Kat Alves Photography
Living room - rustic concrete floor living room idea in Sacramento with white walls

Tim Stone
Example of a large mountain style two-story stone exterior home design in Sacramento

INTERIOR --- -Two-zone heating and cooling system results in higher energy efficiency and quicker warming/cooling times -Fiberglass and 3.5” spray foam insulation that exceeds industry standards -Sophisticated hardwood flooring, engineered for an elevated design aesthetic, greater sustainability, and the highest green-build rating, with a 25-year warranty -Custom cabinetry made from solid wood and plywood for sustainable, quality cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom vanities -Fisher & Paykel DCS Professional Grade home appliances offer a chef-quality cooking experience everyday -Designer's choice quartz countertops offer both a luxurious look and excellent durability -Danze plumbing fixtures throughout the home provide unparalleled quality -DXV luxury single-piece toilets with significantly higher ratings than typical builder-grade toilets -Lighting fixtures by Matteo Lighting, a premier lighting company known for its sophisticated and contemporary designs -All interior paint is designer grade by Benjamin Moore -Locally sourced and produced, custom-made interior wooden doors with glass inserts -Spa-style mater bath featuring Italian designer tile and heated flooring -Lower level flex room plumbed and wired for a secondary kitchen - au pair quarters, expanded generational family space, entertainment floor - you decide! -Electric car charging

The Appleton blends beauty with energy efficiency, and open spaces with innovative design. The house features amazing views from every bedroom, modern Miele appliances, Fantini fixtures and state of the art automation. A radiant heating and cooling system replaces traditional heating, providing efficient energy usage and superior thermal comfort. The outside of the home features a floating fiber cement rainscreen facade which serves the dual purpose of creating natural shadow lines while allowing the building envelope to stay dry and cool.

“After living in a two-story, 1914 farmhouse for 30 years, which originally had no insulation, no running water, no electricity, and only the six fireplaces for heat, I was well aware of the limitations of this vernacular housing,” said homeowner John Monroe. “Having a comfortable living environment with reduced consumptive energy usage was appealing. I’ve spent the summer in the new house and beside the absolute beauty of the modern design, knowing that the house remains cool even with its almost full wall of windows makes me feel that the extra efforts to insulate the house and use the geo-thermal system, among other efforts, were well worth it.”

The Appleton blends beauty with energy efficiency, and open spaces with innovative design. The house features amazing views from every bedroom, modern Miele appliances, Fantini fixtures and state of the art automation. A radiant heating and cooling system replaces traditional heating, providing efficient energy usage and superior thermal comfort. The outside of the home features a floating fiber cement rainscreen facade which serves the dual purpose of creating natural shadow lines while allowing the building envelope to stay dry and cool.

A custom home reflects the personality and lifestyle of the homeowner. As a custom home builder, it's our job to help transform your imagination into reality. The Colorado Front Range provides athe ideal backdrop for this Tuscan inspired home that incorporates a courtyard with outdoor fireplace and an outdoor kitchen area with (to be completed) outdoor living space. The home is nestled in the hillside of sunny southern Colorado Springs and features a xeriscape landscape design to minimize water usage. This energy efficient home produces as much energy as it uses.

“After living in a two-story, 1914 farmhouse for 30 years, which originally had no insulation, no running water, no electricity, and only the six fireplaces for heat, I was well aware of the limitations of this vernacular housing,” said homeowner John Monroe. “Having a comfortable living environment with reduced consumptive energy usage was appealing. I’ve spent the summer in the new house and beside the absolute beauty of the modern design, knowing that the house remains cool even with its almost full wall of windows makes me feel that the extra efforts to insulate the house and use the geo-thermal system, among other efforts, were well worth it.”

Modern custom home nestled in quiet Arcadia neighborhood. The expansive glass window wall has stunning views of Camelback Mountain and natural light helps keep energy usage to a minimum. CIP concrete walls also help to reduce the homes carbon footprint while keeping a beautiful, architecturally pleasing finished look to both inside and outside. The artfully blended look of metal, concrete, block and glass bring a natural, raw product to life in both visual and functional way

Bathroom with rustic cabinets, stone tile, beige walls, white trim in the Proud Green Home of St. Louis in Wildwood, Missouri. This home features an EcoDrain hot water recovery system that will reduce hot water heater usage by 25 to 50%. Photo by Kim Hibbs

Modern Farmhouse is a contemporary take on a tradition building type, the Connecticut farmhouse. Our clients were interested in a house that fit in with the landscape while providing plenty of daylight with views to the surrounding property. The design uses simple gables arranged in a picturesque manner. It balances clean modern lines, traditional forms, and rustic textures. The new house is bright and light while also feeling personal and unique. There was interest early on to compress the construction time and to design a building that would not take a lot of energy to run. To achieve these goals, the design of the main house used modular construction and a high performance envelope. To articulate the surfaces of the spaces, the owner assembled a group of designers and artisans. Natural textures and tones were layered over the volumes to give a sense of place and time. The modular units of the house are produced by Huntington Homes in East Montpelier, Vermont. In addition to the main house, there is a pool house that sits symmetrically on the main axis of a long swimming pool. A glass enclosed living room fits between two concrete volumes that house a bathroom and storage spaces. An outdoor shower faces south, with an oculus that lets light in when the door is closed. The simple forms of the pool house sit below a green roof, which protects the glassy room from the summer sun and integrates the building into the hilly landscape.

“After living in a two-story, 1914 farmhouse for 30 years, which originally had no insulation, no running water, no electricity, and only the six fireplaces for heat, I was well aware of the limitations of this vernacular housing,” said homeowner John Monroe. “Having a comfortable living environment with reduced consumptive energy usage was appealing. I’ve spent the summer in the new house and beside the absolute beauty of the modern design, knowing that the house remains cool even with its almost full wall of windows makes me feel that the extra efforts to insulate the house and use the geo-thermal system, among other efforts, were well worth it.”

“After living in a two-story, 1914 farmhouse for 30 years, which originally had no insulation, no running water, no electricity, and only the six fireplaces for heat, I was well aware of the limitations of this vernacular housing,” said homeowner John Monroe. “Having a comfortable living environment with reduced consumptive energy usage was appealing. I’ve spent the summer in the new house and beside the absolute beauty of the modern design, knowing that the house remains cool even with its almost full wall of windows makes me feel that the extra efforts to insulate the house and use the geo-thermal system, among other efforts, were well worth it.”

Modern custom home nestled in quiet Arcadia neighborhood. The expansive glass window wall has stunning views of Camelback Mountain and natural light helps keep energy usage to a minimum. CIP concrete walls also help to reduce the homes carbon footprint while keeping a beautiful, architecturally pleasing finished look to both inside and outside. The artfully blended look of metal, concrete, block and glass bring a natural, raw product to life in both visual and functional way

The Appleton blends beauty with energy efficiency, and open spaces with innovative design. The house features amazing views from every bedroom, modern Miele appliances, Fantini fixtures and state of the art automation. A radiant heating and cooling system replaces traditional heating, providing efficient energy usage and superior thermal comfort. The outside of the home features a floating fiber cement rainscreen facade which serves the dual purpose of creating natural shadow lines while allowing the building envelope to stay dry and cool.

Modern custom home nestled in quiet Arcadia neighborhood. The expansive glass window wall has stunning views of Camelback Mountain and natural light helps keep energy usage to a minimum. CIP concrete walls also help to reduce the homes carbon footprint while keeping a beautiful, architecturally pleasing finished look to both inside and outside. The artfully blended look of metal, concrete, block and glass bring a natural, raw product to life in both visual and functional way

This is the front of a home that combines modern lake house design with a number of sustainable best practices to create a stunning and amazingly comfortable low carbon home. The solar photovoltaic panels are set on the curved roof (not the equal gaps between the tops of the panels). The 9.8 kW PV 35 Panel array provides 32% of the homes energy usage, with the remaining electricity coming from 100% renewable energy credits from the grid. The energy concept for the home was to be all electric to reduce fracked natural gas usage. Natural gas is only used as a starter for the high efficiency, sealed combustion, outside combustion air fireplace and for a back up generator. The mechanical system is provided by a series of all electric, ultra high efficiency mini-splits, controlled by an integrated smart home system. An induction cooktop, hybrid electric water heater and hybrid electric dryer complete the items that typically use natural gas. Lighting is all high efficiency correctly colored LED’s. A home office is included on the second floor complete with a balcony, facing towards the lake. Their zero carbon work commute consists of walking across the 2nd floor hallway.

Silva Giant By Cerno Features: Finish: Oiled Walnut Walnut, aluminum, linen shade Energy efficient LED light source Fully dimmable with no flicker Light Output: 1150 Lumens Light Color: 2700K Color Accuracy: 85 CRI Power Usage: 20 Watts Wood grains vary

“After living in a two-story, 1914 farmhouse for 30 years, which originally had no insulation, no running water, no electricity, and only the six fireplaces for heat, I was well aware of the limitations of this vernacular housing,” said homeowner John Monroe. “Having a comfortable living environment with reduced consumptive energy usage was appealing. I’ve spent the summer in the new house and beside the absolute beauty of the modern design, knowing that the house remains cool even with its almost full wall of windows makes me feel that the extra efforts to insulate the house and use the geo-thermal system, among other efforts, were well worth it.”