This LEED Platinum certified house reflects the homeowner's desire for an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment, within a traditional neighborhood. INFILL SITE. The family, who moved from another area of Wellesley, sought out this property to be within walking distance of the high school and downtown area. An existing structure on the tight lot was removed to make way for the new home. 84% of the construction waste, from both the previous structure and the new home, was diverted from a landfill. ZED designed to preserve the existing mature trees on the perimeter of the property to minimize site impacts, and to maintain the character of the neighborhood as well as privacy on the site. EXTERIOR EXPRESSION. The street facade of the home relates to the local New England vernacular. The rear uses contemporary language, a nod to the family’s Californian roots, to incorporate a roof deck, solar panels, outdoor living space, and the backyard swimming pool. ZED’s careful planning avoided to the need to face the garage doors towards the street, a common syndrome of a narrow lot. THOUGHTFUL SPACE. Homes with dual entries can often result in duplicate and unused spaces. In this home, the everyday and formal entry areas are one and the same; the front and garage doors share the entry program of coat closets, mudroom storage with bench for removing your shoes, and a laundry room with generous closets for the children's sporting equipment. The entry area leads directly to the living space, encompassing the kitchen, dining and sitting area areas in an L-shaped open plan arrangement. The kitchen is placed at the south-west corner of the space to allow for a strong connection to the dining, sitting and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit on the deck satisfies the family’s desire for an open flame while a sealed gas fireplace is used indoors - ZED’s preference after omitting gas burning appliances completely from an airtight home. A small study, with a window seat, is conveniently located just off of the living space. A first floor guest bedroom includes an accessible bathroom for aging visitors and can be used as a master suite to accommodate aging in place. HEALTHY LIVING. The client requested a home that was easy to clean and would provide a respite from seasonal allergies and common contaminants that are found in many indoor spaces. ZED selected easy to clean solid surface flooring throughout, provided ample space for cleaning supplies on each floor, and designed a mechanical system with ventilation that provides a constant supply of fresh outdoor air. ZED selected durable materials, finishes, cabinetry, and casework with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and no added urea formaldehyde. YEAR-ROUND COMFORT. The home is super insulated and air-tight, paired with high performance triple-paned windows, to ensure it is draft-free throughout the winter (even when in front of the large windows and doors). ZED designed a right-sized heating and cooling system to pair with the thermally improved building enclosure to ensure year-round comfort. The glazing on the home maximizes passive solar gains, and facilitates cross ventilation and daylighting. ENERGY EFFICIENT. As one of the most energy efficient houses built to date in Wellesley, the home highlights a practical solution for Massachusetts. First, the building enclosure reduces the largest energy requirement for typical houses (heating). Super-insulation, exceptional air sealing, a thermally broken wall assembly, triple pane windows, and passive solar gain combine for a sizable heating load reduction. Second, within the house only efficient systems consume energy. These include an air source heat pump for heating & cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation, and high efficiency appliances. Lastly, photovoltaics provide renewable energy help offset energy consumption. The result is an 89% reduction in energy use compared to a similar brand new home built to code requirements. RESILIENT. The home will fare well in extreme weather events. During a winter power outage, heat loss will be very slow due to the super-insulated and airtight envelope– taking multiple days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. An engineered drainage system, paired with careful the detailing of the foundation, will help to keep the finished basement dry. A generator will provide full operation of the all-electric house during a power outage. OVERALL. The home is a reflection of the family goals and an expression of their values, beautifully enabling health, comfort, safety, resilience, and utility, all while respecting the planet. ZED - Architect & Mechanical Designer Bevilacqua Builders Inc - Contractor Creative Land & Water Engineering - Civil Engineering Barbara Peterson Landscape - Landscape Design Nest & Company - Interior Furnishings Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Richard Herman is in the hospitality business and owns several upscale hotels in Florida and in other states as well as cattle ranches in both Florida and Missouri. Their farm in Ocala is by farm their most unique. The property serves as a 4-H demonstration project for the purpose of children’s education. They have been working with the Academy Prep of St. Pete which is dedicated to inner-city youths that are selected on the basis of need and achievement. Wife Diane spends her time on the farm raising Gypsy Vanners, a diminutive draft horse named after the job they did in Eastern Europe, pulling the wagons (vans) for gypsies that wandered across the continent. On the Ocala farm, there are several mules with a unique profession. Richard had visited the Hearthstone display at a Log & Timber Home Shows at the Orlando Convention Center many years ago. He was impressed that Hearthstone had stayed in touch with him over the years by mailings, invitations to shows, and periodic phone calls. When the time came to start serious consideration of the design of barn, Hearthstone responded promptly and professionally to Richard and Diane’s requests for information and a review of their ideas for their barn, which would serve as the centerpiece for their new farm. They wanted a multipurpose facility that could accommodate an educational environment and a large hall suitable for the fundraising events for his charities. Richard wanted a barn that reflected the look and feel of barns built at the dawn of the 20th century. Besides the rustic chicken houses and vegetable gardens, they have completely renovated a 1020’s era farmhouse to be as historically correct as possible and serves as the entry to the farm. “They very careful to feel us out, get comfortable with our capabilities, and be convinced that we could perform as promised,” said Project Manager John Ricketson of Hearthstone. Design Process There were some initial drawings that gave us a start on the basic shape and size of the barn. From there, it was a process of narrowing down the uses of each area and the spans that could be achieved. The barn was going to have the traditional “board & batten” exterior siding and a metal roof. There is a cantilevered ‘hay hood” on the north gable end above the large sliding barn doors that open into the foyer and horse stalls. The wings house a combination of areas, beginning with the large restrooms to accommodate crowds for events. Other parts of the wings have garage areas for the farm vehicles, feed room, tack room, wash rack, storage, offices, and smaller restrooms. Keeping with the look and feel of the turn of the century, Hearthstone developed a process for giving the timbers a surface texture that mimicked the circular cuts of timbers that had just come out of an old sawmill. This was easier said than done. Randy Giles guided his millwright (Wolfgang) in designing a machine that would do this effectively. The barn was delivered in October of 2014 and was erected over the course of two weeks, thanks to a hardworking crew (Eric Foster) and near-perfect weather. After the Hearthstone crew completed the erection and roof dry-in, it was time for the local carpenters to step up and install some light conventional framing on the gable ends before applying the roof fascia and exterior board & batten siding. Next came the big sliding barn doors, plumbing, electrical, heating, and cooling. Large rustic fixtures were hung from the great hall roof timbers. Exterior The board & batten siding was cypress and allowed to turn color naturally as rain hit it and the sun started working on it with UV rays. This method causes a much grayer look closer to the ground and less so where the roof overhang provides protection. The North end has some large limestone boulders and planters arranged around the pad with tall pampas grass. The planters provide casual seating before events and during outside receptions. The entire area was sodded with lush St. Augustine grass and split rail fences were added to enclose the barn area. The corrugated metal roof was a special order material that immediately rusted after being exposed to moisture. The layer of rust protects the metal from the elements. Interior The board & batten theme was carried throughout most of the interior with the timbers left natural to show off the circular saw texture. All of the tongue & groove decking was shipped in advance to allow the local painter to pre-stain it with a dark brown transparent stain that is a beautiful background to the light color Eastern White Pine timbers. “Everything was unique in this project” said Project Manager John Ricketson. “The setting on a small demonstration farm close to Ocala, the multipurpose design, the circular saw texture on the timbers.” The Hermans are very proud of their farm’s outcome. Richard sent a note to Randy Giles, owner of Hearthstone: “The Barn is fantastic, not a single problem, period. Next month, we have Jo Dee Messina coming in to help with a fundraiser for a local center for abused kids. Folks love the farm, ...... but that barn gets all of the attention. I would encourage you to use me as a reference for your sales team, feel free to extend my cell phone to any prospective purchasers.”

Living room - large contemporary open concept medium tone wood floor living room idea in San Francisco with a standard fireplace, a stacked stone fireplace and no tv

After having lived in 22 different places all around the world, this family decided to settle in a Dutch colonial home in Harding Township. The house sits on a wonderful piece of property that is only challenged by the wetlands that surround it. For this reason, we had to work within the existing footprint and not consider any additions. The homeowners wanted to be able to host the holidays in their new home which meant we had an aggressive design and construction schedule. We started the design work in the Spring of 2012 and construction took place over the Summer and into the Fall. By Thanksgiving, the project was complete, with no meaningful cost overruns. Renovations included a new kitchen, mudroom, and office/library on the first floor and a new master suite, hall bath, home office, and laundry room upstairs. The challenge was creating comfortable space with clean lines that would accommodate the homeowner’s casual and worldly lifestyle, but would not feel out of place with the character of the existing house. The kitchen is a glorious hard-working space with lots of counter space, space for a giant farmer’s table, and symmetrical views through oversized double hung-windows out to the expansive yard. The master bath is outfitted with wood, stone, and metal, and also includes artifacts from some of their world travels. In a second phase of work, we designed some outbuilding to further enhance the character of the property. Currently we are working with the family to design a memorial to honor their child who died of Leukemia.

4x8 Pinyon Studio SHED - these are a great way to store anything from lawn tools to art supplies or athletic gear. The Pinyon comes flat packed and is shipped as a DIY installation - a 1-2 day project depending on your building experience. One owner had his up in just 3 hours! Many choose to install their Pinyon against the side of their home. Pictured here: a Pinyon sits perpendicular to it's big brother, a 10x12 Studio Shed home office.

This house accommodates comfort spaces for multi-generation families with multiple master suites to provide each family with a private space that they can enjoy with each unique design style. The different design styles flow harmoniously throughout the two-story house and unite in the expansive living room that opens up to a spacious rear patio for the families to spend their family time together. This traditional house design exudes elegance with pleasing state-of-the-art features.

This house accommodates comfort spaces for multi-generation families with multiple master suites to provide each family with a private space that they can enjoy with each unique design style. The different design styles flow harmoniously throughout the two-story house and unite in the expansive living room that opens up to a spacious rear patio for the families to spend their family time together. This traditional house design exudes elegance with pleasing state-of-the-art features.

This house accommodates comfort spaces for multi-generation families with multiple master suites to provide each family with a private space that they can enjoy with each unique design style. The different design styles flow harmoniously throughout the two-story house and unite in the expansive living room that opens up to a spacious rear patio for the families to spend their family time together. This traditional house design exudes elegance with pleasing state-of-the-art features.

This house accommodates comfort spaces for multi-generation families with multiple master suites to provide each family with a private space that they can enjoy with each unique design style. The different design styles flow harmoniously throughout the two-story house and unite in the expansive living room that opens up to a spacious rear patio for the families to spend their family time together. This traditional house design exudes elegance with pleasing state-of-the-art features.

This house accommodates comfort spaces for multi-generation families with multiple master suites to provide each family with a private space that they can enjoy with each unique design style. The different design styles flow harmoniously throughout the two-story house and unite in the expansive living room that opens up to a spacious rear patio for the families to spend their family time together. This traditional house design exudes elegance with pleasing state-of-the-art features.

This house accommodates comfort spaces for multi-generation families with multiple master suites to provide each family with a private space that they can enjoy with each unique design style. The different design styles flow harmoniously throughout the two-story house and unite in the expansive living room that opens up to a spacious rear patio for the families to spend their family time together. This traditional house design exudes elegance with pleasing state-of-the-art features.

This house accommodates comfort spaces for multi-generation families with multiple master suites to provide each family with a private space that they can enjoy with each unique design style. The different design styles flow harmoniously throughout the two-story house and unite in the expansive living room that opens up to a spacious rear patio for the families to spend their family time together. This traditional house design exudes elegance with pleasing state-of-the-art features.

Example of a large trendy gray two-story wood exterior home design in Vancouver with a shingle roof

This house accommodates comfort spaces for multi-generation families with multiple master suites to provide each family with a private space that they can enjoy with each unique design style. The different design styles flow harmoniously throughout the two-story house and unite in the expansive living room that opens up to a spacious rear patio for the families to spend their family time together. This traditional house design exudes elegance with pleasing state-of-the-art features.

This house accommodates comfort spaces for multi-generation families with multiple master suites to provide each family with a private space that they can enjoy with each unique design style. The different design styles flow harmoniously throughout the two-story house and unite in the expansive living room that opens up to a spacious rear patio for the families to spend their family time together. This traditional house design exudes elegance with pleasing state-of-the-art features.

This house accommodates comfort spaces for multi-generation families with multiple master suites to provide each family with a private space that they can enjoy with each unique design style. The different design styles flow harmoniously throughout the two-story house and unite in the expansive living room that opens up to a spacious rear patio for the families to spend their family time together. This traditional house design exudes elegance with pleasing state-of-the-art features.

This house accommodates comfort spaces for multi-generation families with multiple master suites to provide each family with a private space that they can enjoy with each unique design style. The different design styles flow harmoniously throughout the two-story house and unite in the expansive living room that opens up to a spacious rear patio for the families to spend their family time together. This traditional house design exudes elegance with pleasing state-of-the-art features.

This house accommodates comfort spaces for multi-generation families with multiple master suites to provide each family with a private space that they can enjoy with each unique design style. The different design styles flow harmoniously throughout the two-story house and unite in the expansive living room that opens up to a spacious rear patio for the families to spend their family time together. This traditional house design exudes elegance with pleasing state-of-the-art features.

This house accommodates comfort spaces for multi-generation families with multiple master suites to provide each family with a private space that they can enjoy with each unique design style. The different design styles flow harmoniously throughout the two-story house and unite in the expansive living room that opens up to a spacious rear patio for the families to spend their family time together. This traditional house design exudes elegance with pleasing state-of-the-art features.