Search results for "Inefficient" in Home Design Ideas
Tom Bassett-Dilley Architect, Ltd.Photography by Natalie Marotta
Bungalows are lovable homes, but how can they be better? Along with many of our clients, we find that older (early 20th c.) homes have a lot of character and a comfortable scale, but are leaky, damp (especially in the basement), have fair to poor air quality, and use unconscionable amounts of fossil fuels to heat. The owners of this bungalow were ready to change that, and wanted to do so with minimal upfront carbon emissions as well.
The gut renovation included replacing the basement slab and providing capillary breaks and insulation continuously below grade. The brick structure was treated with a fluid-applied air and water barrier from the interior and insulated entirely with cellulose, a carbon-storing insulation. The roof used HFO-blown spray foam to provide sufficient insulation while allowing headroom for bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry.
One great benefit of a full renovation is the possibility of reconfiguring spaces to suit the family’s lifestyle, and to make the best of indoor-outdoor connections. We opened up the main rooms on the first floor, creating a family gathering spot with a view to the back yard, and a spacious kitchen that supports the family’s commitment to cooking for healthy eating. The stair uses a north-facing skylight to bring light from above into the middle of the home, where it was previously dark.
As a decarbonization retrofit, the inefficient furnace was replaced with two small ducted heat pump systems, water heating and clothes drying are powered by air-source heat pumps, and cooking uses an induction cooktop plus electric ovens. Energy recovery ventilation provides filtered fresh air continuous exhaust from the kitchen, baths, and laundry, and supplies fresh, highly filtered air to bedrooms and living spaces.
The Better Bungalow now makes sense for the 21st century–it now fits the owners’ life-patterns, is super comfortable, has great air quality, and uses a fraction of the energy it did before, greatly lowering the demand on the utility grid. In the near future, when solar PV is installed, it can achieve net zero or near net zero emissions, and with battery backup, can provide great resilience in the event of power outages.
Corinthian Fine HomesThese homeowners came to us to design several areas of their home, including their mudroom and laundry. They were a growing family and needed a "landing" area as they entered their home, either from the garage but also asking for a new entrance from outside. We stole about 24 feet from their oversized garage to create a large mudroom/laundry area. Custom blue cabinets with a large "X" design on the doors of the lockers, a large farmhouse sink and a beautiful cement tile feature wall with floating shelves make this mudroom stylish and luxe. The laundry room now has a pocket door separating it from the mudroom, and houses the washer and dryer with a wood butcher block folding shelf. White tile backsplash and custom white and blue painted cabinetry takes this laundry to the next level. Both areas are stunning and have improved not only the aesthetic of the space, but also the function of what used to be an inefficient use of space.
Zola European WindowsThis Boulder, Colorado remodel by fuentesdesign demonstrates the possibility of renewal in American suburbs, and Passive House design principles. Once an inefficient single story 1,000 square-foot ranch house with a forced air furnace, has been transformed into a two-story, solar powered 2500 square-foot three bedroom home ready for the next generation.
The new design for the home is modern with a sustainable theme, incorporating a palette of natural materials including; reclaimed wood finishes, FSC-certified pine Zola windows and doors, and natural earth and lime plasters that soften the interior and crisp contemporary exterior with a flavor of the west. A Ninety-percent efficient energy recovery fresh air ventilation system provides constant filtered fresh air to every room. The existing interior brick was removed and replaced with insulation. The remaining heating and cooling loads are easily met with the highest degree of comfort via a mini-split heat pump, the peak heat load has been cut by a factor of 4, despite the house doubling in size. During the coldest part of the Colorado winter, a wood stove for ambiance and low carbon back up heat creates a special place in both the living and kitchen area, and upstairs loft.
This ultra energy efficient home relies on extremely high levels of insulation, air-tight detailing and construction, and the implementation of high performance, custom made European windows and doors by Zola Windows. Zola’s ThermoPlus Clad line, which boasts R-11 triple glazing and is thermally broken with a layer of patented German Purenit®, was selected for the project. These windows also provide a seamless indoor/outdoor connection, with 9′ wide folding doors from the dining area and a matching 9′ wide custom countertop folding window that opens the kitchen up to a grassy court where mature trees provide shade and extend the living space during the summer months.
With air-tight construction, this home meets the Passive House Retrofit (EnerPHit) air-tightness standard of
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LMB InteriorsThe peaked main wall, painted in a dark gray lends understated drama to a decidedly masculine room, and acts as a beautiful backdrop for a Robert Kingston painting.
Custom designed, extra long sofa flanked by period-perfect sconces, comfortable swivel chair, and leather bench. A vintage game table, also gets plenty of use.
Surrounding walls, painted in lighter gray complement the custom woven tan, indigo and rust-colored Navajo rug.
Lindsey MarkelFor this mudroom remodel the homeowners came in to Dillman & Upton frustrated with their current, small and very tight, laundry room. They were in need of more space and functional storage and asked if I could help them out.
Once at the job site I found that adjacent to the the current laundry room was an inefficient walk in closet. After discussing their options we decided to remove the wall between the two rooms and create a full mudroom with ample storage and plenty of room to comfortably manage the laundry.
Cabinets: Dura Supreme, Crestwood series, Highland door, Maple, Shell Gray stain
Counter: Solid Surfaces Unlimited Arcadia Quartz
Hardware: Top Knobs, M271, M530 Brushed Satin Nickel
Flooring: Porcelain tile, Crossville, 6x36, Speakeasy Zoot Suit
Backsplash: Olympia, Verona Blend, Herringbone, Marble
Sink: Kohler, River falls, White
Faucet: Kohler, Gooseneck, Brushed Stainless Steel
Shoe Cubbies: White Melamine
Washer/Dryer: Electrolux
Bluestem Remodeling"Brandon Stengel - www.farmkidstudios.com”
Inspiration for a mid-sized 1950s galley utility room remodel in Minneapolis with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, beige walls and a side-by-side washer/dryer
Inspiration for a mid-sized 1950s galley utility room remodel in Minneapolis with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, beige walls and a side-by-side washer/dryer
INSPIRED KITCHEN DESIGNJenny was open to using IKEA cabinetry throughout, but ultimately decided on Semihandmade’s Light Gray Shaker door style. “I wanted to maximize storage, maintain affordability, and spice up visual interest by mixing up shelving and closed cabinets,” she says. “And I wanted to display nice looking things and hide uglier things, like Tupperware pieces.” This was key as her original kitchen was dark, cramped and had inefficient storage, such as wire racks pressed up against her refrigerator and limited counter space. To remedy this, the upper cabinetry is mixed asymmetrically throughout, over the long run of countertops along the wall by the refrigerator and above the food prep area and above the stove. “Stylistically, these cabinets blended well with the butcher block countertops and the large Moroccan/Spanish tile design on the floor,” she notes.
AFT ConstructionEat-in kitchen - large transitional galley light wood floor and beige floor eat-in kitchen idea in Phoenix with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, brown backsplash, brick backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and black countertops
Byggmeister IncPhoto by Mike Casey
Cramped, uncomfortable, and out of date: when the owners of this home approached us about renovating their kitchen and adjoining sunroom, these were high on their list of complaints.
OPENING UP THE KITCHEN
Our plan kept the kitchen in the same location but took down the walls between both the dining room and the sunroom to create an expansive multi-purpose space with spectacular views to conservation land along the back of the property. We removed the powder room and in its place created a window-lined hallway to the living room—opening up direct access between these two previously disconnected spaces. We then built a new half bath between these two rooms, with a door along the back hallway. The result is a more private powder room that is easier to access than before.
Significantly improved cabinetry provides ample storage for both human and canine needs. An island countertop is functional and pleasant, enabling the owners to prep for and clean up from dinner all while enjoying the view of the woods behind their house.
CREATING COMFORT
We also completely rebuilt the sunroom, thickening the framing to allow for extra insulation and raising the roof to accommodate a higher ceiling and tall windows that let in as much natural light as the skylights they replaced, but much less of the solar gain that had made the room so intolerable in the summer.
We improved visual connections between spaces and admitted more natural light by converting the framing of the main stairway from full to half walls. We also insulated the attic and replaced an aging, inefficient central air conditioning system with ductless minisplit heat pumps, which can also be used as supplemental heat.
All in all, this was our kind of project: we made the home more attractive, more comfortable, and more energy-efficient—all over the course of a single, well-integrated project.
TINEKE TRIGGSInspiration for a timeless dark wood floor eat-in kitchen remodel in San Francisco with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, blue backsplash, stone tile backsplash and an island
MOTIF Design Solutions, LLCOnce a galley kitchen with a garage door at the end of it, MOTIF reconfigured the layout and moved the garage door, removed a wall and opened the kitchen to the adjacent living space, The couple who lives in this cottage-like home has a great place to cook and entertain friends. These very social homeowners can now host parties and entertain their friends and family well with the newly designed layout. A love for cooking inspired the design of the wall above the range. The cabinets were built by hand by the previous owner who was a professional carpenter. In the interest of honoring his life, we kept the boxes and reconfigured the layout while adding some new custom touches that look like they were always there.
Ambiance By AdairI was brought in to give a serious makeover to a kitchen that had seen... a lot. Tucked inside a turn-of-the-century building full of charm (and quirks), the space came with its fair share of headaches—uneven floors and walls, a ridiculously oversized radiator in the worst possible spot, and a bulky chase cutting through one corner like it owned the place. And that was just the welcome party. The transformation created a space that you want to just relax and enjoy that gourmet cooking experience!
Klopf ArchitectureThe owners dreamed of an Eichler remodel they would live in forever. Their vision was contemporary and open. Klopf Architecture would design, and reconfigure bathrooms/laundry areas and upgrade systems to be more efficient. This talented executive mother of five decorated and furnished the home herself.
Architecture: Klopf Architecture
Contractor: Flegel Construction
Photography © 2014 Mariko Reed
Location: Burlingame, CA
Year completed: 2014
Corinthian Fine HomesThese homeowners came to us to design several areas of their home, including their mudroom and laundry. They were a growing family and needed a "landing" area as they entered their home, either from the garage but also asking for a new entrance from outside. We stole about 24 feet from their oversized garage to create a large mudroom/laundry area. Custom blue cabinets with a large "X" design on the doors of the lockers, a large farmhouse sink and a beautiful cement tile feature wall with floating shelves make this mudroom stylish and luxe. The laundry room now has a pocket door separating it from the mudroom, and houses the washer and dryer with a wood butcher block folding shelf. White tile backsplash and custom white and blue painted cabinetry takes this laundry to the next level. Both areas are stunning and have improved not only the aesthetic of the space, but also the function of what used to be an inefficient use of space.
ZeroEnergy DesignEric Roth Photography
Example of a farmhouse open concept and formal light wood floor living room design in Boston with white walls, a wood stove and no tv
Example of a farmhouse open concept and formal light wood floor living room design in Boston with white walls, a wood stove and no tv
CD Interiorscustom wall map by @Andrewtedescostudios custom lighting by @primoglass
photo@gerardgarcia
Great room - large industrial dark wood floor and brown floor great room idea in New York with gray walls and no fireplace
Great room - large industrial dark wood floor and brown floor great room idea in New York with gray walls and no fireplace
Julia Chasman DesignThis Wedgewood stove is considered the Queen of the line. They started production in the late 1940's and this one is from about 1951. It has 4 burners, a large gas griddle, two ovens, and two broilers, as well as a collapsible shelf to hold your vintage salt & pepper collection. Custom hood surround made of drywall and oak moulding is designed to hold a piece of artwork, which can be swapped out for a change. This vintage oil still life of fruit looks perfect in a kitchen! Cabinet glass with chicken wire inset adds another vintage touch: from Olde Good Things in Downtown LA.
Zola European WindowsThis Boulder, Colorado remodel by fuentesdesign demonstrates the possibility of renewal in American suburbs, and Passive House design principles. Once an inefficient single story 1,000 square-foot ranch house with a forced air furnace, has been transformed into a two-story, solar powered 2500 square-foot three bedroom home ready for the next generation.
The new design for the home is modern with a sustainable theme, incorporating a palette of natural materials including; reclaimed wood finishes, FSC-certified pine Zola windows and doors, and natural earth and lime plasters that soften the interior and crisp contemporary exterior with a flavor of the west. A Ninety-percent efficient energy recovery fresh air ventilation system provides constant filtered fresh air to every room. The existing interior brick was removed and replaced with insulation. The remaining heating and cooling loads are easily met with the highest degree of comfort via a mini-split heat pump, the peak heat load has been cut by a factor of 4, despite the house doubling in size. During the coldest part of the Colorado winter, a wood stove for ambiance and low carbon back up heat creates a special place in both the living and kitchen area, and upstairs loft.
This ultra energy efficient home relies on extremely high levels of insulation, air-tight detailing and construction, and the implementation of high performance, custom made European windows and doors by Zola Windows. Zola’s ThermoPlus Clad line, which boasts R-11 triple glazing and is thermally broken with a layer of patented German Purenit®, was selected for the project. These windows also provide a seamless indoor/outdoor connection, with 9′ wide folding doors from the dining area and a matching 9′ wide custom countertop folding window that opens the kitchen up to a grassy court where mature trees provide shade and extend the living space during the summer months.
With air-tight construction, this home meets the Passive House Retrofit (EnerPHit) air-tightness standard of
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