We drew inspiration from traditional prairie motifs and updated them for this modern home in the mountains. Throughout the residence, there is a strong theme of horizontal lines integrated with a natural, woodsy palette and a gallery-like aesthetic on the inside. Interiors by Alchemy Design Photography by Todd Crawford Built by Tyner Construction

Transitional bathroom photo in New York

Inspiration for a contemporary enclosed dark wood floor family room remodel in San Francisco with gray walls

Builder: Dan Kippley Photography: Todd Barnett
Inspiration for a large modern orange three-story mixed siding gable roof remodel with a shingle roof

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

Jen Chu
Urban u-shaped open concept kitchen photo in Portland with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, green cabinets, wood countertops, beige backsplash, subway tile backsplash and stainless steel appliances

The Entire Main Level, Stairwell and Upper Level Hall are wrapped in Shiplap, Painted in Benjamin Moore White Dove. The wood flooring and solid beams are all reclaimed barnwood. The lighting is by Rejuvenation. Photo by Spacecrafting

Dan Arnold Photography
Dining room - contemporary medium tone wood floor dining room idea in Los Angeles with beige walls

Foyer designed by Bridget Beari for the 2014 Richmond Symphony Designer House, "The Hampton Manor," built by Bel Arbor Builders. Photography by Bryan Chavez

Bedroom - contemporary guest bedroom idea in Atlanta with white walls

Trendy living room photo in Ottawa

Orange Blue Star Range features double ovens, 6 burners and a griddle. The pale green base cabinets and white wall cabinets play well off of the bold colors in this space. Matt Kocourek Photography

Elegant l-shaped medium tone wood floor kitchen photo with white cabinets, beige backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Large professional-grade kitchen with white and black cabinetry and open shelving in a naturally finished walnut wood.
Large transitional l-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen photo in Chicago with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, stainless steel appliances, an island, white countertops, black cabinets, quartzite countertops, black backsplash and cement tile backsplash

Barbara Ries
Elegant patio photo in San Francisco

Elegant dark wood floor and brown floor kitchen photo in St Louis with a farmhouse sink, beaded inset cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Example of a large minimalist master gray tile, white tile and marble tile marble floor and white floor alcove shower design in Cleveland with flat-panel cabinets, an undermount tub, white walls, marble countertops, a hinged shower door and white countertops

41 West Coastal Retreat Series reveals creative, fresh ideas, for a new look to define the casual beach lifestyle of Naples. More than a dozen custom variations and sizes are available to be built on your lot. From this spacious 3,000 square foot, 3 bedroom model, to larger 4 and 5 bedroom versions ranging from 3,500 - 10,000 square feet, including guest house options.

A custom built in closet space with drawers and cabinet storage in Hard Rock Maple Painted White - Shaker Style cabinets. Photo by Frost Photography LLC