extensive list of industry awards and credentials, we have been an A+ rated, Accredited member of the Better Business Bureau for more than 25 years! Qualified homeowners can even take advantage of our affordable home improvement financing options. Get started with a FREE quote by calling (508) 997-1111 or submit your information online and make your house a Care Free home!

Staircase - cottage staircase idea in San Francisco

Staircase - mid-sized traditional wooden straight wood railing staircase idea in New York with painted risers

Transitional living room photo in Los Angeles

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 railing was the first planned update of the Fort Collins, CO couples home renovation. The wavy lines give the room a natural feel. Design and fabrication by Hueber Industries LLC. Photo: Rory Schaar.