Built into the hillside, this industrial ranch sprawls across the site, taking advantage of views of the landscape. A metal structure ties together multiple ranch buildings with a modern, sleek interior that serves as a gallery for the owners collected works of art. A welcoming, airy bridge is located at the main entrance, and spans a unique water feature flowing beneath into a private trout pond below, where the owner can fly fish directly from the man-cave!

Guest bedroom featuring custom photo mural of San Francisco's "Cupid's Span" by Claes Oldenburg, framed by the Bay Bridge. Graphic black and white design elements and artwork, combined with reclaimed wood accents make this a clean and comfy retreat for out of town guests and family. Photos, including the mural photo, by Dean J. Biriny.

Tiltshift Studio
Example of a minimalist home design design in Austin

On a site that slopes gently down to Penobscot Bay, a Washington couple with four grown children sought to develop a house that would serve as a summer home and vacation destination for the family. Drawing from the New England vernacular of simple forms and traditional materials, the house provides modern spaces for living with two parallel but offset two-story gabled wings linked by a bridge spanning an open Great Room. This soaring space, anchored at one end by a large granite-clad fireplace, serves to link the house together, and to provide premier views of the ocean to the east. A wall of windows and doors opens to a combination covered and screened porch, providing access to a lawn sloping to the rocky coast. An open Kitchen serves the Dining Area and porch, as well as a link to the south yard and a view to an intimate cove. A private Library on the west wall provides a quiet away space. At the north wing, the Master Suite, including a Study, gains access to a private patio with commanding views of the ocean below. The upper levels of the north and south wings, provide bedrooms for the children and their families. An open bridge links the wings and provides views to the Great Room below, the sea beyond, and the front entry court to the north. A detached garage keeps cars out of view and provides a second-story get-away room. This house was completed in the summer of 2015.

This shot shows the large island accessed by the travertine bridge that spans over lower lazy river. The entertaining island has a firepit, sitting area, and a 10 person spa with stacked stone spilways, and the spa has its own small beach entry.

Raul Garcia: www.rauljgarcia.com/
Contemporary exterior home idea in Denver

Built into the hillside, this industrial ranch sprawls across the site, taking advantage of views of the landscape. A metal structure ties together multiple ranch buildings with a modern, sleek interior that serves as a gallery for the owners collected works of art. A welcoming, airy bridge is located at the main entrance, and spans a unique water feature flowing beneath into a private trout pond below, where the owner can fly fish directly from the man-cave!

To protect the silver maple (around which the house was designed), an entry bridge spans natural site contours avoiding modifications of runoff patterns and, thus, disturbance of the tree's root system. Fredrik Brauer

IPE wooden bridge with cor-ten guard rail spanning spring fed stream.
This is an example of a huge modern drought-tolerant and partial sun backyard garden path in Minneapolis with decking for summer.

Two custom built garden bridges spanning a natural backyard stream. Paul Kiefer / Specialty Gardens LLC, Grand Haven, MI
Photo of a traditional full sun backyard stone landscaping in Detroit for summer.

A wall size world map wallpaper mural is balanced by the great city just outside this child's bedroom. With expansive views of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge, this kids room has a leg up on magic. Custom built in window seating spans one wall with multiple cubbies for storage of books and toys.

Falcon House is located on Falcon Ridge Road, which winds along a steeply inclined ridge in a stretch of foothills within Carmel Valley in Monterey County. An old lichen covered barn and split rail, cedar fences characterize this area known as Markham Ranch, and contrast sharply with the preponderance of sprawling, large estate-style homes, many more at-home in the Italian countryside than any landscape of California. Designed for a young family, Falcon House responds to the family’s desire to live a more modest lifestyle, eschewing overt displays of extravagance for an intimate and deferential relation to nature. The 3,200-square-foot residence occupies a difficult portion of the northern slope of a hillside, overlooking a verdant valley and oriented toward Castle Rock in the distance. The steep terrain necessitated a compartmentalized plan capable of negotiating the gentle hillock at the center of the site. A corridor bridge spans two pieces of the house, uniting living and sleeping spaces and allowing an existing watercourse to flow essentially through the house unobstructed. Large panels of glass open the living spaces to the landscape, beneath the deep overhang of a butterfly roof. Operable clerestories placed high on the window-wall allow prevailing breezes to cool the interior spaces. The bedroom wing of the house hugs the hillside as it turns to the west, ensuring privacy from the main living spaces. The sense of seclusion and protection of this wing is reinforced by its lower roofline and its embedment into the hill. Initial resistance by neighboring homeowners has given way to appreciation, having seen the results of careful siting and a material and color palate sympathetic to the surrounding hillsides. The dwelling embodies an attitude of respect for the landscape, and through that perspective Falcon House has become as natural a part of its environment as the hawks flying overhead. 2008 AIA Orange County Chapter Merit Award

The site for this project presented views of Lake Conroe's main body to the left, a pedestrian bridge spanning a calm cove to the eighth hole directly in front, and beautiful sunsets to the right. To capture the broad span of views, three walls of glass were erected to display all of the sites in dramatic fashion, while flooding the public spaces with natural light. The two-story entry is capped with a skylight spanning the entire ceiling, creating a light silo that pours natural light into the remaining areas of the home. (Built 2010)

Two custom built garden bridges spanning a natural backyard stream. Paul Kiefer / Specialty Gardens LLC, Grand Haven, MI
This is an example of a traditional full sun backyard stone landscaping in Detroit for summer.

A mature Royal Poinciana sheds its seasonal blossoms in the uniquely shaped pool, spanned with a footbridge.
Pool - tropical custom-shaped pool idea in Tampa

Guest bedroom featuring custom photo mural of San Francisco's "Cupid's Span" by Claes Oldenburg, framed by the Bay Bridge. Graphic black and white design elements and artwork, combined with reclaimed wood accents make this a clean and comfy retreat for out of town guests and family. Photos, including the mural photo, by Dean J. Biriny.

Example of a huge trendy exterior home design in Miami

Two custom built garden bridges spanning a natural backyard stream. Paul Kiefer / Specialty Gardens LLC, Grand Haven, MI
Design ideas for a traditional landscaping in Detroit.

Falcon House is located on Falcon Ridge Road, which winds along a steeply inclined ridge in a stretch of foothills within Carmel Valley in Monterey County. An old lichen covered barn and split rail, cedar fences characterize this area known as Markham Ranch, and contrast sharply with the preponderance of sprawling, large estate-style homes, many more at-home in the Italian countryside than any landscape of California. Designed for a young family, Falcon House responds to the family’s desire to live a more modest lifestyle, eschewing overt displays of extravagance for an intimate and deferential relation to nature. The 3,200-square-foot residence occupies a difficult portion of the northern slope of a hillside, overlooking a verdant valley and oriented toward Castle Rock in the distance. The steep terrain necessitated a compartmentalized plan capable of negotiating the gentle hillock at the center of the site. A corridor bridge spans two pieces of the house, uniting living and sleeping spaces and allowing an existing watercourse to flow essentially through the house unobstructed. Large panels of glass open the living spaces to the landscape, beneath the deep overhang of a butterfly roof. Operable clerestories placed high on the window-wall allow prevailing breezes to cool the interior spaces. The bedroom wing of the house hugs the hillside as it turns to the west, ensuring privacy from the main living spaces. The sense of seclusion and protection of this wing is reinforced by its lower roofline and its embedment into the hill. Initial resistance by neighboring homeowners has given way to appreciation, having seen the results of careful siting and a material and color palate sympathetic to the surrounding hillsides. The dwelling embodies an attitude of respect for the landscape, and through that perspective Falcon House has become as natural a part of its environment as the hawks flying overhead. 2008 AIA Orange County Chapter Merit Award