During Phase I, 8 faculty townhouses of approximately 3,000sf each were built at a total cost of $6.7 million. Each building is comprised of a full basement, patio, two above-ground living floors, and a ground-level two-car garage. Phase II which is in progress includes 8 new townhouses to be constructed as a group of 6 and a duplex of 2.

We were given the challenge of designing a house overlooking a pond on a site constrained by wetlands. Our client had an interest in permanence and solidity and a desire to work with architectural concrete. Additionally, the client desired interiors that would showcase their substantial art collection. Our design approach began with the footprint of an L-shaped courtyard house, which in part, was determined by the limited buildable area. The house is sited on a natural rise in the land, allowing the first floor elevation to rise 15 ft above the pond’s surface; this height provides dynamic views through the trees that separate the house from the pond. Ultimately, our design leverages the inherent capabilities of architectural concrete i.e. its structural capacity; the material allows for bold cantilevers and expanses of glass, creating greater transparency between interior and exterior environments. The interior palette is comprised of rift sawn oak with 16-inch wide oak plank flooring, oak casework and millwork, a stainless steel and glass main staircase, and minimalist concrete details throughout. On the upper level, the plan accommodates a master bedroom suite, three children’s bedrooms, and a family room. The first floor includes a guest bedroom, living room, kitchen, dining room, office, and family room. The ground level has a recreational room, a mudroom, and office/studio. The site plan employs native plantings and includes a small resistance pool in the courtyard. Concrete will be utilized for all of the house’s structural and insulation components. This method modulates the fluctuation of interior temperature, creating both an energy-efficient envelope and enough concrete mass to keep temperatures moderate and consistent throughout a 24-hour day. The employment of triple-glazed windows and a triple-glazed aluminum curtain wall further increases the project’s energy efficiency and allows the house to have abundant glass. Natural light permeates the interior and affords spectacular view in all directions of both Todd Pond and the neighboring woodlands.

https://www.beangroup.com/homes/45-E-Andover-Road-Andover/ME/04216/AGT-2261431456-942410/index.html Merrill House is a gracious, Early American Country Estate located in the picturesque Androscoggin River Valley, about a half hour northeast of Sunday River Ski Resort, Maine. This baronial estate, once a trophy of successful American frontier family and railroads industry publisher, Henry Varnum Poor, founder of Standard & Poor’s Corp., is comprised of a grand main house, caretaker’s house, and several barns. Entrance is through a Gothic great hall standing 30’ x 60’ and another 30’ high in the apex of its cathedral ceiling and showcases a granite hearth and mantel 12’ wide. Owned by the same family for over 225 years, it is currently a family retreat and is available for seasonal weddings and events with the capacity to accommodate 32 overnight guests and 200 outdoor guests. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and heralding contributions from Frederick Law Olmsted and Stanford White, the beautiful, legacy property sits on 110 acres of fields and forest with expansive views of the scenic Ellis River Valley and Mahoosuc mountains, offering more than a half-mile of pristine river-front, private spring-fed pond and beach, and 5 acres of manicured lawns and gardens. The historic property can be envisioned as a magnificent private residence, ski lodge, corporate retreat, hunting and fishing lodge, potential bed and breakfast, farm - with options for organic farming, commercial solar, storage or subdivision. Showings offered by appointment.

This client wanted their Terrace Level to be comprised of the warm finishes and colors found in a true Tuscan home. Basement was completely unfinished so once we space planned for all necessary areas including pre-teen media area and game room, adult media area, home bar and wine cellar guest suite and bathroom; we started selecting materials that were authentic and yet low maintenance since the entire space opens to an outdoor living area with pool. The wood like porcelain tile used to create interest on floors was complimented by custom distressed beams on the ceilings. Real stucco walls and brick floors lit by a wrought iron lantern create a true wine cellar mood. A sloped fireplace designed with brick, stone and stucco was enhanced with the rustic wood beam mantle to resemble a fireplace seen in Italy while adding a perfect and unexpected rustic charm and coziness to the bar area. Finally decorative finishes were applied to columns for a layered and worn appearance. Tumbled stone backsplash behind the bar was hand painted for another one of a kind focal point. Some other important features are the double sided iron railed staircase designed to make the space feel more unified and open and the barrel ceiling in the wine cellar. Carefully selected furniture and accessories complete the look.

This proposal is for a new two-story home on the vacant heavily wooded lot with an existing 150-foot-long driveway lined by several beautiful oak trees culminating in a behemoth 43-inch oak tree where the driveway meets the main lot. The far end of the driveway terminates in a grove of three 43/40/43-inch redwoods and at the very center of the vacant lot stands a gargantuan V-twin 59-inch redwood tree paired with a “small” 29-inch redwood tree. The owners want to build a beautiful contemporary-styled home for their family that fully enjoys and embraces the mature trees on their cozy 65-foot by 100-foot lot. As with all small, constrained lots, this project’s site design started first with meeting the relatively large parking and car maneuvering requirements. Menlo Park’s Department of Transportation typically requires side-facing garages to have 24-feet of backup space. So that they could give the largest feature redwood tree on site an added four feet (50%) of clearance outside of its critical root zone, the owners agreed to install a vehicle turntable at the end of their driveway to eliminate the extra four feet of space needed to back up and turnaround. This allowed them to pull their garage forward an additional four feet towards the front property line on the panhandle side, drastically reducing the rest of the home’s impact on the gargantuan V-Twin paired redwood tree at the center of the lot. One of the owners has mobility issues, and accordingly, they first sought to design a one-story floor plan that incorporated all their family’s needs including plenty of covered patio and deck space to enjoy our fantastic California weather. But that single-story footprint spread too far into the critical root zones of several of the redwood trees on site, even despite the use of the vehicle turntable. During my interview process with the owners, they made it clear to me that one of their primary concerns is ensuring that the largest trees on site would thrive and become features of their new home after construction is complete. The single-story designs that removed the grove of three huge redwood trees were non-starters, as was the skimpy 5x10 master bath I designed when trying to squeeze the whole house program into an overly compromised single-story design. It was therefore deemed necessary to go with a two-story design despite the owner’s mobility issues. This two-story design has a much more compact ground floor footprint and has no bedrooms downstairs, other than the detached ADU. The owners must give up the floor area and incur the costs to install a residential elevator to access their upstairs master suite. Our ground floor footprint is smaller due to the two-story design decision, and our foundation is pulled away from the trees thanks to the vehicle turntable. Yet, a tiny portion of the home’s ground floor footprint still encroaches into the critical root zones of the largest 59” redwood tree. Therefore, as outlined in the Arborist Report prepared by Aesculus Arboricultural Consulting, the structural engineers are incorporating an array of drilled piers and shallow-grade beams for the main home’s foundation and deck area nearest the redwood’s critical root zone. This drilled piers and grade beam foundation is a type of “bridging” foundation as outlined in Aesculus’ report to preserve the health of these trees that the property was designed around. The rest of the foundation will be constructed as an insulated slab-on-grade foundation to minimize the number of steps and ramps needed for the owners to enjoy their home and patio areas. Despite the owner’s desire to keep as many trees as possible on site, and despite the smaller ground floor footprint and the advantage of the vehicle turntable, the need for a 20x20-foot garage and 20x20/25-foot guest parking space on our panhandle lot requires the removal of two heritage trees in the required driveway, a 16” coast redwood, and a 17” coast redwood. An alternate design, such as swapping the garage and guest parking locations north-to-south, still requires the removal of these two trees for vehicle maneuvering but has the added disadvantage of cutting off the home’s sightlines to the behemoth 43” oak tree just outside the currently proposed front patio space and living room. Jim Redman of Elements Landscape is proposing 13 new trees be planted on site to replace the lost value of these two heritage coast redwood trees. This contemporary architectural design features clean lines, and an abundance of full-height windows and large skylights to best take in the immense trees on site. To blend in with the forest-like setting, the home boasts a mix of rich textures and features a color palette of natural wood tones contrasted with dark blue and black. Once through the new steel gate at the street and down the 150-foot tree-lined driveway, a large covered front patio becomes visible past the neighbor’s detached accessory structure. The covered patio is just across the driveway from the beautiful 43” behemoth coast live oak. The single plane of the covered patio roof is delicately supported by a pair of steel posts in a “V-twin” configuration much like the largest redwood trees that tower over the center of the lot and will still be visible above the new two-story home, even from the front yard. The patio is covered in a dark-colored standing seam roof, with steel C-channel fascias, and tongue-and-groove wood ceiling planks on the underside. Generously sized skylights on the patio roof and inside the living area allow for impressive views of the amazing oak canopy as well as precious natural light. Supporting the sloped covered patio on the other side is the two-car garage with a secondary bedroom suite stacked above the garage. This two-story volume is to be clad in vertical clear-coated redwood siding, to tie in with the grove of three 43-inch redwood trees just beyond. The garage door, and the bank of windows for Bedroom#2 above feature a steel fascia eyebrow header feature to provide shade and overhang protection, as we are not proposing a large overhang at this “redwood trunk”. The garage and bedroom volume are pulled 16 feet away from the side property line, instead of the minimum required setback of 6’-6”, thus leaving plenty of room for the redwood grove and existing mature pear tree to continue to thrive. This existing mature green screen in this 16-foot-wide side yard is a feature worth soaking in, which is why tall windows with low sill heights are proposed for both the stairs and the upstairs hallway. Though it may be infrequent to approve side-facing 2nd floor windows with sill heights as low as what we’re proposing, we are confident that the mature green screen and the over 16-foot-wide side yard are sufficient to provide for the continued privacy of our neighbor’s rear yard space, especially considering theses windows are in walkway zones. The covered patio at the front entry is also bound by the 10-foot-tall living room. The great room is clad in a dark blue brick veneer, which wraps around all three sides of the living room. Upon entering the home from the covered patio, you are immediately greeted with one of the most impressive features of the home’s design: a 10-foot-tall by 24-foot-wide set of sliding glass doors. From the entry, this huge opening gives merely an initial glimpse of the massive trunks of the gargantuan V-twin redwoods sitting at the center of the lot. All three sliding glass panels open directly out into the smaller partially covered deck in the rear. This roof overhang element matches the design of the front patio with a steel C-channel fascia and a large skylight. But the rear deck’s roof element is set flat at a ten-foot ceiling height so that the living room’s ceiling seems to float above and out beyond the expanse of full-height sliding doors, thus creating an indoor-outdoor living space that will feel much larger than the home’s actual footprint. This rear covered deck is smaller than the patio in the front and also has a mix of solid and open-slatted roofing to allow for more solar access for the relatively small amount of open sky available. The downstairs living room is open to the dining and kitchen areas, as well as the stair-and-elevator tower beyond. The stair tower is very open and glassy, and the stairs wind up and around the redwood-clad elevator tower. From certain perspectives in the 16-foot-wide side yard, it will almost seem as if the grove of three redwoods has a fourth tree that the house and the stairs were carefully built around. Other than the 3-foot-wide windows, the exterior walls of the stair tower, downstairs utility spaces, and Bedroom#3 above are finished in cement plaster, painted dark blue and black. The sloped roof over the stair-and-elevator tower continues cleanly over the area of upstairs Bedroom#3. This roof level is set by the side daylight plane and only yields an inside wall height of just under 6 feet in height. The owners are satisfied that the rest of this upstairs room has a nice vaulted ceiling to make up for the one short wall under the daylight plane. The rest of the ground floor adjacent to the stair tower consists of a small utility wing containing a half-bath, laundry, storage area, and an exterior alcove for the electric heat pump HVAC unit. This short wing also gives more accessible access to the rear yard deck, as well as a backdrop for an outdoor kitchen. The bright white stone backsplash for the outdoor kitchen provides contrast to the otherwise consistent use of cement plaster painted dark blue and black for the two-story wing closest to the detached ADU. Though Bedroom#3 is stacked directly above this small wing, it is relatively short to comply with the side daylight plane of this narrow lot. Still, to further help break up the scale of this wall, another steel fascia eyebrow element is set about 8 feet above the rear deck. The master suite sits centered above the ten-foot-tall great room. The master bedroom and its balcony, as well as the master bathtub area, have a commanding view of the central redwood trees and their impressive canopy, though the balcony is mostly recessed and should pose no privacy concerns to the neighbor’s rear yards. The master balcony parapet is clad in the same brick veneer continuing up from the living room below. A dark-painted metal rail makes up the rest of the open guardrail height. The entire length of the master balcony is comprised of 9-foot-tall sliding glass doors, but the area above the doors, as well as the area below the master bathroom windows, is accented with more redwood siding. The remainder of the master suite bathroom and walk-in closet is finished in cement plaster painted dark blue. The master bathroom has one side yard-facing window but will be frosted glass for both the owner’s and the neighbor’s privacy. The 2nd floor is capped under a simple gable roof design with one roof ridge and varying eave and rake overhangs depending on the 2nd-floor layout and solar orientation. Since these roof planes are quite difficult to see in the middle of the heavily wooded panhandle lot, we are proposing a white TPO roofing for these two upper roof planes as a more sustainable choice compared to more dark-colored roofing like the covered patios and detached ADU. The owners also wish to build a detached 292-square-foot Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) as an office and guest suite. For the ADU foundation to be situated outside the central redwood tree’s critical root zone, this relatively tiny structure takes advantage of the narrower 4-foot side and rear setbacks allowed for ADUs smaller than 800 square feet. The small L-shaped detached ADU frames a wonderful quasi-courtyard around the gargantuan V-twin redwoods at the center of the lot. The ADU shares a matching material palette consisting of cement plaster painted blue and black, vertical redwood siding and soffits, and thin brick veneer. The ADU also features large full-height windows. The only difference between the main home and the ADU material palette is that the roofing will be a dark composition shingle roofing since it will be quite visible from the master balcony.

Featured by House & Home - this modern kitchen has grey flat panel kitchen cabinets, black appliances, a dark wall and two kitchen islands. We chose to create a butcher block waterfall feature and a second island with a concrete Caesarstone quartz slab. The backsplash was comprised of two jumbo Cambria carrara slabs. Design and styling by Harper Designs. Carpentry by Foxwood Custom Homes.

This modern family home sits atop stone ledges overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The newly constructed home is a contemporary shingle style with a twist of Vermont country. The first floor is anchored by a family style eat-in kitchen adjoining an open floor plan that takes advantage of the panoramic views of the Atlantic. The second floor is comprised of three junior suites and a master suite with a balcony. The three car garage, play room above and in-law suite in the basement complete the interior of the home. The approach up the driveway provides a glimpse of the dramatic ocean views through a passageway between the house and mature arborvitae. A series of retaining walls undulating from the ocean facing elevation creates gathering areas at different levels as the lot slopes downward toward the stone ledge. Photo Credit: Eric Roth

This kitchen holds a secret: it’s actually two kitchens. The main kitchen was designed for entertaining, while behind, a hidden kitchen or scullery, becomes the workspace for day-to-day living. The kitchen’s neutral color scheme is comprised of custom-matched Benjamin Moore Chantily Lace on Maple, Matte Porcelain Gray on Rift Cut White Oak and the Weathered Taupe on Rough Sawn Euro Oak on Vanguard Plus door. The oversized island can accommodate several guests, or weeknight family dinners. Designer Steve Abruzzo brought in contemporary details such as the high gloss subway tile on the stove back, and with lighting and seating choices, while keeping it relaxed with the addition of a seating area with pull out drawers for additional storage space. The cooking area features in-wall ovens flanking a Contemporary Armoire with floor to ceiling doors showcasing dishware through metal mesh inserts. Custom matching floating shelves above an oversized stainless steel farmers sink provides additional, out-of-the-way but on display storage.

Steel wall shelves and wall-mounted systems, comprised of tension-tested heavy-duty steel cables, the ultimate shelf system for your garage.
Garage workshop - mid-sized modern detached two-car garage workshop idea in Toronto

This backyard is comprised of three different levels: a wooden deck with a freestanding pergola structure for a solar shade, a concrete patio for entertaining, and a gravel space with a central firepit for more intimate gatherings. Tying the spaces together is a centrally-located bubbling water feature. This project is located in Longmont, Colorado.

This lower level space was inspired by Film director, write producer, Quentin Tarantino. Starting with the acoustical panels disguised as posters, with films by Tarantino himself. We included a sepia color tone over the original poster art and used this as a color palate them for the entire common area of this lower level. New premium textured carpeting covers most of the floor, and on the ceiling, we added LED lighting, Madagascar ebony beams, and a two-tone ceiling paint by Sherwin Williams. The media stand houses most of the AV equipment and the remaining is integrated into the walls using architectural speakers to comprise this 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos Setup. We included this custom sectional with performance velvet fabric, as well as a new table and leather chairs for family game night. The XL metal prints near the new regulation pool table creates an irresistible ambiance, also to the neighboring reclaimed wood dart board area. The bathroom design include new marble tile flooring and a premium frameless shower glass. The luxury chevron wallpaper gives this space a kiss of sophistication. Finalizing this lounge we included a gym with rubber flooring, fitness rack, row machine as well as custom mural which infuses visual fuel to the owner’s workout. The Everlast speedbag is positioned in the perfect place for those late night or early morning cardio workouts. Lastly, we included Polk Audio architectural ceiling speakers meshed with an SVS micros 3000, 800-Watt subwoofer.

The torii house is so named as the dwelling's architectural form resembles the traditional japanese torii gate, with its vertical pillars topped by a horizontal beam (roof), kept together by a tie-beam (2nd floor/ main floor ceiling) The deep overhangs further emphasize the expression of horizontality in contrast with the vertical nature of the surrounding tree stands that envelope the site. The design draws on the customary Japanese concepts of 'shakkei' (borrowed landscape) and 'hisashi' (deep eaves) to create a subtle relationship between the house and site. As a tactile and design aesthetic, the muted tones of the exterior palette helps to create an effective interface between the house and its surroundings. Set on a gently rolling landscape of prairie grass, one approaches the front entry via a transitional space consisting of a raised landscaped platform made of field rock gathered from the site. The generous main entry leads to a lineal arrangement of open living spaces comprising most of the ground floor with bedrooms on the second level that open on to large balconies in proximity to the tree canopy. Although the house is expressed with clarity and simplicity, the designs transcends function and practicality while still achieving uniqueness and individuality. :: thirdstone inc.

David Morello
Design ideas for a contemporary landscaping in Houston.

This 28 ft x 28 ft 2-story cottage with a wrap around porch is designed to be a small but efficiently laid out retreat. The lower floor comprises of the typical great room layout typical of cottages with an upstairs of 3 full size bedrooms and a bath. The wrap around porch provides expansive space to relax.

Playa Pendant By Tech Lighting Elegant multitoned cylindrical shade comprised of natural shell panels. The shells are burnished to remove rough edges, meticulously polished, cut to size, and carefully adhered by hand to an inner glass cylinder.

ollowing a total house remodel, Terrain collaborated with the landscape designer to create an urban oasis comprised of rockery stairs and walls combined with contemporary lines of steel retaining walls. A mixture of cast-in-place concrete patios and softscape make this a useable space for the whole family while maintaining privacy from neighbors. Designed by Barbara Lycett Landscape Designers

Located on a flat, square, corner plot in a dense neighborhood comprised of small homes, this project was a blank canvas to create a landscape that is both an opportunity for community engagement as well as a peaceful space to recreate and entertain, while also expanding the living space on the property. The client is an avid surfer does volunteer work for the Surfrider Foundation, and he was inspire to build a landscape that fulfils Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Garden program. We combined a mix of California natives with edible plants such as herbs and fruit trees. We created curvilinear beds outlined with rock and pebbles of ascending size to mimic the rock outcroppings of the local coastline. The veggie beds are made of rammed earth—a tradition natural building technique that uses, mud, sand and a small amount of cement. With fruits and flowers hanging into the sidewalk, this garden allows for friendly neighborhood interaction as well as a more-intimate area for this client to relax and entertain in. *Images captured at 1-year and 3-years after

Comprising three buildings located on a plot of 2100 m² completely enclosed in a natural environment ... The main house has 5 bedrooms, 3 master suites, reception rooms, a kitchen with living room ... On both sides there are two fully equipped houses, a "Préau" serving as summer kitchen. A special care was taken in the development of the exterior with beautiful seating, fountain in the center of the relaxation area, heated pool. $ 1,780,000 EUR. In collaboration with Uzès Sotheby's. * This property is subject to change of value and confirmation of availability without previous notice. The informative data should be confirmed by documents provided by the owner or official authorities.

This client wanted their Terrace Level to be comprised of the warm finishes and colors found in a true Tuscan home. Basement was completely unfinished so once we space planned for all necessary areas including pre-teen media area and game room, adult media area, home bar and wine cellar guest suite and bathroom; we started selecting materials that were authentic and yet low maintenance since the entire space opens to an outdoor living area with pool. The wood like porcelain tile used to create interest on floors was complimented by custom distressed beams on the ceilings. Real stucco walls and brick floors lit by a wrought iron lantern create a true wine cellar mood. A sloped fireplace designed with brick, stone and stucco was enhanced with the rustic wood beam mantle to resemble a fireplace seen in Italy while adding a perfect and unexpected rustic charm and coziness to the bar area. Finally decorative finishes were applied to columns for a layered and worn appearance. Tumbled stone backsplash behind the bar was hand painted for another one of a kind focal point. Some other important features are the double sided iron railed staircase designed to make the space feel more unified and open and the barrel ceiling in the wine cellar. Carefully selected furniture and accessories complete the look.