Paul Despenas: EcoSmart Custom Built 2-Lite Sliding windows, picture units and patio door were installed before the siding crew came to do their part. EcoSmart windows feature Smart Core insulated master and sash frames: EcoSmart windows come standard with our patented insulation in all primary frame and sash cavities. This is high density insulation provides a NFRC determined R-Value of 7.25 per inch of thickness. SmartCore insulation provides almost two times the insulating proprieties of typical fiberglass insulation, making EcoSmart windows more energy efficient and your home more comfortable. Performance Glass Options are the heart and soul of any good window. You’ll find a great selection of options to deliver the energy savings your home deserves. Fusion-Welded Frames: The frame and sash on EcoSmart windows are 100% fusion welded for superior sealing against water or air infiltration and no expansion and contraction. Added strength provided by our I-Beam & Rigid Core Fiberglass Reinforcement. All EcoSmart windows are custom built to fit into your home. American Classic Insulated siding features: Lifetime Non-Fade Protection Progressive Foam Fullback Insulation is laminated to the back of the siding to add rigid backing to the siding panel to give straight wall lines Four Times the energy savings value than conventional siding underlayments High permebiliyty lets your walls breath to minimize the opportunity for mold growth Deters termites and carpenter ants The list goes on and on……….American Classic Insulated Vinyl siding and EcoSmart Windows = ENERGY SAVINGS FOR THE LIFETIME OF THE HOME

Paul Despenas: EcoSmart Custom Built 2-Lite Sliding windows, picture units and patio door were installed before the siding crew came to do their part. EcoSmart windows feature Smart Core insulated master and sash frames: EcoSmart windows come standard with our patented insulation in all primary frame and sash cavities. This is high density insulation provides a NFRC determined R-Value of 7.25 per inch of thickness. SmartCore insulation provides almost two times the insulating proprieties of typical fiberglass insulation, making EcoSmart windows more energy efficient and your home more comfortable. Performance Glass Options are the heart and soul of any good window. You’ll find a great selection of options to deliver the energy savings your home deserves. Fusion-Welded Frames: The frame and sash on EcoSmart windows are 100% fusion welded for superior sealing against water or air infiltration and no expansion and contraction. Added strength provided by our I-Beam & Rigid Core Fiberglass Reinforcement. All EcoSmart windows are custom built to fit into your home. American Classic Insulated siding features: Lifetime Non-Fade Protection Progressive Foam Fullback Insulation is laminated to the back of the siding to add rigid backing to the siding panel to give straight wall lines Four Times the energy savings value than conventional siding underlayments High permebiliyty lets your walls breath to minimize the opportunity for mold growth Deters termites and carpenter ants The list goes on and on……….American Classic Insulated Vinyl siding and EcoSmart Windows = ENERGY SAVINGS FOR THE LIFETIME OF THE HOME

Paul Despenas: EcoSmart Custom Built 2-Lite Sliding windows, picture units and patio door were installed before the siding crew came to do their part. EcoSmart windows feature Smart Core insulated master and sash frames: EcoSmart windows come standard with our patented insulation in all primary frame and sash cavities. This is high density insulation provides a NFRC determined R-Value of 7.25 per inch of thickness. SmartCore insulation provides almost two times the insulating proprieties of typical fiberglass insulation, making EcoSmart windows more energy efficient and your home more comfortable. Performance Glass Options are the heart and soul of any good window. You’ll find a great selection of options to deliver the energy savings your home deserves. Fusion-Welded Frames: The frame and sash on EcoSmart windows are 100% fusion welded for superior sealing against water or air infiltration and no expansion and contraction. Added strength provided by our I-Beam & Rigid Core Fiberglass Reinforcement. All EcoSmart windows are custom built to fit into your home. American Classic Insulated siding features: Lifetime Non-Fade Protection Progressive Foam Fullback Insulation is laminated to the back of the siding to add rigid backing to the siding panel to give straight wall lines Four Times the energy savings value than conventional siding underlayments High permebiliyty lets your walls breath to minimize the opportunity for mold growth Deters termites and carpenter ants The list goes on and on……….American Classic Insulated Vinyl siding and EcoSmart Windows = ENERGY SAVINGS FOR THE LIFETIME OF THE HOME

Casey Dunn Photography
Example of a large farmhouse open concept brick floor living room design in Houston with white walls, a standard fireplace, a wall-mounted tv and a concrete fireplace

This custom green vacation home designed by Colorado architect Dominique Gettliffe features a stucco exterior, straw bale insulation, solar hot water and other sustainable features. A large rolling glass door opens onto an open patio and a beautiful view of the valley.

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

Example of an urban black tile and ceramic tile ceramic tile bathroom design in Philadelphia with a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, laminate countertops, a two-piece toilet and white walls

Mid-century modern living room with open plan and floor to ceiling windows for indoor-outdoor ambiance, redwood paneled walls, exposed wood beam ceiling, wood flooring and mid-century modern style furniture, in Berkeley, California. - Photo by Bruce Damonte.

Brandi Ajah
Large french country yellow two-story stucco exterior home idea in Other

Fresh white walls and clean geometry highlight original features of the barn. For maximum efficiency, Franklin lined exterior walls with structurally insulated panels (SIP's). Utilizing this system over standard stick-building processes saved construction time, and insulates more efficiently than traditional insulation.

Eat-in kitchen - industrial galley light wood floor eat-in kitchen idea in Philadelphia with a single-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, wood countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Photo credit: Scott McDonald @ Hedrich Blessing 7RR-Ecohome: The design objective was to build a house for a couple recently married who both had kids from previous marriages. How to bridge two families together? The design looks forward in terms of how people live today. The home is an experiment in transparency and solid form; removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. The house floor plan is derived by pushing and pulling the house’s form to maximize the backyard and minimize the public front yard while welcoming the sun in key rooms by rotating the house 45-degrees to true north. The angular form of the house is a result of the family’s program, the zoning rules, the lot’s attributes, and the sun’s path. We wanted to construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. We could tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with a nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the siding is installed and the exposed interior beams are placed in the double height space. We engineered the house to be smart which not only looks modern but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades, blinds, HVAC, communication, audio, video, or security. We developed a planning module based on a 6-foot square room size and a 6-foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The house is 6,200 SF of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 9,200 SF. A large formal foyer celebrates the entry and opens up to the living, dining, kitchen and family rooms all focused on the rear garden. The east side of the second floor is the Master wing and a center bridge connects it to the kid’s wing on the west. Second floor terraces and sunscreens provide views and shade in this suburban setting. The playful mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hard-scapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot. Many green attributes were designed into the home; Ipe wood sunscreens and window shades block out unwanted solar gain in summer, but allow winter sun in. Patio door and operable windows provide ample opportunity for natural ventilation throughout the open floor plan. Minimal windows on east and west sides to reduce heat loss in winter and unwanted gains in summer. Open floor plan and large window expanse reduces lighting demands and maximizes available daylight. Skylights provide natural light to the basement rooms. Durable, low-maintenance exterior materials include stone, ipe wood siding and decking, and concrete roof pavers. Design is based on a 2' planning grid to minimize construction waste. Basement foundation walls and slab are highly insulated. FSC-certified walnut wood flooring was used. Light colored concrete roof pavers to reduce cooling loads by as much as 15%. 2x6 framing allows for more insulation and energy savings. Super efficient windows have low-E argon gas filled units, and thermally insulated aluminum frames. Permeable brick and stone pavers reduce the site’s storm-water runoff. Countertops use recycled composite materials. Energy-Star rated furnaces and smart thermostats are located throughout the house to minimize duct runs and avoid energy loss. Energy-Star rated boiler that heats up both radiant floors and domestic hot water. Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures are used to conserve water usage. No VOC finish options and direct venting fireplaces maintain a high interior air quality. Smart home system controls lighting, HVAC, and shades to better manage energy use. Plumbing runs through interior walls reducing possibilities of heat loss and freezing problems. A large food pantry was placed next to kitchen to reduce trips to the grocery store. Home office reduces need for automobile transit and associated CO2 footprint. Plan allows for aging in place, with guest suite than can become the master suite, with no need to move as family members mature.

David Duncan Livingston
Open concept kitchen - transitional u-shaped medium tone wood floor open concept kitchen idea in San Francisco with glass-front cabinets, gray cabinets, gray backsplash, ceramic backsplash, an island, a farmhouse sink and stainless steel appliances

The Mazama house is located in the Methow Valley of Washington State, a secluded mountain valley on the eastern edge of the North Cascades, about 200 miles northeast of Seattle. The house has been carefully placed in a copse of trees at the easterly end of a large meadow. Two major building volumes indicate the house organization. A grounded 2-story bedroom wing anchors a raised living pavilion that is lifted off the ground by a series of exposed steel columns. Seen from the access road, the large meadow in front of the house continues right under the main living space, making the living pavilion into a kind of bridge structure spanning over the meadow grass, with the house touching the ground lightly on six steel columns. The raised floor level provides enhanced views as well as keeping the main living level well above the 3-4 feet of winter snow accumulation that is typical for the upper Methow Valley. To further emphasize the idea of lightness, the exposed wood structure of the living pavilion roof changes pitch along its length, so the roof warps upward at each end. The interior exposed wood beams appear like an unfolding fan as the roof pitch changes. The main interior bearing columns are steel with a tapered “V”-shape, recalling the lightness of a dancer. The house reflects the continuing FINNE investigation into the idea of crafted modernism, with cast bronze inserts at the front door, variegated laser-cut steel railing panels, a curvilinear cast-glass kitchen counter, waterjet-cut aluminum light fixtures, and many custom furniture pieces. The house interior has been designed to be completely integral with the exterior. The living pavilion contains more than twelve pieces of custom furniture and lighting, creating a totality of the designed environment that recalls the idea of Gesamtkunstverk, as seen in the work of Josef Hoffman and the Viennese Secessionist movement in the early 20th century. The house has been designed from the start as a sustainable structure, with 40% higher insulation values than required by code, radiant concrete slab heating, efficient natural ventilation, large amounts of natural lighting, water-conserving plumbing fixtures, and locally sourced materials. Windows have high-performance LowE insulated glazing and are equipped with concealed shades. A radiant hydronic heat system with exposed concrete floors allows lower operating temperatures and higher occupant comfort levels. The concrete slabs conserve heat and provide great warmth and comfort for the feet. Deep roof overhangs, built-in shades and high operating clerestory windows are used to reduce heat gain in summer months. During the winter, the lower sun angle is able to penetrate into living spaces and passively warm the exposed concrete floor. Low VOC paints and stains have been used throughout the house. The high level of craft evident in the house reflects another key principle of sustainable design: build it well and make it last for many years! Photo by Benjamin Benschneider

Traditional two-story mixed siding exterior home idea in Toronto

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Photography: Eric Roth Photo

TEAM Architect: LDa Architecture & Interiors Builder: 41 Degrees North Construction, Inc. Landscape Architect: Wild Violets (Landscape and Garden Design on Martha's Vineyard) Photographer: Sean Litchfield Photography

Photography by Linda Oyama Bryan
Example of a small trendy backyard deck design in Other with no cover

Tim Bies
Mountain style kitchen photo in Seattle with a farmhouse sink and black appliances