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

Drew Kelly
Eat-in kitchen - large industrial l-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen idea in Sacramento with glass-front cabinets, black cabinets, stainless steel appliances, an island, an undermount sink, quartz countertops and white backsplash

A custom island created by Versatile Wood Products adds work and storage space while keeping the kitchen open to the dining and living rooms so the family can stay and play together. Photos by Photo Art Portraits

Alcove shower - mid-sized modern master white tile and ceramic tile ceramic tile alcove shower idea in Houston with a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, tile countertops, white walls and a hinged shower door

Rustic kitchen with reclaimed wood from Vintage Lumber Sales
Mountain style u-shaped kitchen photo in Atlanta with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, red cabinets, stainless steel appliances and wood countertops

grossman photo
Trendy eat-in kitchen photo in Miami with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets and an island

Inspiration for a timeless formal and open concept dark wood floor living room remodel in Columbus with gray walls, a standard fireplace and a media wall

Michael Lefebvre
Inspiration for a timeless kitchen remodel in Boston

Inspiration for a bedroom transitional boy dark wood floor and brown floor kids' bedroom remodel in Portland with white walls

Cast Iron Cook Stove La Nordica "Suprema Cream" Manufactured in northern Italy these cook stoves feature superb design, durability, efficiency, safety, and quality. The primary function of these appliances is indoor cooking however they also provide a significant source of secondary heat for your home. Keeping in mind that all wood heating stoves are space heaters this stove is capable of heating an open concept area of approx. 25x30 with 10`ceiling. Nevertheless the stove should not be relied upon as a primary source of heat. However it can totally be relied on as primary source for cooking! This particular model is called "Suprema" and is available in 2 colors: anthrathite black and matt cream. The fire chamber is located on the left and provides heat for both the baking oven on the right and the cooking top above. Features include: External facing of enameled cast-iron Frame, plate and rings from cast-iron Enameled oven Wood drawer Dimensions : 38.5"x33.8"x26" Net weight : 490 lb Hearth opening size : 9.25"x8.85" Hearth size : 10.9"x12"x18.11" Oven size : 17.1"x16.5"x17" Chimney diameter : 15 cm (5.9") Hearth material: Cast Iron Heatable area: 8080 ft3 Nominal thermal power : 27000 BTU Adjustable primary air Adjustable secondary air Pre-adjusted tertiary air Efficiency : 77,8 % Hourly wood consumption : 5 lb/h

This ultra modern futuristic TV stand has a unique and inimitable look and includes functions which make it smarter than standard TV furniture. TV stand features include: bluetooth support, built-in iPod/iPhone interface function, iPhone video output function, external audio source input, USB play function, (HDMI 1080 p) terminal output, multinational language OSD settings, and multi-function VFD display. from modernfurniturebay.com

Reach-in closet - small contemporary gender-neutral light wood floor and brown floor reach-in closet idea in San Francisco with flat-panel cabinets and light wood cabinets

Achieve a dark and peaceful haven for restful sleep in this modern bedroom with our gray cordless cellular blinds, perfect for large windows. These blackout shades effectively block out external light sources and provide enhanced sound insulation, ensuring a deeper, uninterrupted sleep. The large cell structure offers superior R-value insulation, keeping your bedroom comfortable in any season. The sleek, contemporary design is completed by a fabric-wrapped headrail and bottom rail for a cohesive and sophisticated look that contributes to a tranquil and inviting atmosphere for relaxation.

Achieve a dark and peaceful haven for restful sleep in this mid-century modern bedroom with large-cell blackout cellular blinds for picture windows. These shades effectively block out external light sources and provide enhanced sound insulation, ensuring a deeper, uninterrupted sleep. The large cell structure offers superior R-value insulation, keeping your bedroom comfortable and reducing energy bills. The sleek, modern traditional design and subtle white color blend effortlessly with calm decor, contributing to a tranquil and inviting atmosphere for relaxation. The color-coordinated, fabric-wrapped hardware offers a seamless, bespoke look that elevates the room's elegant aesthetic.

Customer Photo | "The antique furniture had seen better days but there was a HUGE sentimental attachment to keep something that gave comforting reminders of my parents who have both passed on. So after some elbow grease on the sanding and rebuilding a base for the chair bottom to reflect a similar platform base my Dad had made for chair's couch, I used external house paint to make the furniture useable on the patio. The original cushions were disastrous so I ordered a custom cushion for the chair and for the couch from Cushion Source. Love the results. Mom would have enjoyed sitting in the chair."

This contemporary deck off the kitchen features vibrant orange wire dining chairs paired with concrete benches and dining tabletops supported by black metal legs. A sliding glass door with black trim connects the indoor and outdoor spaces, while a black metal awning provides shade and architectural interest. The wood deck adds warmth and texture, creating a stylish and functional outdoor dining area that complements the modern kitchen interior. Photo by Thomas Kuoh.

Spacious drawers and open shelves of Intelligent Modern TV Stand are designed for your convenient and easy-to-access storage for media devices and DVD collections. With nothing superfluous in design, the TV stand boasts clean lines of the frame made of MDF in High Gloss Black and White finish on drawers. Not just a standard TV stand, this model is equipped with Bluetooth support, built-in iPod / iPhone interface function, iPhone video output function, external audio source input, support USB play function, and (HDMI 1080 p) terminal output. from modernfurniturebay.com

Living Room in East London house
Living room - 1960s living room idea in London

Overview Extension and complete refurbishment. The Brief The existing house had very shallow rooms with a need for more depth throughout the property by extending into the rear garden which is large and south facing. We were to look at extending to the rear and to the end of the property, where we had redundant garden space, to maximise the footprint and yield a series of WOW factor spaces maximising the value of the house. The brief requested 4 bedrooms plus a luxurious guest space with separate access; large, open plan living spaces with large kitchen/entertaining area, utility and larder; family bathroom space and a high specification ensuite to two bedrooms. In addition, we were to create balconies overlooking a beautiful garden and design a ‘kerb appeal’ frontage facing the sought-after street location. Buildings of this age lend themselves to use of natural materials like handmade tiles, good quality bricks and external insulation/render systems with timber windows. We specified high quality materials to achieve a highly desirable look which has become a hit on Houzz. Our Solution One of our specialisms is the refurbishment and extension of detached 1930’s properties. Taking the existing small rooms and lack of relationship to a large garden we added a double height rear extension to both ends of the plan and a new garage annex with guest suite. We wanted to create a view of, and route to the garden from the front door and a series of living spaces to meet our client’s needs. The front of the building needed a fresh approach to the ordinary palette of materials and we re-glazed throughout working closely with a great build team.