Master Bathroom Suite- includes a soaking tub for a peaceful retreat. Functional 1/2 wall for storage to separate bathing space.
Transitional bathroom photo in Chicago

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

This was originally a half bath, it was enlarged by only 3 feet to accommodate a shower for the basement ADU. Includes heated floors
Small elegant 3/4 white tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile and multicolored floor walk-in shower photo in Portland with shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, a two-piece toilet, yellow walls, an undermount sink, granite countertops and multicolored countertops

Bathroom after closet was replaced with a shower to increase the functionality of the bathroom. This project included mosaic heated tile floors and custom shower pan. As well as tile tile shower surround, bench and shelving! This bathroom proves even your room-in attic bathroom can be functional and beautiful!

United States Stove Company 3,000 Sq. Ft. X-Large Pedstal Wood Stove with Blower The 3000 Wood Stove is the Largest plate steel stove offered by USSC. This unit will heat 3,000 sq. ft. of your home with up to 123,000 BTUs of heat from America's oldest sustainable resource, Wood. A quiet, efficient 100 cubic feet per minute blower is included with the purchase of this stove. The Massive 3.0 Cubic foot firebox will accept logs up to 21” in length, increasing burn time and decreasing time spent refueling the stove. This stove meets the stringent requirements of the EPA Certification program and is one of the cleanest on the market at 1.9 grams per hour of Particulate. This is a testament to the 3000’s efficiency, safety, and low environmental impact. The 3000 has an elegant, large, arched glass door with a built in air wash feature that helps keep the glass clean the fire viewable.

This primary bathroom was designed to maximize space and elevate this traditional home. Includes built-in hair tools pullout, hidden outlets, under cabinet lighting, heated flooring, heated towel bars and fog-free heated mirror in the double shower wet-room with pedestal tub.

Tim Burleson
Huge trendy backyard concrete patio photo with a fireplace and a pergola

Self-designed terraced cat home. Includes live-grass roof, and scratching board, heated beach stone spa, and extendable branch basket. The bamboo frame is composed of an upcycled 1970s Papasan chair.

Open floor-plan living room with large windows and baseboards includes stone hearth and stove for heat.
Large beach style open concept light wood floor living room photo in Boston with a bar, beige walls, a wood stove, a stone fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

The Solar House combines passive solar design with active solar equipment. This house has a 4-kilowatt photovoltaic system and heats domestic water with the sun as well (the electric meter runs backwards). We started with super insulated SIPS panels and included a high efficiency radiant heating system, but the owners prefer to cozy up to the wood burning stove after a day on the slopes. Spirit Builders includes craftsmanship and attention to detail in every home we build.

The Solar House combines passive solar design with active solar equipment. This house has a 4-kilowatt photovoltaic system and heats domestic water with the sun as well (the electric meter runs backwards). We started with super insulated SIPS panels and included a high efficiency radiant heating system, but the owners prefer to cozy up to the wood burning stove after a day on the slopes. Spirit Builders includes craftsmanship and attention to detail in every home we build.

  Download our free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   Storage was extremely important for this project because she wanted to go from keeping everything out in the open to have everything tucked away neatly, and who wouldn’t want this? So we went to work figuring out how to hide as much as possible but still keep things easy to access. The solution was two pullouts on either side of each vanity and a flush mount medicine cabinet above, so plenty of storage for each person. We kept the layout pretty much the same, but just changed up the configuration of the cabinets. We added a storage cabinet by the toilet because there was plenty of room for that and converted the tub to a shower to make it easy to use the space long-term. Modern day conveniences were also installed, including a heated towel bar, a lower threshold cast iron shower pan with sliding barn door shower door and a flip down shower seat. The house is a classic 1950’s midcentury ranch so we chose materials that fit that bill, and that had a bit of a Scandinavian vibe, including light maple Shaker door cabinets, black hardware and lighting, and simple subway tile in the shower. Our client fell in love with the white Macauba quartzite countertops in our showroom, and we agree they bring a perfect earthy energy into her space. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: Dawn Jackman For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

Napoleon Ascent 33'' Electric Fireplace. Includes Heat Circulating Fan, Realistic Log Set with Glowing Embers, Night Light and Can be Hardwired 110v / 220v. Up to 9,000 BTU's.

Self-designed terraced cat home. Includes live-grass roof, and scratching board, heated beach stone spa, and extendable branch basket. The bamboo frame is composed of an upcycled 1970s Papasan chair.

Custom sunroom addition with heated tile floors and custom fiberglass windows. Includes two level brick paver patio and seating wall.
Inspiration for a modern family room remodel in Omaha

Complete aging-in-place bathroom remodel to make it more accessible. Includes stylish safety grab bars, LED lighting, wide shower seat, under-mount tub with wide ledge, radiant heated flooring, and curbless entry to shower.