Search results for "Energy efficiency" in Home Design Ideas

This second-story addition to an already 'picture perfect' Naples home presented many challenges. The main tension between adding the many 'must haves' the client wanted on their second floor, but at the same time not overwhelming the first floor. Working with David Benner of Safety Harbor Builders was key in the design and construction process – keeping the critical aesthetic elements in check. The owners were very 'detail oriented' and actively involved throughout the process. The result was adding 924 sq ft to the 1,600 sq ft home, with the addition of a large Bonus/Game Room, Guest Suite, 1-1/2 Baths and Laundry. But most importantly — the second floor is in complete harmony with the first, it looks as it was always meant to be that way.
©Energy Smart Home Plans, Safety Harbor Builders, Glenn Hettinger Photography

Photo: Mike Wiseman
Mid-sized mountain style brown one-story mixed siding gable roof photo in Other with a green roof
Mid-sized mountain style brown one-story mixed siding gable roof photo in Other with a green roof

Photo-Jim Westphalen
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary boy medium tone wood floor and brown floor kids' room remodel in Other with blue walls
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary boy medium tone wood floor and brown floor kids' room remodel in Other with blue walls
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Ryan Gamma Photography
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern white one-story stucco exterior home remodel in Other
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern white one-story stucco exterior home remodel in Other

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

Photo: Lucy Call © 2013 Houzz
Design: Imbue Design and Sausage Space
Inspiration for a modern brown floor open concept kitchen remodel in Salt Lake City with white cabinets, flat-panel cabinets and paneled appliances
Inspiration for a modern brown floor open concept kitchen remodel in Salt Lake City with white cabinets, flat-panel cabinets and paneled appliances

An all-electric kitchen. Sunlight spills into the high ceilings through skylights and transom windows so artificial lighting use can be minimized. All appliances are electric, materials are natural and durable.

Kitchen cabinetry extends into the dining for a sleek look that is space saving. Richard C. MacCrea
Kitchen/dining room combo - mid-sized transitional multicolored floor kitchen/dining room combo idea in Atlanta with beige walls
Kitchen/dining room combo - mid-sized transitional multicolored floor kitchen/dining room combo idea in Atlanta with beige walls

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

Large windows, sliding glass doors and French doors can cause quite a bit of heat gain in a home. Your traditional vertical blind can help a little, but there are much better solutions on the market today. Several companies now provide an energy efficient vertical cellular shade for large openings. Hunter Douglas’ Vertiglide can be purchased with the Architella fabric for the most energy efficiency or the Applause fabric for a more economical price. Other manufacturers such as Comfortex and Alta have similar vertical cellular shades that provide heat gain reduction.
We work with clients in the Central Indiana Area. Contact us today to get started on your project. 317-273-8343

A small, minimal master bedroom, Richard C. MacCrea
Example of a mid-sized transitional master ceramic tile bedroom design in Atlanta with beige walls
Example of a mid-sized transitional master ceramic tile bedroom design in Atlanta with beige walls

A small house with massive views.
photo by: Kat Alves Photography
Example of a small trendy living room design in San Francisco
Example of a small trendy living room design in San Francisco

A uniform and cohesive look adds simplicity to the overall aesthetic, supporting the minimalist design. The A5s is Glo’s slimmest profile, allowing for more glass, less frame, and wider sightlines. The concealed hinge creates a clean interior look while also providing a more energy-efficient air-tight window. The increased performance is also seen in the triple pane glazing used in both series. The windows and doors alike provide a larger continuous thermal break, multiple air seals, high-performance spacers, Low-E glass, and argon filled glazing, with U-values as low as 0.20. Energy efficiency and effortless minimalism create a breathtaking Scandinavian-style remodel.

All this glass absorbs winter sunshine to keep the house warm. My first passive solar home in Blairsville Georgia
Richard C. MacCrea
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern beige two-story metal house exterior remodel in Atlanta with a shed roof and a metal roof
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern beige two-story metal house exterior remodel in Atlanta with a shed roof and a metal roof

Inspiration for a contemporary concrete floor and gray floor great room remodel in Austin with white walls, a ribbon fireplace and a tile fireplace

Wide sweeping windows up to 13’ and full-lite doors were installed throughout the home preserving the unobstructed views from the home. Additionally, four 12’ wide Lift and Slide doors were installed in the living room and dining room. Increased natural light, fewer framing members, and the ability to open the door wide for indoor/outdoor living are just a few of the benefits of such large sliding doors. The rear of the home takes full advantage of the expansive marine landscape with full height windows and doors.
Glo A5h and A5s Series were selected with concealed hinges. The Glo A5h, hidden sash, ensures that operational windows share the same profile thickness as fixed units. A uniform and cohesive look adds simplicity to the overall aesthetic, supporting the minimalist design. The A5s is Glo’s slimmest profile, allowing for more glass, less frame, and wider sight lines. The concealed hinge creates a clean interior look while also providing a more energy efficient air-tight window. The increased performance is also seen in the triple pane glazing used in both series. The windows and doors alike provide a larger continuous thermal break, multiple air seals, high performance spacers, low-e glass, and argon filled glazing, with U-values as low as 0.20. Energy efficiency and effortless minimalism creates a breathtaking Scandinavian-style remodel.

This LEED-H Platinum-certified custom luxury home in Oregon demonstrates an exceptional commitment to excellence. Designed by Green Hammer architect Jan Fillinger, the Fineline House was designed and built with unprecedented precision — from the interior finishes to the state-of-the-art lighting, ventilation, and built-in home energy-monitoring systems. It utilizes Passivhaus detailing and 100% of the lumber used for the structure and framing of the project was Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC)-certified.

TEAM
Architect: LDa Architecture & Interiors
Builder: 41 Degrees North Construction, Inc.
Landscape Architect: Wild Violets (Landscape and Garden Design on Martha's Vineyard)
Photographer: Sean Litchfield Photography
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