Single-family new construction in Albinea (RE), Italy, certified Class A by CasaClima Agency for high energy efficiency. This single-family home was designed as part of an existing development plan near Albinea (in the province of Reggio Emilia), for which there were prescribed traditional design guidelines imposed. The architectural form, therefore, references a traditional Emilian farmhouse with a central "porta morta" area that acts as the entrance and stairwell. The color palette blends in with the surrounding hay fields, and the rear of the house offers decks and balconies overlooking the hills of the Reggiano Apennines. Our challenge was to focus on the efficiency of the building envelope, without changing the orientation of the building. Despite the fact that the shorter side of the house is facing South and through careful design calculations and testing during construction, we were able to achieve Class A in the CasaClima rating scheme, one of the highest Italian certifications available. This project is a joint development with Roverella SRL and is now for sale: http://www.immobiliare.it/44731806-Vendita-Villa-via-Conte-6-Albinea.html photo by Sara Salsi

Single-family new construction in Albinea (RE), Italy, certified Class A by CasaClima Agency for high energy efficiency. This single-family home was designed as part of an existing development plan near Albinea (in the province of Reggio Emilia), for which there were prescribed traditional design guidelines imposed. The architectural form, therefore, references a traditional Emilian farmhouse with a central "porta morta" area that acts as the entrance and stairwell. The color palette blends in with the surrounding hay fields, and the rear of the house offers decks and balconies overlooking the hills of the Reggiano Apennines. Our challenge was to focus on the efficiency of the building envelope, without changing the orientation of the building. Despite the fact that the shorter side of the house is facing South and through careful design calculations and testing during construction, we were able to achieve Class A in the CasaClima rating scheme, one of the highest Italian certifications available. This project is a joint development with Roverella SRL and is now for sale: http://www.immobiliare.it/44731806-Vendita-Villa-via-Conte-6-Albinea.html photo by Sara Salsi

The renovation of our Renfrew Residence completely reimagined what we expected from a classic Vancouver Special home. The boxy shape of Vancouver Specials was a result of maximizing floor space under the zoning guidelines of their time. Builders in the 1960s and 1980s saw an opportunity and made the most of it! Today, renovating these homes are a common and rewarding project for Design Build firms. We love transforming Vancouver Specials because they have a lot of versatility and great foundations! Our Renfrew Residence is a great example of how all the common modernizations of a Vancouver Special are even better with Design Build. To begin, we gave this home a more modern layout. We opened the walls upstairs, expanded the master bathroom, and gave the home an overall open feeling. In order to do so, we restructured and moved some of the walls.

Single-family new construction in Albinea (RE), Italy, certified Class A by CasaClima Agency for high energy efficiency. This single-family home was designed as part of an existing development plan near Albinea (in the province of Reggio Emilia), for which there were prescribed traditional design guidelines imposed. The architectural form, therefore, references a traditional Emilian farmhouse with a central "porta morta" area that acts as the entrance and stairwell. The color palette blends in with the surrounding hay fields, and the rear of the house offers decks and balconies overlooking the hills of the Reggiano Apennines. Our challenge was to focus on the efficiency of the building envelope, without changing the orientation of the building. Despite the fact that the shorter side of the house is facing South and through careful design calculations and testing during construction, we were able to achieve Class A in the CasaClima rating scheme, one of the highest Italian certifications available. This project is a joint development with Roverella SRL and is now for sale: http://www.immobiliare.it/44731806-Vendita-Villa-via-Conte-6-Albinea.html photo by Sara Salsi

Single-family new construction in Albinea (RE), Italy, certified Class A by CasaClima Agency for high energy efficiency. This single-family home was designed as part of an existing development plan near Albinea (in the province of Reggio Emilia), for which there were prescribed traditional design guidelines imposed. The architectural form, therefore, references a traditional Emilian farmhouse with a central "porta morta" area that acts as the entrance and stairwell. The color palette blends in with the surrounding hay fields, and the rear of the house offers decks and balconies overlooking the hills of the Reggiano Apennines. Our challenge was to focus on the efficiency of the building envelope, without changing the orientation of the building. Despite the fact that the shorter side of the house is facing South and through careful design calculations and testing during construction, we were able to achieve Class A in the CasaClima rating scheme, one of the highest Italian certifications available. This project is a joint development with Roverella SRL and is now for sale: http://www.immobiliare.it/44731806-Vendita-Villa-via-Conte-6-Albinea.html photo by Sara Salsi

On this major remodel in Santa Cruz we were faced with a dilapidated Victorian built in 1904. We began by creating a complete set of building plans detailing the renovation and remodeling of the building. We added new square footage to the master bedroom, reengineered and rebuilt the back half of the structure and then completely replaced all of the plumbing and electrical services. All of our construction on the exterior was required to match the original in order to comply with the historical status of the building. This project was conducted under the new green building guidelines established by the City of Santa Cruz. We were able to recycle nearly 80% of our demolition and construction refuse. We took care to preserve and renovate the existing redwood window casings and all of the original custom heart redwood doors in the home. These were planed, sanded and refinished to both save cost and maintain the vintage warmth of the original structure. The windows were recycled and new Marvin dual pane wood windows installed in their place. The original upstairs redwood flooring was preserved and the damaged sections replaced with material salvaged from the flooring at the first story. These surfaces were sanded and finished to recreate the look of the former flooring. We were also able to save and reuse the decorative fireplace mantle from the original construction.

On this major remodel in Santa Cruz we were faced with a dilapidated Victorian built in 1904. We began by creating a complete set of building plans detailing the renovation and remodeling of the building. We added new square footage to the master bedroom, reengineered and rebuilt the back half of the structure and then completely replaced all of the plumbing and electrical services. All of our construction on the exterior was required to match the original in order to comply with the historical status of the building. This project was conducted under the new green building guidelines established by the City of Santa Cruz. We were able to recycle nearly 80% of our demolition and construction refuse. We took care to preserve and renovate the existing redwood window casings and all of the original custom heart redwood doors in the home. These were planed, sanded and refinished to both save cost and maintain the vintage warmth of the original structure. The windows were recycled and new Marvin dual pane wood windows installed in their place. The original upstairs redwood flooring was preserved and the damaged sections replaced with material salvaged from the flooring at the first story. These surfaces were sanded and finished to recreate the look of the former flooring. We were also able to save and reuse the decorative fireplace mantle from the original construction.

On this major remodel in Santa Cruz we were faced with a dilapidated Victorian built in 1904. We began by creating a complete set of building plans detailing the renovation and remodeling of the building. We added new square footage to the master bedroom, reengineered and rebuilt the back half of the structure and then completely replaced all of the plumbing and electrical services. All of our construction on the exterior was required to match the original in order to comply with the historical status of the building. This project was conducted under the new green building guidelines established by the City of Santa Cruz. We were able to recycle nearly 80% of our demolition and construction refuse. We took care to preserve and renovate the existing redwood window casings and all of the original custom heart redwood doors in the home. These were planed, sanded and refinished to both save cost and maintain the vintage warmth of the original structure. The windows were recycled and new Marvin dual pane wood windows installed in their place. The original upstairs redwood flooring was preserved and the damaged sections replaced with material salvaged from the flooring at the first story. These surfaces were sanded and finished to recreate the look of the former flooring. We were also able to save and reuse the decorative fireplace mantle from the original construction.

On this major remodel in Santa Cruz we were faced with a dilapidated Victorian built in 1904. We began by creating a complete set of building plans detailing the renovation and remodeling of the building. We added new square footage to the master bedroom, reengineered and rebuilt the back half of the structure and then completely replaced all of the plumbing and electrical services. All of our construction on the exterior was required to match the original in order to comply with the historical status of the building. This project was conducted under the new green building guidelines established by the City of Santa Cruz. We were able to recycle nearly 80% of our demolition and construction refuse. We took care to preserve and renovate the existing redwood window casings and all of the original custom heart redwood doors in the home. These were planed, sanded and refinished to both save cost and maintain the vintage warmth of the original structure. The windows were recycled and new Marvin dual pane wood windows installed in their place. The original upstairs redwood flooring was preserved and the damaged sections replaced with material salvaged from the flooring at the first story. These surfaces were sanded and finished to recreate the look of the former flooring. We were also able to save and reuse the decorative fireplace mantle from the original construction.

On this major remodel in Santa Cruz we were faced with a dilapidated Victorian built in 1904. We began by creating a complete set of building plans detailing the renovation and remodeling of the building. We added new square footage to the master bedroom, reengineered and rebuilt the back half of the structure and then completely replaced all of the plumbing and electrical services. All of our construction on the exterior was required to match the original in order to comply with the historical status of the building. This project was conducted under the new green building guidelines established by the City of Santa Cruz. We were able to recycle nearly 80% of our demolition and construction refuse. We took care to preserve and renovate the existing redwood window casings and all of the original custom heart redwood doors in the home. These were planed, sanded and refinished to both save cost and maintain the vintage warmth of the original structure. The windows were recycled and new Marvin dual pane wood windows installed in their place. The original upstairs redwood flooring was preserved and the damaged sections replaced with material salvaged from the flooring at the first story. These surfaces were sanded and finished to recreate the look of the former flooring. We were also able to save and reuse the decorative fireplace mantle from the original construction.

On this major remodel in Santa Cruz we were faced with a dilapidated Victorian built in 1904. We began by creating a complete set of building plans detailing the renovation and remodeling of the building. We added new square footage to the master bedroom, reengineered and rebuilt the back half of the structure and then completely replaced all of the plumbing and electrical services. All of our construction on the exterior was required to match the original in order to comply with the historical status of the building. This project was conducted under the new green building guidelines established by the City of Santa Cruz. We were able to recycle nearly 80% of our demolition and construction refuse. We took care to preserve and renovate the existing redwood window casings and all of the original custom heart redwood doors in the home. These were planed, sanded and refinished to both save cost and maintain the vintage warmth of the original structure. The windows were recycled and new Marvin dual pane wood windows installed in their place. The original upstairs redwood flooring was preserved and the damaged sections replaced with material salvaged from the flooring at the first story. These surfaces were sanded and finished to recreate the look of the former flooring. We were also able to save and reuse the decorative fireplace mantle from the original construction.

On this major remodel in Santa Cruz we were faced with a dilapidated Victorian built in 1904. We began by creating a complete set of building plans detailing the renovation and remodeling of the building. We added new square footage to the master bedroom, reengineered and rebuilt the back half of the structure and then completely replaced all of the plumbing and electrical services. All of our construction on the exterior was required to match the original in order to comply with the historical status of the building. This project was conducted under the new green building guidelines established by the City of Santa Cruz. We were able to recycle nearly 80% of our demolition and construction refuse. We took care to preserve and renovate the existing redwood window casings and all of the original custom heart redwood doors in the home. These were planed, sanded and refinished to both save cost and maintain the vintage warmth of the original structure. The windows were recycled and new Marvin dual pane wood windows installed in their place. The original upstairs redwood flooring was preserved and the damaged sections replaced with material salvaged from the flooring at the first story. These surfaces were sanded and finished to recreate the look of the former flooring. We were also able to save and reuse the decorative fireplace mantle from the original construction.

On this major remodel in Santa Cruz we were faced with a dilapidated Victorian built in 1904. We began by creating a complete set of building plans detailing the renovation and remodeling of the building. We added new square footage to the master bedroom, reengineered and rebuilt the back half of the structure and then completely replaced all of the plumbing and electrical services. All of our construction on the exterior was required to match the original in order to comply with the historical status of the building. This project was conducted under the new green building guidelines established by the City of Santa Cruz. We were able to recycle nearly 80% of our demolition and construction refuse. We took care to preserve and renovate the existing redwood window casings and all of the original custom heart redwood doors in the home. These were planed, sanded and refinished to both save cost and maintain the vintage warmth of the original structure. The windows were recycled and new Marvin dual pane wood windows installed in their place. The original upstairs redwood flooring was preserved and the damaged sections replaced with material salvaged from the flooring at the first story. These surfaces were sanded and finished to recreate the look of the former flooring. We were also able to save and reuse the decorative fireplace mantle from the original construction.

As part of a full condo renovation at the Capilano Building in Woodcroft, North Vancouver, this kitchen was redesigned to create a brighter and more open living space. Two walls were removed and the kitchen opening was widened to improve the flow between the kitchen, dining, and living areas. The new design features custom soft-tone cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, and a quartz peninsula with a waterfall edge that acts as both a functional workspace and a visual focal point. The full-height quartz backsplash continues the clean contemporary aesthetic while reflecting light throughout the space. New flooring was installed across the entire condo, helping unify the open layout. This permitted renovation required careful coordination with strata management and building logistics, ensuring the project was completed smoothly within Woodcroft building guidelines.

On this major remodel in Santa Cruz we were faced with a dilapidated Victorian built in 1904. We began by creating a complete set of building plans detailing the renovation and remodeling of the building. We added new square footage to the master bedroom, reengineered and rebuilt the back half of the structure and then completely replaced all of the plumbing and electrical services. All of our construction on the exterior was required to match the original in order to comply with the historical status of the building. This project was conducted under the new green building guidelines established by the City of Santa Cruz. We were able to recycle nearly 80% of our demolition and construction refuse. We took care to preserve and renovate the existing redwood window casings and all of the original custom heart redwood doors in the home. These were planed, sanded and refinished to both save cost and maintain the vintage warmth of the original structure. The windows were recycled and new Marvin dual pane wood windows installed in their place. The original upstairs redwood flooring was preserved and the damaged sections replaced with material salvaged from the flooring at the first story. These surfaces were sanded and finished to recreate the look of the former flooring. We were also able to save and reuse the decorative fireplace mantle from the original construction.

Here's a close up of the exterior stone veneer and sill detail at the fiberglass windows.
Example of a mid-sized transitional green one-story mixed siding house exterior design in Milwaukee with a hip roof and a shingle roof

Originally submitted for the Model Homes category, the judges felt this entry deserved an ARDA in Design Detail. This particular home was designed to meet the demands of empty nesters, seeking a low maintenance home close to everything. This design is located in a neighborhood with strict design guidelines. The garage was required to be setback 35 feet from the front of the home. Small lot constraints with a public access path on one side presented challenges fitting all requests into a single level. Coming in at just over 1,600 square foot, this 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with expansive great room accomplished the designer's goals. An ARDA for Design Details goes to Muddy River Design Designer: Adam R Peterson From: Bend, Oregon

On this major remodel in Santa Cruz we were faced with a dilapidated Victorian built in 1904. We began by creating a complete set of building plans detailing the renovation and remodeling of the building. We added new square footage to the master bedroom, reengineered and rebuilt the back half of the structure and then completely replaced all of the plumbing and electrical services. All of our construction on the exterior was required to match the original in order to comply with the historical status of the building. This project was conducted under the new green building guidelines established by the City of Santa Cruz. We were able to recycle nearly 80% of our demolition and construction refuse. We took care to preserve and renovate the existing redwood window casings and all of the original custom heart redwood doors in the home. These were planed, sanded and refinished to both save cost and maintain the vintage warmth of the original structure. The windows were recycled and new Marvin dual pane wood windows installed in their place. The original upstairs redwood flooring was preserved and the damaged sections replaced with material salvaged from the flooring at the first story. These surfaces were sanded and finished to recreate the look of the former flooring. We were also able to save and reuse the decorative fireplace mantle from the original construction.