This new home, built for a family of 5 on a hillside in Marlboro, VT features a slab-on-grade with frost walls, a thick double stud wall with integrated service cavity, and truss roof with lots of cellulose. It incorporates an innovative compact heating, cooling, and ventilation unit and had the lowest blower door number this team had ever done. Locally sawn hemlock siding, some handmade tiles (the owners are both ceramicists), and a Vermont-made door give the home local shine.

Open living room features Galvanite LVP flooring, faux beams and lots of natural lighting. Beautiful custom masonry fireplace surround and rustic mantle

Example of a mid-sized mid-century modern enclosed light wood floor, beige floor and coffered ceiling living room design in DC Metro with a music area, multicolored walls, a two-sided fireplace, a metal fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Earthshade Safeshade Roller; Single Shade; Happy Screen 3: Winter Magic; Outside Mount; Regular Roll; Privacy: 4** Shading: 65% Insulating: r2.15 Light control: 12%*** Grass, Cellulosic Fiber, Min Poly No Chlorine, Unfinished, Compostable Daylighting, Partial Privacy, Heat & Fade reduction, Glare Control EURO Clutch; Right; Color: White (W)

A new home for two, generating four times more electricity than it uses, including the "fuel" for an electric car. This house makes Net Zero look like child's play. But while the 22kW roof-mounted system is impressive, it's not all about the PV. The design features great energy savings in its careful siting to maximize passive solar considerations such as natural heating and daylighting. Roof overhangs are sized to limit direct sun in the hot summer and to invite the sun during the cold winter months. The construction contributes as well, featuring R40 cellulose-filled double-stud walls, a R50 roof system and triple glazed windows. Heating and cooling are supplied by air source heat pumps. Photos By Ethan Drinker

This 3,700 SF high performance, net-zero home built by Dwell Development achieved 5-Star Built Green certification. The home includes solar panels and an electric vehicle charging station. It also includes efficient heating and cooling through use of a Heat Recovery Ventilation System, which also provides the highest level of indoor air quality. The exterior walls of the house have a total thickness of 12”, which is then packed with blown-in cellulose insulation for a very efficient envelope, making it consistent and comfortable no matter the season. The floors are solid hardwood and polished concrete, while the tile and countertops throughout the house are made of recycled contents. The paint and grout were specifically chosen for the house to have no VOC’s.

HardiePlank Cedarmill 7" Exposure (Light Mist) Hardie NT3 Trim (Arctic White) AZEK Full Cellulose PVC Trim ProVia Signet Fiberglass Front Entry Door 6" Gutters & Downspouts (White) LeafTech Gutter Guards Installed by American Home Contractors, Florham Park, NJ Property located in Florham Park, NJ www.njahc.com

A new home for two, generating four times more electricity than it uses, including the "fuel" for an electric car. This house makes Net Zero look like child's play. But while the 22kW roof-mounted system is impressive, it's not all about the PV. The design features great energy savings in its careful siting to maximize passive solar considerations such as natural heating and daylighting. Roof overhangs are sized to limit direct sun in the hot summer and to invite the sun during the cold winter months. The construction contributes as well, featuring R40 cellulose-filled double-stud walls, a R50 roof system and triple glazed windows. Heating and cooling are supplied by air source heat pumps. Photos By Ethan Drinker

Our client wanted a SIP built home and we incorporated this and many other energy and sustainability features into this home which was in the Sheboygan County Parade of Homes. Named "The Green Balanced Home", this project was all about creating practical and stunning living spaces that combined with sound environmental building materials and methods. By showcasing an assortment of leading-edge- green technologies, the Green Balanced Home was the talk of the Parade that year. In cooperation with our client, our methodology was: Start with the site: 1. Protected tree lines 2. Drought resistant vegetation 3. High proportion of natural, plantings versus higher maintenance lawn 4. Optimal home placement on lot for solar exposure 5. Narrower streets Build a high thermal envelope: 1. R-10 Gold Guard laminated EPS foam under basement, garage, and patio. 2. R-10 Gold Guard laminated EPS foam around exterior foundation walls. 3. R-10 ESP foam "shirt" around foundation 4. R-24 Structural Insulated panels (SIPs) for exterior walls, including garage 5. Sprayed foam in basement box sills and attic separation walls 6. R-15 garage door 7. R-60 blown cellulose attic insulation Add efficient heating, cooling, ventilation, and electric utilization elements: 1. High efficiency fireplace with auxiliary ducting 2. Pull-out exterior wood-loading drawer 3. Air-to-air heat pump 4. 95% efficient, ultra-quiet variable capacity furnace 5. 19 SEER air conditioner 6. Five zones with programmable thermostats 7. Heat reclamation from hot water usage 8. LED lighting 9. Skylights 10. Energy Star appliances 11. Prep for in-floor heating system 12. Prep for photovoltaic (PV) solar 13. Prep for solar hot water Incorporate water conservation: 1. Rain water recapture for toilet flushing and irrigation 2. Motion activated hot water circulation system 3. Power flush toilets 4. Dual flush toilets Create high indoor air quality: 1. HEPA and UV filters 2. Air-to-air exchanger 3. Ultra-quiet bathroom fans with moisture sensor activation Integrate sustainable, efficient materials: * Expanded polystyrene (ESP) foam that does not emit HCFC "greenhouse" gases * Oriented strand board (OSB) based siding, trim, and shutters * SIPs panels that contain ESP an OSB * Carpeting pads made from recycled materials * Stewardship-certified cabinet manufacturing * Job site recycling and reduce waste with SIPs

A practical luxury, Contoured Suede pairs a soft fibrous surface with an allover embossed pattern that complements the directional nap of the suede. Organic, swirling lines add dimension to the textile wallcovering while controlling how light plays across its elegant surface. Borrowing a technique typically used for automobile upholstery, Contoured Suede’s polyester and cellulose construction makes it a very usable and touchable suede for light-traffic hospitality and residential interiors.

Full Reside with James Hardie ColorPlus siding on this quaint little South Hill Spokane Cottage. Original contract had us removing all the existing original lap and vertical cedar siding, soffit, and fascias. Once we got the siding off, we found that the original sheathing was a fiberboard sheathing that was not a good substrate to install new siding over. We decided to remove all the fiberboard, install new OSB sheathing and have new cellulose insulation blown into the exterior walls to achieve an R-13 because the home had no insulation. We then installed new James Hardie ColorPlus soffits and fascia as well as ColorPlus Plank and trim.

Mid-sized mid-century modern one-story exterior home idea in DC Metro

HardiePlank Cedarmill 7" Exposure (Light Mist) Hardie NT3 Trim (Arctic White) AZEK Full Cellulose PVC Trim ProVia Signet Fiberglass Front Entry Door 6" Gutters & Downspouts (White) LeafTech Gutter Guards Installed by American Home Contractors, Florham Park, NJ Property located in Florham Park, NJ www.njahc.com

1950s pool photo in DC Metro

Open concept living area - living room, dining room and kitchen
Example of an arts and crafts dining room design in Other

Read Save Energy, Save Money - http://mainlinehes.com/save-energy-save-money/

This 3,700 SF high performance, net-zero home built by Dwell Development achieved 5-Star Built Green certification. The home includes solar panels and an electric vehicle charging station. It also includes efficient heating and cooling through use of a Heat Recovery Ventilation System, which also provides the highest level of indoor air quality. The exterior walls of the house have a total thickness of 12”, which is then packed with blown-in cellulose insulation for a very efficient envelope, making it consistent and comfortable no matter the season. The floors are solid hardwood and polished concrete, while the tile and countertops throughout the house are made of recycled contents. The paint and grout were specifically chosen for the house to have no VOC’s.

Photography by Natalie Marotta Bungalows are lovable homes, but how can they be better? Along with many of our clients, we find that older (early 20th c.) homes have a lot of character and a comfortable scale, but are leaky, damp (especially in the basement), have fair to poor air quality, and use unconscionable amounts of fossil fuels to heat. The owners of this bungalow were ready to change that, and wanted to do so with minimal upfront carbon emissions as well. The gut renovation included replacing the basement slab and providing capillary breaks and insulation continuously below grade. The brick structure was treated with a fluid-applied air and water barrier from the interior and insulated entirely with cellulose, a carbon-storing insulation. The roof used HFO-blown spray foam to provide sufficient insulation while allowing headroom for bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry. One great benefit of a full renovation is the possibility of reconfiguring spaces to suit the family’s lifestyle, and to make the best of indoor-outdoor connections. We opened up the main rooms on the first floor, creating a family gathering spot with a view to the back yard, and a spacious kitchen that supports the family’s commitment to cooking for healthy eating. The stair uses a north-facing skylight to bring light from above into the middle of the home, where it was previously dark. As a decarbonization retrofit, the inefficient furnace was replaced with two small ducted heat pump systems, water heating and clothes drying are powered by air-source heat pumps, and cooking uses an induction cooktop plus electric ovens. Energy recovery ventilation provides filtered fresh air continuous exhaust from the kitchen, baths, and laundry, and supplies fresh, highly filtered air to bedrooms and living spaces. The Better Bungalow now makes sense for the 21st century–it now fits the owners’ life-patterns, is super comfortable, has great air quality, and uses a fraction of the energy it did before, greatly lowering the demand on the utility grid. In the near future, when solar PV is installed, it can achieve net zero or near net zero emissions, and with battery backup, can provide great resilience in the event of power outages.