Search results for "Improving insulation" in Home Design Ideas

Built using Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF), this home offers far more than beautiful curb appeal. The reinforced concrete structure provides exceptional strength, improved energy efficiency, superior sound reduction, and increased resistance to harsh weather conditions. Homeowners benefit from lower heating and cooling costs while enjoying year-round comfort.

this is non insulates solid roof with open style lattice combination patio cover attached with standard post design and ceiling fan
Mid-sized backyard concrete patio photo in Sacramento with a pergola
Mid-sized backyard concrete patio photo in Sacramento with a pergola

This is a custom wood wine cabinet installed under the stairs. It features a self-contained wine cellar cooling system, aluminum and wood wine racks, plus 4 insulated doors with glass windows. The exterior is custom stained to complement the customer's space.
Photograph courtesy of our valued customer
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OEM/ODM 8'x7' traditional sectional garage door designed for wholesale distributors who need stable supply, consistent quality, and flexible private labeling. Ideal for standard residential openings, dealer stock programs, and installer-ready packages. As a world-renowned garage door manufacturer, China Chi Hardware supplies global garage door brands, wholesalers, and distributors with a wide variety of garage doors, as well as garage door hardware parts in different sizes.
Build your fast-moving SKU lineup with an OEM/ODM 8'x7' traditional sectional garage door designed for wholesale distribution. This size fits common residential openings and keeps inventory simple, while our factory program lets you customize panel design, window options, colors, packaging, labels, and private brand manuals. Choose non-insulated or PU-insulated constructions, match hardware grade to your market, and get consistent batches for easier warranty control and repeat orders.
————Key Specifications————
• Door size: 8'×7' (2438×2134mm)
• Door type: Steel sectional door, traditional styles (raised / recessed options)
• Panel thickness: non-insulated / insulated options (commonly 40mm / 50mm)
• Insulation: PU foam (optional)
• Surface: galvanized steel + primer/powder coat; woodgrain optional
• Hardware: tracks, hinges, rollers, torsion/extension spring system (optional as kits)
• Customization: windows, colors, embossing, packaging, private label
————Performance & Benefits————
• Smooth operation and accurate fit for faster installation
• Durable steel skins with corrosion-resistant finish
• Insulation options help improve comfort and reduce noise complaints
• Standardized production improves batch consistency for distributor inventory
————CHI Manufacturing & Process Strength————
• Coil-to-door controlled process: roll forming / stamping / foaming (if insulated) / coating
• Dimensional control on panel profile & end stile alignment for stable assembly
• In-house QC: thickness, coating adhesion, foam fill (if applicable), cycle checks
————Contact Us————
China Chi Hardware Co.,Ltd.
Website: https://www.chihw.com/

This new two story home was an infill home in an established, sought after neighborhood with a stunning river view.
Although not huge in stature, this home is huge on presence with a modern cottage look featuring three two story columns clad in natural longboard and stone, grey earthtone acrylic stucco, staggered roofline, and the typography of the lot allowed for exquisite natural landscaping.
Inside is equally impressive with features including:
- Radiant heat floors on main level, covered by engineered hardwoods and 2' x 4' travertini Lexus tile
- Grand entry with custom staircase
- Two story open concept living, dining and kitchen areas
- Large, fully appointed butler's pantry
- Glass encased wine feature wall
- Show stopping two story fireplace
- Custom lighting indoors and out for stunning evening illumination
- Large 2nd floor balcony with views of the river.
- R-value of this new build was increased to improve efficiencies by using acrylic stucco, upgraded over rigid insulation and using sprayfoam on the interior walls.

Photography by Jim Tetro
This house, built in the 1960s, sits southfacing on a terrific wooded lot in Bethesda, Maryland.
The owners desire a whole-house renovation which would improve the general building fabric and systems, and extend the sense of living out of doors in all seasons.
The original sixties-modern character is preserved and the renovation extends the design forward into a contemporary, modern approach. Connections to and through the site are enhanced through the creation of new larger window and door openings.
Screened porches and decks perch above the sloped and wooded site. The new kitchen and bathrooms allow for opportunities to feel out-of -doors while preparing, cooking, dining, and bathing.
Smart passive strategies guide the environmental choices for this project, including envelope improvements, updated mechanical systems, and on-site stormwater management.

AFTER - COOLWALL® Infrared (IR) Heat-Reflective Exterior Wall Coating in custom color Latte and Incredible White trim.
Insulated vinyl windows & sliding glass doors by Milgard.
Custom front door installed and painted in the color Antique Red.
Three inch insulated Duralum patio cover in the color White. Customized with three domed skylights, four lights, and two ceiling fans.
Salt finish concrete poured underneath patio cover.

Sponsored
Delaware County, OH
Whisler Home Improvement
Franklin County's Committed Home Improvement Professionals

AFTER - COOLWALL® Infrared (IR) Heat-Reflective Exterior Wall Coating in custom color Latte and Incredible White trim.
Insulated vinyl windows & sliding glass doors by Milgard.
Custom front door installed and painted in the color Antique Red.
Three inch insulated Duralum patio cover in the color White. Customized with three domed skylights, four lights, and two ceiling fans.
Salt finish concrete poured underneath patio cover.

OEM/ODM 8'x7' traditional sectional garage door designed for wholesale distributors who need stable supply, consistent quality, and flexible private labeling. Ideal for standard residential openings, dealer stock programs, and installer-ready packages. As a world-renowned garage door manufacturer, China Chi Hardware supplies global garage door brands, wholesalers, and distributors with a wide variety of garage doors, as well as garage door hardware parts in different sizes.
Build your fast-moving SKU lineup with an OEM/ODM 8'x7' traditional sectional garage door designed for wholesale distribution. This size fits common residential openings and keeps inventory simple, while our factory program lets you customize panel design, window options, colors, packaging, labels, and private brand manuals. Choose non-insulated or PU-insulated constructions, match hardware grade to your market, and get consistent batches for easier warranty control and repeat orders.
————Key Specifications————
• Door size: 8'×7' (2438×2134mm)
• Door type: Steel sectional door, traditional styles (raised / recessed options)
• Panel thickness: non-insulated / insulated options (commonly 40mm / 50mm)
• Insulation: PU foam (optional)
• Surface: galvanized steel + primer/powder coat; woodgrain optional
• Hardware: tracks, hinges, rollers, torsion/extension spring system (optional as kits)
• Customization: windows, colors, embossing, packaging, private label
————Performance & Benefits————
• Smooth operation and accurate fit for faster installation
• Durable steel skins with corrosion-resistant finish
• Insulation options help improve comfort and reduce noise complaints
• Standardized production improves batch consistency for distributor inventory
————CHI Manufacturing & Process Strength————
• Coil-to-door controlled process: roll forming / stamping / foaming (if insulated) / coating
• Dimensional control on panel profile & end stile alignment for stable assembly
• In-house QC: thickness, coating adhesion, foam fill (if applicable), cycle checks
————Contact Us————
China Chi Hardware Co.,Ltd.
Website: https://www.chihw.com/

Photography by Jim Tetro
This house, built in the 1960s, sits southfacing on a terrific wooded lot in Bethesda, Maryland.
The owners desire a whole-house renovation which would improve the general building fabric and systems, and extend the sense of living out of doors in all seasons.
The original sixties-modern character is preserved and the renovation extends the design forward into a contemporary, modern approach. Connections to and through the site are enhanced through the creation of new larger window and door openings.
Screened porches and decks perch above the sloped and wooded site. The new kitchen and bathrooms allow for opportunities to feel out-of -doors while preparing, cooking, dining, and bathing.
Smart passive strategies guide the environmental choices for this project, including envelope improvements, updated mechanical systems, and on-site stormwater management.

Timber frame homes offer unique challenges during a remodel. What often makes them beautiful and attractive to most homeowners, also makes them challenging for space requirements.
Context: The lovely couple that owned this home were struggling with some interesting floor plan challenges that just didn't work for their family. The loved the beautiful timbers and woodwork of their home, but the dramatically sloping ceilings on the second floor, particularly in the bathroom, just didn't work for this 1 1/2 bath home. Needing to use the skylight to approach the toilet was a less then ideal scenario. Although the bathroom footprint was more then adequate, the sloped ceiling only made half of the space useable. Check out the Before/After post on our blog to see the photos of the house pre-renovation. As much as they loved all the wood features in their home, another challenge they had was light. The wood ceiling made everything inside the house darker, even with a fantastic array of south facing windows, there were spaces in the home that felt dark and small. When they contacted us they wanted to know how could they make their brighter and more inviting, were there solutions to the 2nd floor sloped ceiling issues, and if they were going to do all of this work, how could they make their home more comfortable and efficient. A nagging water leak in the upstairs bathroom spurred them into action and here is how we solved their dilemma.
Conclusion: First, we added a little dormer to the rear of the house so we could get full headroom in nearly all of the upstairs bathroom! Then we decided to extend that dormer one more timber bay over to create a walk in closet with natural light and plenty of space. Since we were contemplating energy efficiency, we resolved a nagging issue that is present in a lot of timber frame construction, air tightness. Commonly found in timber frame construction, fiberglass insulation is installed in the rafter bays and board ceilings are installed over top. Unfortunately, board ceilings are anything but air tight, and fiberglass insulation needs to be in an airtight cavity for maximum effectiveness. So we were able to solve two issues at the same time for this homeowner. We removed the board ceiling and fiberglass insulation, we dense packed the rafter bays with cellulose insulation, and installed sheetrock in place of the boards. The boards were salvaged for re-use by the homeowner, and the space and light quality was dramatically improved. Some may think that losing the board ceiling took something away from the space, but what you'll see in the pictures is that it highly accentuates the heavy timbers and really makes them stand out in a beautiful way. Now with this added airtightness, better insulation, and brighter space, the homeowner hardly runs their wood stove, and it's so quiet in the space, an added bonus from changing the insulation. It became necessary to also add a sheetrock ceiling to the living room to hide the plumbing from the new bathroom layout above. Changing this ceiling gave the homeowner some real quality lighting that was lacking in the living room before. The brighter ceiling and new lighting layout completely transforms the living room into a space you want to hang out, even though the layout didn't change at all. When the homeowner saw the finished spaces she said "I can't believe this is my house, I want to live in this house"
Energy Efficiency: I touched a little on the efficiency above, but like all projects done with Mottram Architecture, we always want to leave you with a little extra. Timber frame construction with board ceilings and fiberglass insulation are notoriously leaky! If you want to know what we think about fiberglass insulation, check our our blog post on Why Fiberglass Insulation Sucks. By installing cellulose insulation and covering it with sheetrock we were able to greatly reduce the heat flowing out of this home. It not only improves cashflow it improves the comfort level in the space. Who wants to sit in their living room and feel a draft? Let us remind you, we are not saying cellulose insulation is an air barrier, we use the sheetrock to help with that, but it does significantly reduce the air flow over fiberglass insulation. And when we reduce the airflow, we reduce the heat flow. And when we reduce the heat flow, we reduce the need to re-heat that drafty air from outside. When it comes to energy efficiency the first and best place to start is air infiltration. We greatly reduced the air infiltration with the new insulation, but we also added a hat and warm boots. What I mean by that is, we improved the insulation in the roof, and we installed insulation in the basement. Maybe it's a silly analogy, but when you think about keeping warm, we always start with the hat and boots! With sustainability in mind, the next project will be to add a deck to the front of this house with rain catchment barrels from the metal roof. They are planning to plant a garden in the spring and the rain catchment system will help to irrigate the new garden.
Builder: East Shore Builders
Photographer: Michael Eric Berube

Winner of the 2018 Tour of Homes Best Remodel, this whole house re-design of a 1963 Bennet & Johnson mid-century raised ranch home is a beautiful example of the magic we can weave through the application of more sustainable modern design principles to existing spaces.
We worked closely with our client on extensive updates to create a modernized MCM gem.
Extensive alterations include:
- a completely redesigned floor plan to promote a more intuitive flow throughout
- vaulted the ceilings over the great room to create an amazing entrance and feeling of inspired openness
- redesigned entry and driveway to be more inviting and welcoming as well as to experientially set the mid-century modern stage
- the removal of a visually disruptive load bearing central wall and chimney system that formerly partitioned the homes’ entry, dining, kitchen and living rooms from each other
- added clerestory windows above the new kitchen to accentuate the new vaulted ceiling line and create a greater visual continuation of indoor to outdoor space
- drastically increased the access to natural light by increasing window sizes and opening up the floor plan
- placed natural wood elements throughout to provide a calming palette and cohesive Pacific Northwest feel
- incorporated Universal Design principles to make the home Aging In Place ready with wide hallways and accessible spaces, including single-floor living if needed
- moved and completely redesigned the stairway to work for the home’s occupants and be a part of the cohesive design aesthetic
- mixed custom tile layouts with more traditional tiling to create fun and playful visual experiences
- custom designed and sourced MCM specific elements such as the entry screen, cabinetry and lighting
- development of the downstairs for potential future use by an assisted living caretaker
- energy efficiency upgrades seamlessly woven in with much improved insulation, ductless mini splits and solar gain

Total Upgrade with Beautiful Portico. Metal Forever Roof
Inspiration for a mid-sized timeless white two-story vinyl gable roof remodel in Chicago with a metal roof
Inspiration for a mid-sized timeless white two-story vinyl gable roof remodel in Chicago with a metal roof

Winner of the 2018 Tour of Homes Best Remodel, this whole house re-design of a 1963 Bennet & Johnson mid-century raised ranch home is a beautiful example of the magic we can weave through the application of more sustainable modern design principles to existing spaces.
We worked closely with our client on extensive updates to create a modernized MCM gem.
Extensive alterations include:
- a completely redesigned floor plan to promote a more intuitive flow throughout
- vaulted the ceilings over the great room to create an amazing entrance and feeling of inspired openness
- redesigned entry and driveway to be more inviting and welcoming as well as to experientially set the mid-century modern stage
- the removal of a visually disruptive load bearing central wall and chimney system that formerly partitioned the homes’ entry, dining, kitchen and living rooms from each other
- added clerestory windows above the new kitchen to accentuate the new vaulted ceiling line and create a greater visual continuation of indoor to outdoor space
- drastically increased the access to natural light by increasing window sizes and opening up the floor plan
- placed natural wood elements throughout to provide a calming palette and cohesive Pacific Northwest feel
- incorporated Universal Design principles to make the home Aging In Place ready with wide hallways and accessible spaces, including single-floor living if needed
- moved and completely redesigned the stairway to work for the home’s occupants and be a part of the cohesive design aesthetic
- mixed custom tile layouts with more traditional tiling to create fun and playful visual experiences
- custom designed and sourced MCM specific elements such as the entry screen, cabinetry and lighting
- development of the downstairs for potential future use by an assisted living caretaker
- energy efficiency upgrades seamlessly woven in with much improved insulation, ductless mini splits and solar gain

Timber frame homes offer unique challenges during a remodel. What often makes them beautiful and attractive to most homeowners, also makes them challenging for space requirements.
Context: The lovely couple that owned this home were struggling with some interesting floor plan challenges that just didn't work for their family. The loved the beautiful timbers and woodwork of their home, but the dramatically sloping ceilings on the second floor, particularly in the bathroom, just didn't work for this 1 1/2 bath home. Needing to use the skylight to approach the toilet was a less then ideal scenario. Although the bathroom footprint was more then adequate, the sloped ceiling only made half of the space useable. Check out the Before/After post on our blog to see the photos of the house pre-renovation. As much as they loved all the wood features in their home, another challenge they had was light. The wood ceiling made everything inside the house darker, even with a fantastic array of south facing windows, there were spaces in the home that felt dark and small. When they contacted us they wanted to know how could they make their brighter and more inviting, were there solutions to the 2nd floor sloped ceiling issues, and if they were going to do all of this work, how could they make their home more comfortable and efficient. A nagging water leak in the upstairs bathroom spurred them into action and here is how we solved their dilemma.
Conclusion: First, we added a little dormer to the rear of the house so we could get full headroom in nearly all of the upstairs bathroom! Then we decided to extend that dormer one more timber bay over to create a walk in closet with natural light and plenty of space. Since we were contemplating energy efficiency, we resolved a nagging issue that is present in a lot of timber frame construction, air tightness. Commonly found in timber frame construction, fiberglass insulation is installed in the rafter bays and board ceilings are installed over top. Unfortunately, board ceilings are anything but air tight, and fiberglass insulation needs to be in an airtight cavity for maximum effectiveness. So we were able to solve two issues at the same time for this homeowner. We removed the board ceiling and fiberglass insulation, we dense packed the rafter bays with cellulose insulation, and installed sheetrock in place of the boards. The boards were salvaged for re-use by the homeowner, and the space and light quality was dramatically improved. Some may think that losing the board ceiling took something away from the space, but what you'll see in the pictures is that it highly accentuates the heavy timbers and really makes them stand out in a beautiful way. Now with this added airtightness, better insulation, and brighter space, the homeowner hardly runs their wood stove, and it's so quiet in the space, an added bonus from changing the insulation. It became necessary to also add a sheetrock ceiling to the living room to hide the plumbing from the new bathroom layout above. Changing this ceiling gave the homeowner some real quality lighting that was lacking in the living room before. The brighter ceiling and new lighting layout completely transforms the living room into a space you want to hang out, even though the layout didn't change at all. When the homeowner saw the finished spaces she said "I can't believe this is my house, I want to live in this house"
Energy Efficiency: I touched a little on the efficiency above, but like all projects done with Mottram Architecture, we always want to leave you with a little extra. Timber frame construction with board ceilings and fiberglass insulation are notoriously leaky! If you want to know what we think about fiberglass insulation, check our our blog post on Why Fiberglass Insulation Sucks. By installing cellulose insulation and covering it with sheetrock we were able to greatly reduce the heat flowing out of this home. It not only improves cashflow it improves the comfort level in the space. Who wants to sit in their living room and feel a draft? Let us remind you, we are not saying cellulose insulation is an air barrier, we use the sheetrock to help with that, but it does significantly reduce the air flow over fiberglass insulation. And when we reduce the airflow, we reduce the heat flow. And when we reduce the heat flow, we reduce the need to re-heat that drafty air from outside. When it comes to energy efficiency the first and best place to start is air infiltration. We greatly reduced the air infiltration with the new insulation, but we also added a hat and warm boots. What I mean by that is, we improved the insulation in the roof, and we installed insulation in the basement. Maybe it's a silly analogy, but when you think about keeping warm, we always start with the hat and boots! With sustainability in mind, the next project will be to add a deck to the front of this house with rain catchment barrels from the metal roof. They are planning to plant a garden in the spring and the rain catchment system will help to irrigate the new garden.
Builder: East Shore Builders
Photographer: Michael Eric Berube

Sponsored
Columbus, OH
EverHome Improvement & Design
Top Choice for Reliable Tile & Stone | Franklin County, Ohio

Our recent exterior restoration project in San Jose completely transformed the home’s appearance and energy efficiency. The work included full insulation replacement to improve comfort and reduce energy costs, followed by installation of new high-quality siding designed for durability and weather resistance. The project was completed with a smooth, professional exterior paint finish that not only refreshed the look of the home but also added long-lasting protection. The result — a beautifully restored exterior that combines modern curb appeal with lasting performance and value.

Our recent exterior restoration project in San Jose completely transformed the home’s appearance and energy efficiency. The work included full insulation replacement to improve comfort and reduce energy costs, followed by installation of new high-quality siding designed for durability and weather resistance. The project was completed with a smooth, professional exterior paint finish that not only refreshed the look of the home but also added long-lasting protection. The result — a beautifully restored exterior that combines modern curb appeal with lasting performance and value.
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