The owners of this beautiful 1908 NE Portland home wanted to breathe new life into their unfinished basement and dysfunctional main-floor bathroom and mudroom. Our goal was to create comfortable and practical spaces, while staying true to the preferences of the homeowners and age of the home. The existing half bathroom and mudroom were situated in what was originally an enclosed back porch. The homeowners wanted to create a full bathroom on the main floor, along with a functional mudroom off the back entrance. Our team completely gutted the space, reframed the walls, leveled the flooring, and installed upgraded amenities, including a solid surface shower, custom cabinetry, blue tile and marmoleum flooring, and Marvin wood windows. In the basement, we created a laundry room, designated workshop and utility space, and a comfortable family area to shoot pool. The renovated spaces are now up-to-code with insulated and finished walls, heating & cooling, epoxy flooring, and refurbished windows. The newly remodeled spaces achieve the homeowner's desire for function, comfort, and to preserve the unique quality & character of their 1908 residence.

The owners of this beautiful 1908 NE Portland home wanted to breathe new life into their unfinished basement and dysfunctional main-floor bathroom and mudroom. Our goal was to create comfortable and practical spaces, while staying true to the preferences of the homeowners and age of the home. The existing half bathroom and mudroom were situated in what was originally an enclosed back porch. The homeowners wanted to create a full bathroom on the main floor, along with a functional mudroom off the back entrance. Our team completely gutted the space, reframed the walls, leveled the flooring, and installed upgraded amenities, including a solid surface shower, custom cabinetry, blue tile and marmoleum flooring, and Marvin wood windows. In the basement, we created a laundry room, designated workshop and utility space, and a comfortable family area to shoot pool. The renovated spaces are now up-to-code with insulated and finished walls, heating & cooling, epoxy flooring, and refurbished windows. The newly remodeled spaces achieve the homeowner's desire for function, comfort, and to preserve the unique quality & character of their 1908 residence.

The owners of this beautiful 1908 NE Portland home wanted to breathe new life into their unfinished basement and dysfunctional main-floor bathroom and mudroom. Our goal was to create comfortable and practical spaces, while staying true to the preferences of the homeowners and age of the home. The existing half bathroom and mudroom were situated in what was originally an enclosed back porch. The homeowners wanted to create a full bathroom on the main floor, along with a functional mudroom off the back entrance. Our team completely gutted the space, reframed the walls, leveled the flooring, and installed upgraded amenities, including a solid surface shower, custom cabinetry, blue tile and marmoleum flooring, and Marvin wood windows. In the basement, we created a laundry room, designated workshop and utility space, and a comfortable family area to shoot pool. The renovated spaces are now up-to-code with insulated and finished walls, heating & cooling, epoxy flooring, and refurbished windows. The newly remodeled spaces achieve the homeowner's desire for function, comfort, and to preserve the unique quality & character of their 1908 residence.

The owners of this beautiful 1908 NE Portland home wanted to breathe new life into their unfinished basement and dysfunctional main-floor bathroom and mudroom. Our goal was to create comfortable and practical spaces, while staying true to the preferences of the homeowners and age of the home. The existing half bathroom and mudroom were situated in what was originally an enclosed back porch. The homeowners wanted to create a full bathroom on the main floor, along with a functional mudroom off the back entrance. Our team completely gutted the space, reframed the walls, leveled the flooring, and installed upgraded amenities, including a solid surface shower, custom cabinetry, blue tile and marmoleum flooring, and Marvin wood windows. In the basement, we created a laundry room, designated workshop and utility space, and a comfortable family area to shoot pool. The renovated spaces are now up-to-code with insulated and finished walls, heating & cooling, epoxy flooring, and refurbished windows. The newly remodeled spaces achieve the homeowner's desire for function, comfort, and to preserve the unique quality & character of their 1908 residence.

The owners of this beautiful 1908 NE Portland home wanted to breathe new life into their unfinished basement and dysfunctional main-floor bathroom and mudroom. Our goal was to create comfortable and practical spaces, while staying true to the preferences of the homeowners and age of the home. The existing half bathroom and mudroom were situated in what was originally an enclosed back porch. The homeowners wanted to create a full bathroom on the main floor, along with a functional mudroom off the back entrance. Our team completely gutted the space, reframed the walls, leveled the flooring, and installed upgraded amenities, including a solid surface shower, custom cabinetry, blue tile and marmoleum flooring, and Marvin wood windows. In the basement, we created a laundry room, designated workshop and utility space, and a comfortable family area to shoot pool. The renovated spaces are now up-to-code with insulated and finished walls, heating & cooling, epoxy flooring, and refurbished windows. The newly remodeled spaces achieve the homeowner's desire for function, comfort, and to preserve the unique quality & character of their 1908 residence.

The owners of this beautiful 1908 NE Portland home wanted to breathe new life into their unfinished basement and dysfunctional main-floor bathroom and mudroom. Our goal was to create comfortable and practical spaces, while staying true to the preferences of the homeowners and age of the home. The existing half bathroom and mudroom were situated in what was originally an enclosed back porch. The homeowners wanted to create a full bathroom on the main floor, along with a functional mudroom off the back entrance. Our team completely gutted the space, reframed the walls, leveled the flooring, and installed upgraded amenities, including a solid surface shower, custom cabinetry, blue tile and marmoleum flooring, and Marvin wood windows. In the basement, we created a laundry room, designated workshop and utility space, and a comfortable family area to shoot pool. The renovated spaces are now up-to-code with insulated and finished walls, heating & cooling, epoxy flooring, and refurbished windows. The newly remodeled spaces achieve the homeowner's desire for function, comfort, and to preserve the unique quality & character of their 1908 residence.

The owners of this beautiful 1908 NE Portland home wanted to breathe new life into their unfinished basement and dysfunctional main-floor bathroom and mudroom. Our goal was to create comfortable and practical spaces, while staying true to the preferences of the homeowners and age of the home. The existing half bathroom and mudroom were situated in what was originally an enclosed back porch. The homeowners wanted to create a full bathroom on the main floor, along with a functional mudroom off the back entrance. Our team completely gutted the space, reframed the walls, leveled the flooring, and installed upgraded amenities, including a solid surface shower, custom cabinetry, blue tile and marmoleum flooring, and Marvin wood windows. In the basement, we created a laundry room, designated workshop and utility space, and a comfortable family area to shoot pool. The renovated spaces are now up-to-code with insulated and finished walls, heating & cooling, epoxy flooring, and refurbished windows. The newly remodeled spaces achieve the homeowner's desire for function, comfort, and to preserve the unique quality & character of their 1908 residence.

This growing family needed more living space in their 1926 St. Paul, MN Bungalow, and had great potential in their unfinished attic for a new master suite. Castle began working with the city to grandfather some existing conditions in, like the steeper stairs and lower ceiling height to comply with building codes. New insulation, interior walls, electrical, heating, and a full interior finish was planned. The finished space incorporates traditional millwork matching the lower level of the home, a custom built-in bookshelf, new white doors, and pre-finished white oak hardwood floors in a rich Licorice stain. The dark floors and oil-bronze accents throughout the space really anchors the room and completes an overall bright color pallet with high contrast. In the new bathroom, a cement tile floor was selected to tie in the homeowner’s classy flair. Switching the finishes to polished brass inside the bathroom really brings a lux and regal feel to the space. Paired with traditional subway tile, white vanity, refurbished vintage medicine cabinet, and neutral walls, the new bathroom is elegant, yet understated. One of our favorite features is the use of the two existing dormers. One dormer was converted into a new walk-in closet with custom glass closet doors, so the light can still shine into the bedroom. The 2nd dormer, we left open for a quaint sitting and reading nook. See full details (including before photos) at http://www.castlebri.com/attics/project-3299-1/ Designed by: Emily Blonigen

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

The owners of this beautiful 1908 NE Portland home wanted to breathe new life into their unfinished basement and dysfunctional main-floor bathroom and mudroom. Our goal was to create comfortable and practical spaces, while staying true to the preferences of the homeowners and age of the home. The existing half bathroom and mudroom were situated in what was originally an enclosed back porch. The homeowners wanted to create a full bathroom on the main floor, along with a functional mudroom off the back entrance. Our team completely gutted the space, reframed the walls, leveled the flooring, and installed upgraded amenities, including a solid surface shower, custom cabinetry, blue tile and marmoleum flooring, and Marvin wood windows. In the basement, we created a laundry room, designated workshop and utility space, and a comfortable family area to shoot pool. The renovated spaces are now up-to-code with insulated and finished walls, heating & cooling, epoxy flooring, and refurbished windows. The newly remodeled spaces achieve the homeowner's desire for function, comfort, and to preserve the unique quality & character of their 1908 residence.

The owners of this beautiful 1908 NE Portland home wanted to breathe new life into their unfinished basement and dysfunctional main-floor bathroom and mudroom. Our goal was to create comfortable and practical spaces, while staying true to the preferences of the homeowners and age of the home. The existing half bathroom and mudroom were situated in what was originally an enclosed back porch. The homeowners wanted to create a full bathroom on the main floor, along with a functional mudroom off the back entrance. Our team completely gutted the space, reframed the walls, leveled the flooring, and installed upgraded amenities, including a solid surface shower, custom cabinetry, blue tile and marmoleum flooring, and Marvin wood windows. In the basement, we created a laundry room, designated workshop and utility space, and a comfortable family area to shoot pool. The renovated spaces are now up-to-code with insulated and finished walls, heating & cooling, epoxy flooring, and refurbished windows. The newly remodeled spaces achieve the homeowner's desire for function, comfort, and to preserve the unique quality & character of their 1908 residence.

The owners of this beautiful 1908 NE Portland home wanted to breathe new life into their unfinished basement and dysfunctional main-floor bathroom and mudroom. Our goal was to create comfortable and practical spaces, while staying true to the preferences of the homeowners and age of the home. The existing half bathroom and mudroom were situated in what was originally an enclosed back porch. The homeowners wanted to create a full bathroom on the main floor, along with a functional mudroom off the back entrance. Our team completely gutted the space, reframed the walls, leveled the flooring, and installed upgraded amenities, including a solid surface shower, custom cabinetry, blue tile and marmoleum flooring, and Marvin wood windows. In the basement, we created a laundry room, designated workshop and utility space, and a comfortable family area to shoot pool. The renovated spaces are now up-to-code with insulated and finished walls, heating & cooling, epoxy flooring, and refurbished windows. The newly remodeled spaces achieve the homeowner's desire for function, comfort, and to preserve the unique quality & character of their 1908 residence.

The owners of this beautiful 1908 NE Portland home wanted to breathe new life into their unfinished basement and dysfunctional main-floor bathroom and mudroom. Our goal was to create comfortable and practical spaces, while staying true to the preferences of the homeowners and age of the home. The existing half bathroom and mudroom were situated in what was originally an enclosed back porch. The homeowners wanted to create a full bathroom on the main floor, along with a functional mudroom off the back entrance. Our team completely gutted the space, reframed the walls, leveled the flooring, and installed upgraded amenities, including a solid surface shower, custom cabinetry, blue tile and marmoleum flooring, and Marvin wood windows. In the basement, we created a laundry room, designated workshop and utility space, and a comfortable family area to shoot pool. The renovated spaces are now up-to-code with insulated and finished walls, heating & cooling, epoxy flooring, and refurbished windows. The newly remodeled spaces achieve the homeowner's desire for function, comfort, and to preserve the unique quality & character of their 1908 residence.

The owners of this beautiful 1908 NE Portland home wanted to breathe new life into their unfinished basement and dysfunctional main-floor bathroom and mudroom. Our goal was to create comfortable and practical spaces, while staying true to the preferences of the homeowners and age of the home. The existing half bathroom and mudroom were situated in what was originally an enclosed back porch. The homeowners wanted to create a full bathroom on the main floor, along with a functional mudroom off the back entrance. Our team completely gutted the space, reframed the walls, leveled the flooring, and installed upgraded amenities, including a solid surface shower, custom cabinetry, blue tile and marmoleum flooring, and Marvin wood windows. In the basement, we created a laundry room, designated workshop and utility space, and a comfortable family area to shoot pool. The renovated spaces are now up-to-code with insulated and finished walls, heating & cooling, epoxy flooring, and refurbished windows. The newly remodeled spaces achieve the homeowner's desire for function, comfort, and to preserve the unique quality & character of their 1908 residence.

The owners of this beautiful 1908 NE Portland home wanted to breathe new life into their unfinished basement and dysfunctional main-floor bathroom and mudroom. Our goal was to create comfortable and practical spaces, while staying true to the preferences of the homeowners and age of the home. The existing half bathroom and mudroom were situated in what was originally an enclosed back porch. The homeowners wanted to create a full bathroom on the main floor, along with a functional mudroom off the back entrance. Our team completely gutted the space, reframed the walls, leveled the flooring, and installed upgraded amenities, including a solid surface shower, custom cabinetry, blue tile and marmoleum flooring, and Marvin wood windows. In the basement, we created a laundry room, designated workshop and utility space, and a comfortable family area to shoot pool. The renovated spaces are now up-to-code with insulated and finished walls, heating & cooling, epoxy flooring, and refurbished windows. The newly remodeled spaces achieve the homeowner's desire for function, comfort, and to preserve the unique quality & character of their 1908 residence.

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

The owners of this beautiful 1908 NE Portland home wanted to breathe new life into their unfinished basement and dysfunctional main-floor bathroom and mudroom. Our goal was to create comfortable and practical spaces, while staying true to the preferences of the homeowners and age of the home. The existing half bathroom and mudroom were situated in what was originally an enclosed back porch. The homeowners wanted to create a full bathroom on the main floor, along with a functional mudroom off the back entrance. Our team completely gutted the space, reframed the walls, leveled the flooring, and installed upgraded amenities, including a solid surface shower, custom cabinetry, blue tile and marmoleum flooring, and Marvin wood windows. In the basement, we created a laundry room, designated workshop and utility space, and a comfortable family area to shoot pool. The renovated spaces are now up-to-code with insulated and finished walls, heating & cooling, epoxy flooring, and refurbished windows. The newly remodeled spaces achieve the homeowner's desire for function, comfort, and to preserve the unique quality & character of their 1908 residence.

The owners of this beautiful 1908 NE Portland home wanted to breathe new life into their unfinished basement and dysfunctional main-floor bathroom and mudroom. Our goal was to create comfortable and practical spaces, while staying true to the preferences of the homeowners and age of the home. The existing half bathroom and mudroom were situated in what was originally an enclosed back porch. The homeowners wanted to create a full bathroom on the main floor, along with a functional mudroom off the back entrance. Our team completely gutted the space, reframed the walls, leveled the flooring, and installed upgraded amenities, including a solid surface shower, custom cabinetry, blue tile and marmoleum flooring, and Marvin wood windows. In the basement, we created a laundry room, designated workshop and utility space, and a comfortable family area to shoot pool. The renovated spaces are now up-to-code with insulated and finished walls, heating & cooling, epoxy flooring, and refurbished windows. The newly remodeled spaces achieve the homeowner's desire for function, comfort, and to preserve the unique quality & character of their 1908 residence.

The owners of this beautiful 1908 NE Portland home wanted to breathe new life into their unfinished basement and dysfunctional main-floor bathroom and mudroom. Our goal was to create comfortable and practical spaces, while staying true to the preferences of the homeowners and age of the home. The existing half bathroom and mudroom were situated in what was originally an enclosed back porch. The homeowners wanted to create a full bathroom on the main floor, along with a functional mudroom off the back entrance. Our team completely gutted the space, reframed the walls, leveled the flooring, and installed upgraded amenities, including a solid surface shower, custom cabinetry, blue tile and marmoleum flooring, and Marvin wood windows. In the basement, we created a laundry room, designated workshop and utility space, and a comfortable family area to shoot pool. The renovated spaces are now up-to-code with insulated and finished walls, heating & cooling, epoxy flooring, and refurbished windows. The newly remodeled spaces achieve the homeowner's desire for function, comfort, and to preserve the unique quality & character of their 1908 residence.