Photography by Brian Walker Lee
Minimalist shed photo in Portland

Front entry showing enclosed front porch, new slate flooring, cedar-clad vestibule, new windows + door
Mid-sized transitional brown two-story wood exterior home photo in Toronto

vanziffle architects
Bedroom - mid-sized transitional guest light wood floor bedroom idea in Toronto with white walls and no fireplace

Inspiration for a small contemporary white one-story wood gable roof remodel in Miami

The entry of this home is highlighted by a tall space featuring cedar-cladding and a beautiful pendant light.
Example of a mid-sized transitional white one-story concrete fiberboard gable roof design in Minneapolis with a shingle roof

Stone pavers, outdoor fireplace at courtyard, cedar board and batten cladding, patinated copper roof. Jack Hillbrand, Architect
Large transitional brown one-story wood gable roof photo in Jackson

Mid-sized trendy courtyard concrete patio photo in Auckland

Folding glass doors lead from the screen porch to a seating area with a concrete gas fuel fire pit. This overlooks a 40 foot swimming pool and sun terrace. The pool cabana, clad in Freedom Grey metal and cedar provides a respite from the sun and provides privacy to the pool terrace. The outdoor grill area is also clad in Freedom Grey metal with a stone counter. Nat Rea Photography

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

Paul Dyer
Mid-sized contemporary brown three-story mixed siding flat roof idea in San Francisco

renovation and addition / builder - EODC, LLC.
Mid-sized elegant gray three-story wood house exterior photo in Boston with a shingle roof

Photography by Benjamin Benschneider
Great room - huge modern concrete floor and gray floor great room idea in Seattle

The cedar clad volume on the left is the addition to the original house. Matching siding and metal cladding were used in parts of the existing house to provide continuity across the facade. A two level deck and tiered planters provides a gradual transition from the second level living space to the back yard. Photographs: Peter Kubilus

Dave Slivinski
Example of a mid-sized arts and crafts rooftop outdoor kitchen deck design in Chicago with a pergola

Randolph Ashey Photography
Shed - country shed idea in Portland Maine

Architect: John Van Rooy Architecture General Contractor: Moore Designs Landscape: Scott Byron & Co. Photo: edmunds studios
Inspiration for a huge timeless gray two-story stone gable roof remodel in Milwaukee

Surfacedesign, Inc
Minimalist home design photo in San Francisco

Inspiration for a small contemporary white one-story wood gable roof remodel in Miami

The program consists of a detached Guest House with full Kitchen, Living and Dining amenities, Carport and Office Building with attached Main house and Master Bedroom wing. The arrangement of buildings was dictated by the numerous majestic oaks and organized as a procession of spaces leading from the Entry arbor up to the front door. Large covered terraces and arbors were used to extend the interior living spaces out onto the site. All the buildings are clad in Texas limestone with accent bands of Leuders limestone to mimic the local limestone cliffs in the area. Steel was used on the arbors and fences and left to rust. Vertical grain Douglas fir was used on the interior while flagstone and stained concrete floors were used throughout. The flagstone floors extend from the exterior entry arbors into the interior of the Main Living space and out onto the Main house terraces.