Lincoln Farmhouse LEED-H Platinum, Net-Positive Energy OVERVIEW. This LEED Platinum certified modern farmhouse ties into the cultural landscape of Lincoln, Massachusetts - a town known for its rich history, farming traditions, conservation efforts, and visionary architecture. The goal was to design and build a new single family home on 1.8 acres that respects the neighborhood’s agrarian roots, produces more energy than it consumes, and provides the family with flexible spaces to live-play-work-entertain. The resulting 2,800 SF home is proof that families do not need to compromise on style, space or comfort in a highly energy-efficient and healthy home. CONNECTION TO NATURE. The attached garage is ubiquitous in new construction in New England’s cold climate. This home’s barn-inspired garage is intentionally detached from the main dwelling. A covered walkway connects the two structures, creating an intentional connection with the outdoors between auto and home. FUNCTIONAL FLEXIBILITY. With a modest footprint, each space must serve a specific use, but also be flexible for atypical scenarios. The Mudroom serves everyday use for the couple and their children, but is also easy to tidy up to receive guests, eliminating the need for two entries found in most homes. A workspace is conveniently located off the mudroom; it looks out on to the back yard to supervise the children and can be closed off with a sliding door when not in use. The Away Room opens up to the Living Room for everyday use; it can be closed off with its oversized pocket door for secondary use as a guest bedroom with en suite bath. NET POSITIVE ENERGY. The all-electric home consumes 70% less energy than a code-built house, and with measured energy data produces 48% more energy annually than it consumes, making it a 'net positive' home. Thick walls and roofs lack thermal bridging, windows are high performance, triple-glazed, and a continuous air barrier yields minimal leakage (0.27ACH50) making the home among the tightest in the US. Systems include an air source heat pump, an energy recovery ventilator, and a 13.1kW photovoltaic system to offset consumption and support future electric cars. ACTUAL PERFORMANCE. -6.3 kBtu/sf/yr Energy Use Intensity (Actual monitored project data reported for the firm’s 2016 AIA 2030 Commitment. Average single family home is 52.0 kBtu/sf/yr.) o 10,900 kwh total consumption (8.5 kbtu/ft2 EUI) o 16,200 kwh total production o 5,300 kwh net surplus, equivalent to 15,000-25,000 electric car miles per year. 48% net positive. WATER EFFICIENCY. Plumbing fixtures and water closets consume a mere 60% of the federal standard, while high efficiency appliances such as the dishwasher and clothes washer also reduce consumption rates. FOOD PRODUCTION. After clearing all invasive species, apple, pear, peach and cherry trees were planted. Future plans include blueberry, raspberry and strawberry bushes, along with raised beds for vegetable gardening. The house also offers a below ground root cellar, built outside the home's thermal envelope, to gain the passive benefit of long term energy-free food storage. RESILIENCY. The home's ability to weather unforeseen challenges is predictable - it will fare well. The super-insulated envelope means during a winter storm with power outage, heat loss will be slow - taking days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. During normal conditions, reduced energy consumption plus energy production means shelter from the burden of utility costs. Surplus production can power electric cars & appliances. The home exceeds snow & wind structural requirements, plus far surpasses standard construction for long term durability planning. ARCHITECT: ZeroEnergy Design http://zeroenergy.com/lincoln-farmhouse CONTRACTOR: Thoughtforms http://thoughtforms-corp.com/ PHOTOGRAPHER: Chuck Choi http://www.chuckchoi.com/

Dana’s florida room pool connection showcases arched architecture, tailored finishes and connected indoor-outdoor living in a Rare Builders custom home in Winter Park. A fireplace with a veined surround anchors Dana’s conditioned Florida room beneath a wood ceiling. The raised glass door opens the seating area toward the pool, spa and covered poolside seating in Winter Park, Florida.

Photo by David Wakely
Example of a mountain style deck design in San Francisco with no cover

Photography by Ryan Garvin
Living room - mid-sized coastal three-story and open concept wood white and dark wood floor living room idea in Orange County with white walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Inspiration for a rustic kids' room remodel in Sacramento

Eric Roth
Eclectic home gym photo in San Francisco

The Tice Residences replace a run-down and aging duplex with two separate, modern, Santa Barbara homes. Although the unique creek-side site (which the client’s original home looked toward across a small ravine) proposed significant challenges, the clients were certain they wanted to live on the lush “Riviera” hillside. The challenges presented were ultimately overcome through a thorough and careful study of site conditions. With an extremely efficient use of space and strategic placement of windows and decks, privacy is maintained while affording expansive views from each home to the creek, downtown Santa Barbara and Pacific Ocean beyond. Both homes appear to have far more openness than their compact lots afford. The solution strikes a balance between enclosure and openness. Walls and landscape elements divide and protect two private domains, and are in turn, carefully penetrated to reveal views. Both homes are variations on one consistent theme: elegant composition of contemporary, “warm” materials; strong roof planes punctuated by vertical masses; and floating decks. The project forms an intimate connection with its setting by using site-excavated stone, terracing landscape planters with native plantings, and utilizing the shade provided by its ancient Riviera Oak trees. 2012 AIA Santa Barbara Chapter Merit Award Jim Bartsch Photography

Cabinet finishes, counter surfaces and backsplash tile are the main decorative elements of a kitchen that determine the design style and look of the room. Changing these features can make a timeworn kitchen look new. This project features a kitchen makeover for homeowners in Baldwinsville. The kitchen was in very good condition but did not complement or connect with adjacent living areas. The kitchen was transformed by repainting cabinets and installing new counters, cabinet hardware and a mosaic glass tile backsplash.

Cabinet finishes, counter surfaces and backsplash tile are the main decorative elements of a kitchen that determine the design style and look of the room. Changing these features can make a timeworn kitchen look new. This project features a kitchen makeover for homeowners in Baldwinsville. The kitchen was in very good condition but did not complement or connect with adjacent living areas. The kitchen was transformed by repainting cabinets and installing new counters, cabinet hardware and a mosaic glass tile backsplash.

detached garage connected by lit pergola
Inspiration for a small partial sun front yard stone water fountain landscape in Austin.

Large Newly Renovated Fully Air-conditioned Basement In the heat of Port Washington, NY with 9.5 feet high ceiling, Full Bathroom, Laundry Room with Ejector Pump and Boiler Room with two separate exterior entry and two large casement windows. We connected two separate parts of a residential basement by saw cutting exterior foundation walls, installing multiple LVL with Steel plates. Two sets of Brand-New Staircases with Railing were installed and finished.

The Tice Residences replace a run-down and aging duplex with two separate, modern, Santa Barbara homes. Although the unique creek-side site (which the client’s original home looked toward across a small ravine) proposed significant challenges, the clients were certain they wanted to live on the lush “Riviera” hillside. The challenges presented were ultimately overcome through a thorough and careful study of site conditions. With an extremely efficient use of space and strategic placement of windows and decks, privacy is maintained while affording expansive views from each home to the creek, downtown Santa Barbara and Pacific Ocean beyond. Both homes appear to have far more openness than their compact lots afford. The solution strikes a balance between enclosure and openness. Walls and landscape elements divide and protect two private domains, and are in turn, carefully penetrated to reveal views. Both homes are variations on one consistent theme: elegant composition of contemporary, “warm” materials; strong roof planes punctuated by vertical masses; and floating decks. The project forms an intimate connection with its setting by using site-excavated stone, terracing landscape planters with native plantings, and utilizing the shade provided by its ancient Riviera Oak trees. 2012 AIA Santa Barbara Chapter Merit Award Jim Bartsch Photography

Cabinet finishes, counter surfaces and backsplash tile are the main decorative elements of a kitchen that determine the design style and look of the room. Changing these features can make a timeworn kitchen look new. This project features a kitchen makeover for homeowners in Baldwinsville. The kitchen was in very good condition but did not complement or connect with adjacent living areas. The kitchen was transformed by repainting cabinets and installing new counters, cabinet hardware and a mosaic glass tile backsplash.

Large Newly Renovated Fully Air-conditioned Basement In the heat of Port Washington, NY with 9.5 feet high ceiling, Full Bathroom, Laundry Room with Ejector Pump and Boiler Room with two separate exterior entry and two large casement windows. We connected two separate parts of a residential basement by saw cutting exterior foundation walls, installing multiple LVL with Steel plates. Two sets of Brand-New Staircases with Railing were installed and finished.

Cabinet finishes, counter surfaces and backsplash tile are the main decorative elements of a kitchen that determine the design style and look of the room. Changing these features can make a timeworn kitchen look new. This project features a kitchen makeover for homeowners in Baldwinsville. The kitchen was in very good condition but did not complement or connect with adjacent living areas. The kitchen was transformed by repainting cabinets and installing new counters, cabinet hardware and a mosaic glass tile backsplash.

Rather than starting with an outcome in mind, this 1,400 square foot residence began from a polemic place - exploring shared conviction regarding the concentrated power of living with a smaller footprint. From the gabled silhouette to passive ventilation, the home captures the nostalgia for the past with the sustainable practices of the future. While the exterior materials contrast a calm, minimal palette with the sleek lines of the gabled silhouette, the interior spaces embody a playful, artistic spirit. From the hand painted De Gournay wallpaper in the master bath to the rugged texture of the over-grouted limestone and Portuguese cobblestones, the home is an experience that encapsulates the unexpected and the timeless.

Large Newly Renovated Fully Air-conditioned Basement In the heat of Port Washington, NY with 9.5 feet high ceiling, Full Bathroom, Laundry Room with Ejector Pump and Boiler Room with two separate exterior entry and two large casement windows. We connected two separate parts of a residential basement by saw cutting exterior foundation walls, installing multiple LVL with Steel plates. Two sets of Brand-New Staircases with Railing were installed and finished.

Large Newly Renovated Fully Air-conditioned Basement In the heat of Port Washington, NY with 9.5 feet high ceiling, Full Bathroom, Laundry Room with Ejector Pump and Boiler Room with two separate exterior entry and two large casement windows. We connected two separate parts of a residential basement by saw cutting exterior foundation walls, installing multiple LVL with Steel plates. Two sets of Brand-New Staircases with Railing were installed and finished.

Large Newly Renovated Fully Air-conditioned Basement In the heat of Port Washington, NY with 9.5 feet high ceiling, Full Bathroom, Laundry Room with Ejector Pump and Boiler Room with two separate exterior entry and two large casement windows. We connected two separate parts of a residential basement by saw cutting exterior foundation walls, installing multiple LVL with Steel plates. Two sets of Brand-New Staircases with Railing were installed and finished.