This house was designed for a couple and their son. One of the design program requirements was to have two master suites on the main level. They enjoy cooking and entertaining so the public and food prep. areas are functional, attractive and conducive to people gathering around. Consequently, the square footage of the main level is large. The house is also on a very steep slope which didn't help with the required footprint. In order to minimize the related costs of building with this site condition, the footprint of the house is long and not deep as it reaches down the slope. The scale of the existing homes in the neighborhood are unimposing. In order to play down the size as viewed from the street, the facade is broken up into several different masses with low sloping roofs. Once you're inside, the house opens up with 14 foot ceilings in the entry and living areas. The ceiling height of other spaces on the main level are 10 feet. Universal design was implemented on the main level to provide inherent accessibility for everyone. The lower level accommodates several guest rooms and baths, an exercise room, a guest den with wet bar and a man cave. Another design program requirement was to make the house as maintenance-free as possible. Exterior materials include stucco, Pennsylvania Blue Stone and a new aluminum siding product called Longboard. The siding comes in many wood grain finishes and to everyone that has seen it, they think it's real wood. It's also made from heavy gauge aluminum so it doesn't ding like traditional aluminum siding. The roofs are metal standing seam. The house is energy efficient. It's fully insulated with spray foam insulation-lots of it. The exterior walls were designed with 2x6 studs and roof rafters are 2x12 to provide plenty of space for the insulation, exceeding the required R-values. Windows and doors of course are energy efficient as well. All lighting is LED. The decking around the exterior is locust, a very hard native wood which is naturally insect and rot resistant. The best part of the whole project are the owners who love their new home. They initially had plans to live in this house during the summer months and Florida during the winter. They are now seriously considering living here full-time.

This 1912 traditional style house sits on the edge of Cheesman Park with four levels that needed updating to better suit the young family’s needs. A custom wine room was constructed on the lower level to accommodate an area for entertaining guests. The main level was divided into a smaller family room area with a double door opening into the formal living room. The kitchen and butler’s pantry were combined and remodeled for better function. The second level master bathroom was relocated and created out of an adjacent bedroom, incorporating an existing fireplace and Juliet balcony that looks out to the park. A new staircase was constructed on the third level as a continuation of the grand staircase in the center of the house. A gathering and play space opens off the stairs and connects to the third-floor deck. A Jill & Jill bathroom remodel was constructed between the girls’ rooms.

Young couple with two youngsters lived in 1970 Rambler in Arlington. As their kids growing and their nanny moving in, they all needed more space, bigger kitchen and better backyard space for kids to play.  Existing kitchen was 10’x10’ adjacent to dining room of about the same size  Old cabinets, vinyl floor and olive green appliances no longer made this kitchen a happy place to come home to  The back wall of solid block and brick and interior plaster walls where all big challenges to get rid of and opening up the place  A narrow hallway leading to bedroom was one of their major concerns and tough to get through. As the traffic path to get to the kitchen has been difficult  In few consultation session we all agreed on bumping the entire kitchen and dining room back wall and move the kitchen into new addition  This required breaking through a massive amount of cinder block and brick, leveling a majority of backyard to accomplish the desired grade level for addition and back deck  In past the only way out to backyard was through a single door of back stairway and it has been a big problem for them  With a new angle wall we have placed a large French door leading kitchen into back deck area  The old hallway wall has came down and gotten wider and new path from front to open floor plan kitchen and dining room was put in place  Another big challenge for this job was to run heating and cooling as well as plumbing into a kitchen area  The new kitchen had tall cabinets a beautiful cherry finish with a large bay window over sink area leading lot of light form back side.  New island with seating contributed to addition work space and more storage  Lot of recessed lights and a stone back splash made the project even more attractive  New wood flooring was put in place and entire Living, Dining room and kitchen was sanded and refinished to unify the space and make a seamless connection  A big wooded deck on the entire back was a place for kids to play and couple to retire and grill on their afternoons

Young couple with two youngsters lived in 1970 Rambler in Arlington. As their kids growing and their nanny moving in, they all needed more space, bigger kitchen and better backyard space for kids to play.  Existing kitchen was 10’x10’ adjacent to dining room of about the same size  Old cabinets, vinyl floor and olive green appliances no longer made this kitchen a happy place to come home to  The back wall of solid block and brick and interior plaster walls where all big challenges to get rid of and opening up the place  A narrow hallway leading to bedroom was one of their major concerns and tough to get through. As the traffic path to get to the kitchen has been difficult  In few consultation session we all agreed on bumping the entire kitchen and dining room back wall and move the kitchen into new addition  This required breaking through a massive amount of cinder block and brick, leveling a majority of backyard to accomplish the desired grade level for addition and back deck  In past the only way out to backyard was through a single door of back stairway and it has been a big problem for them  With a new angle wall we have placed a large French door leading kitchen into back deck area  The old hallway wall has came down and gotten wider and new path from front to open floor plan kitchen and dining room was put in place  Another big challenge for this job was to run heating and cooling as well as plumbing into a kitchen area  The new kitchen had tall cabinets a beautiful cherry finish with a large bay window over sink area leading lot of light form back side.  New island with seating contributed to addition work space and more storage  Lot of recessed lights and a stone back splash made the project even more attractive  New wood flooring was put in place and entire Living, Dining room and kitchen was sanded and refinished to unify the space and make a seamless connection  A big wooded deck on the entire back was a place for kids to play and couple to retire and grill on their afternoons

This 1912 traditional style house sits on the edge of Cheesman Park with four levels that needed updating to better suit the young family’s needs. A custom wine room was constructed on the lower level to accommodate an area for entertaining guests. The main level was divided into a smaller family room area with a double door opening into the formal living room. The kitchen and butler’s pantry were combined and remodeled for better function. The second level master bathroom was relocated and created out of an adjacent bedroom, incorporating an existing fireplace and Juliet balcony that looks out to the park. A new staircase was constructed on the third level as a continuation of the grand staircase in the center of the house. A gathering and play space opens off the stairs and connects to the third-floor deck. A Jill & Jill bathroom remodel was constructed between the girls’ rooms.

This custom-built home in The Ridge of North Park Manor was built by Barrington Homes in 2019. We worked with the homeowners early in the building process to create a custom master plan for the entire property. In the front of the home, we made recommend addition contouring to increase the curb appeal and views of the home from the road. The backyard featured a multi-level walkout basement which created unique terraced entertaining spaces. From the covered patio space, we incorporated a large boulder wall to create extra flat usable lawn space for the kids to play. Our design team created a unique swimming pool area mid-level between the basement and the first-floor covered patio. The homeowner requested a small swimming pool with a larger entertaining space around it. The space includes a circular gas firepit surrounded a sitting wall and pillars. The customer chose a natural look by selecting Lampus Desert Blend Country Stone pillars. The homeowner wanted to incorporate a spa into the entertaining space without obstructing the view from the upper level space and pool area. Our design team solved this by integrating the spa into the landscape surrounded by plantings and boulders to mask the look of the bulky spa. The pergola above the spa with a custom drapery created an elegant look and provided a nice cover to incorporate lighting for evening enjoyment.

Young couple with two youngsters lived in 1970 Rambler in Arlington. As their kids growing and their nanny moving in, they all needed more space, bigger kitchen and better backyard space for kids to play.  Existing kitchen was 10’x10’ adjacent to dining room of about the same size  Old cabinets, vinyl floor and olive green appliances no longer made this kitchen a happy place to come home to  The back wall of solid block and brick and interior plaster walls where all big challenges to get rid of and opening up the place  A narrow hallway leading to bedroom was one of their major concerns and tough to get through. As the traffic path to get to the kitchen has been difficult  In few consultation session we all agreed on bumping the entire kitchen and dining room back wall and move the kitchen into new addition  This required breaking through a massive amount of cinder block and brick, leveling a majority of backyard to accomplish the desired grade level for addition and back deck  In past the only way out to backyard was through a single door of back stairway and it has been a big problem for them  With a new angle wall we have placed a large French door leading kitchen into back deck area  The old hallway wall has came down and gotten wider and new path from front to open floor plan kitchen and dining room was put in place  Another big challenge for this job was to run heating and cooling as well as plumbing into a kitchen area  The new kitchen had tall cabinets a beautiful cherry finish with a large bay window over sink area leading lot of light form back side.  New island with seating contributed to addition work space and more storage  Lot of recessed lights and a stone back splash made the project even more attractive  New wood flooring was put in place and entire Living, Dining room and kitchen was sanded and refinished to unify the space and make a seamless connection  A big wooded deck on the entire back was a place for kids to play and couple to retire and grill on their afternoons

Young couple with two youngsters lived in 1970 Rambler in Arlington. As their kids growing and their nanny moving in, they all needed more space, bigger kitchen and better backyard space for kids to play.  Existing kitchen was 10’x10’ adjacent to dining room of about the same size  Old cabinets, vinyl floor and olive green appliances no longer made this kitchen a happy place to come home to  The back wall of solid block and brick and interior plaster walls where all big challenges to get rid of and opening up the place  A narrow hallway leading to bedroom was one of their major concerns and tough to get through. As the traffic path to get to the kitchen has been difficult  In few consultation session we all agreed on bumping the entire kitchen and dining room back wall and move the kitchen into new addition  This required breaking through a massive amount of cinder block and brick, leveling a majority of backyard to accomplish the desired grade level for addition and back deck  In past the only way out to backyard was through a single door of back stairway and it has been a big problem for them  With a new angle wall we have placed a large French door leading kitchen into back deck area  The old hallway wall has came down and gotten wider and new path from front to open floor plan kitchen and dining room was put in place  Another big challenge for this job was to run heating and cooling as well as plumbing into a kitchen area  The new kitchen had tall cabinets a beautiful cherry finish with a large bay window over sink area leading lot of light form back side.  New island with seating contributed to addition work space and more storage  Lot of recessed lights and a stone back splash made the project even more attractive  New wood flooring was put in place and entire Living, Dining room and kitchen was sanded and refinished to unify the space and make a seamless connection  A big wooded deck on the entire back was a place for kids to play and couple to retire and grill on their afternoons

This 1912 traditional style house sits on the edge of Cheesman Park with four levels that needed updating to better suit the young family’s needs. A custom wine room was constructed on the lower level to accommodate an area for entertaining guests. The main level was divided into a smaller family room area with a double door opening into the formal living room. The kitchen and butler’s pantry were combined and remodeled for better function. The second level master bathroom was relocated and created out of an adjacent bedroom, incorporating an existing fireplace and Juliet balcony that looks out to the park. A new staircase was constructed on the third level as a continuation of the grand staircase in the center of the house. A gathering and play space opens off the stairs and connects to the third-floor deck. A Jill & Jill bathroom remodel was constructed between the girls’ rooms.

This house was designed for a couple and their son. One of the design program requirements was to have two master suites on the main level. They enjoy cooking and entertaining so the public and food prep. areas are functional, attractive and conducive to people gathering around. Consequently, the square footage of the main level is large. The house is also on a very steep slope which didn't help with the required footprint. In order to minimize the related costs of building with this site condition, the footprint of the house is long and not deep as it reaches down the slope. The scale of the existing homes in the neighborhood are unimposing. In order to play down the size as viewed from the street, the facade is broken up into several different masses with low sloping roofs. Once you're inside, the house opens up with 14 foot ceilings in the entry and living areas. The ceiling height of other spaces on the main level are 10 feet. Universal design was implemented on the main level to provide inherent accessibility for everyone. The lower level accommodates several guest rooms and baths, an exercise room, a guest den with wet bar and a man cave. Another design program requirement was to make the house as maintenance-free as possible. Exterior materials include stucco, Pennsylvania Blue Stone and a new aluminum siding product called Longboard. The siding comes in many wood grain finishes and to everyone that has seen it, they think it's real wood. It's also made from heavy gauge aluminum so it doesn't ding like traditional aluminum siding. The roofs are metal standing seam. The house is energy efficient. It's fully insulated with spray foam insulation-lots of it. The exterior walls were designed with 2x6 studs and roof rafters are 2x12 to provide plenty of space for the insulation, exceeding the required R-values. Windows and doors of course are energy efficient as well. All lighting is LED. The decking around the exterior is locust, a very hard native wood which is naturally insect and rot resistant. The best part of the whole project are the owners who love their new home. They initially had plans to live in this house during the summer months and Florida during the winter. They are now seriously considering living here full-time.

Ground level trampoline in lawn area
Design ideas for a landscaping in Denver.

This 1912 traditional style house sits on the edge of Cheesman Park with four levels that needed updating to better suit the young family’s needs. A custom wine room was constructed on the lower level to accommodate an area for entertaining guests. The main level was divided into a smaller family room area with a double door opening into the formal living room. The kitchen and butler’s pantry were combined and remodeled for better function. The second level master bathroom was relocated and created out of an adjacent bedroom, incorporating an existing fireplace and Juliet balcony that looks out to the park. A new staircase was constructed on the third level as a continuation of the grand staircase in the center of the house. A gathering and play space opens off the stairs and connects to the third-floor deck. A Jill & Jill bathroom remodel was constructed between the girls’ rooms.

This contemporary rustic basement remodel transformed an unused part of the home into completely cozy, yet stylish, living, play, and work space for a young family. Starting with an elegant spiral staircase leading down to a multi-functional garden level basement. The living room set up serves as a gathering space for the family separate from the main level to allow for uninhibited entertainment and privacy. The floating shelves and gorgeous shiplap accent wall makes this room feel much more elegant than just a TV room. With plenty of storage for the entire family, adjacent from the TV room is an additional reading nook, including built-in custom shelving for optimal storage with contemporary design. This basement remodel planned for plenty of space for play and creativity. A wide-open floor plan creates space for games and movement on the hardwood flooring. Off the main open play area is an arts & crafts room partitioned off by a single maple sliding barn door — the perfect space for a young family to feel inspired and to create art together. Photo by Mark Quentin / StudioQphoto.com

This house was designed for a couple and their son. One of the design program requirements was to have two master suites on the main level. They enjoy cooking and entertaining so the public and food prep. areas are functional, attractive and conducive to people gathering around. Consequently, the square footage of the main level is large. The house is also on a very steep slope which didn't help with the required footprint. In order to minimize the related costs of building with this site condition, the footprint of the house is long and not deep as it reaches down the slope. The scale of the existing homes in the neighborhood are unimposing. In order to play down the size as viewed from the street, the facade is broken up into several different masses with low sloping roofs. Once you're inside, the house opens up with 14 foot ceilings in the entry and living areas. The ceiling height of other spaces on the main level are 10 feet. Universal design was implemented on the main level to provide inherent accessibility for everyone. The lower level accommodates several guest rooms and baths, an exercise room, a guest den with wet bar and a man cave. Another design program requirement was to make the house as maintenance-free as possible. Exterior materials include stucco, Pennsylvania Blue Stone and a new aluminum siding product called Longboard. The siding comes in many wood grain finishes and to everyone that has seen it, they think it's real wood. It's also made from heavy gauge aluminum so it doesn't ding like traditional aluminum siding. The roofs are metal standing seam. The house is energy efficient. It's fully insulated with spray foam insulation-lots of it. The exterior walls were designed with 2x6 studs and roof rafters are 2x12 to provide plenty of space for the insulation, exceeding the required R-values. Windows and doors of course are energy efficient as well. All lighting is LED. The decking around the exterior is locust, a very hard native wood which is naturally insect and rot resistant. The best part of the whole project are the owners who love their new home. They initially had plans to live in this house during the summer months and Florida during the winter. They are now seriously considering living here full-time.

This fully finished basement was designed as a multifunctional lower-level retreat featuring expansive entertaining space, a dedicated gym area with dramatic dark finishes, a playful kids zone with a custom slide and hidden space beneath the stairs, plus a full bedroom and bath for guests. Warm wood look flooring, integrated tray ceiling lighting, and modern finishes throughout create a refined yet highly functional environment built for both relaxation and family living.

This house was designed for a couple and their son. One of the design program requirements was to have two master suites on the main level. They enjoy cooking and entertaining so the public and food prep. areas are functional, attractive and conducive to people gathering around. Consequently, the square footage of the main level is large. The house is also on a very steep slope which didn't help with the required footprint. In order to minimize the related costs of building with this site condition, the footprint of the house is long and not deep as it reaches down the slope. The scale of the existing homes in the neighborhood are unimposing. In order to play down the size as viewed from the street, the facade is broken up into several different masses with low sloping roofs. Once you're inside, the house opens up with 14 foot ceilings in the entry and living areas. The ceiling height of other spaces on the main level are 10 feet. Universal design was implemented on the main level to provide inherent accessibility for everyone. The lower level accommodates several guest rooms and baths, an exercise room, a guest den with wet bar and a man cave. Another design program requirement was to make the house as maintenance-free as possible. Exterior materials include stucco, Pennsylvania Blue Stone and a new aluminum siding product called Longboard. The siding comes in many wood grain finishes and to everyone that has seen it, they think it's real wood. It's also made from heavy gauge aluminum so it doesn't ding like traditional aluminum siding. The roofs are metal standing seam. The house is energy efficient. It's fully insulated with spray foam insulation-lots of it. The exterior walls were designed with 2x6 studs and roof rafters are 2x12 to provide plenty of space for the insulation, exceeding the required R-values. Windows and doors of course are energy efficient as well. All lighting is LED. The decking around the exterior is locust, a very hard native wood which is naturally insect and rot resistant. The best part of the whole project are the owners who love their new home. They initially had plans to live in this house during the summer months and Florida during the winter. They are now seriously considering living here full-time.

ZeroEnergy Design (ZED) created this modern home for a progressive family in the desirable community of Lexington. Thoughtful Land Connection. The residence is carefully sited on the infill lot so as to create privacy from the road and neighbors, while cultivating a side yard that captures the southern sun. The terraced grade rises to meet the house, allowing for it to maintain a structured connection with the ground while also sitting above the high water table. The elevated outdoor living space maintains a strong connection with the indoor living space, while the stepped edge ties it back to the true ground plane. Siting and outdoor connections were completed by ZED in collaboration with landscape designer Soren Deniord Design Studio. Exterior Finishes and Solar. The exterior finish materials include a palette of shiplapped wood siding, through-colored fiber cement panels and stucco. A rooftop parapet hides the solar panels above, while a gutter and site drainage system directs rainwater into an irrigation cistern and dry wells that recharge the groundwater. Cooking, Dining, Living. Inside, the kitchen, fabricated by Henrybuilt, is located between the indoor and outdoor dining areas. The expansive south-facing sliding door opens to seamlessly connect the spaces, using a retractable awning to provide shade during the summer while still admitting the warming winter sun. The indoor living space continues from the dining areas across to the sunken living area, with a view that returns again to the outside through the corner wall of glass. Accessible Guest Suite. The design of the first level guest suite provides for both aging in place and guests who regularly visit for extended stays. The patio off the north side of the house affords guests their own private outdoor space, and privacy from the neighbor. Similarly, the second level master suite opens to an outdoor private roof deck. Light and Access. The wide open interior stair with a glass panel rail leads from the top level down to the well insulated basement. The design of the basement, used as an away/play space, addresses the need for both natural light and easy access. In addition to the open stairwell, light is admitted to the north side of the area with a high performance, Passive House (PHI) certified skylight, covering a six by sixteen foot area. On the south side, a unique roof hatch set flush with the deck opens to reveal a glass door at the base of the stairwell which provides additional light and access from the deck above down to the play space. Energy. Energy consumption is reduced by the high performance building envelope, high efficiency mechanical systems, and then offset with renewable energy. All windows and doors are made of high performance triple paned glass with thermally broken aluminum frames. The exterior wall assembly employs dense pack cellulose in the stud cavity, a continuous air barrier, and four inches exterior rigid foam insulation. The 10kW rooftop solar electric system provides clean energy production. The final air leakage testing yielded 0.6 ACH 50 - an extremely air tight house, a testament to the well-designed details, progress testing and quality construction. When compared to a new house built to code requirements, this home consumes only 19% of the energy. Architecture & Energy Consulting: ZeroEnergy Design Landscape Design: Soren Deniord Design Paintings: Bernd Haussmann Studio Photos: Eric Roth Photography

Young couple with two youngsters lived in 1970 Rambler in Arlington. As their kids growing and their nanny moving in, they all needed more space, bigger kitchen and better backyard space for kids to play.  Existing kitchen was 10’x10’ adjacent to dining room of about the same size  Old cabinets, vinyl floor and olive green appliances no longer made this kitchen a happy place to come home to  The back wall of solid block and brick and interior plaster walls where all big challenges to get rid of and opening up the place  A narrow hallway leading to bedroom was one of their major concerns and tough to get through. As the traffic path to get to the kitchen has been difficult  In few consultation session we all agreed on bumping the entire kitchen and dining room back wall and move the kitchen into new addition  This required breaking through a massive amount of cinder block and brick, leveling a majority of backyard to accomplish the desired grade level for addition and back deck  In past the only way out to backyard was through a single door of back stairway and it has been a big problem for them  With a new angle wall we have placed a large French door leading kitchen into back deck area  The old hallway wall has came down and gotten wider and new path from front to open floor plan kitchen and dining room was put in place  Another big challenge for this job was to run heating and cooling as well as plumbing into a kitchen area  The new kitchen had tall cabinets a beautiful cherry finish with a large bay window over sink area leading lot of light form back side.  New island with seating contributed to addition work space and more storage  Lot of recessed lights and a stone back splash made the project even more attractive  New wood flooring was put in place and entire Living, Dining room and kitchen was sanded and refinished to unify the space and make a seamless connection  A big wooded deck on the entire back was a place for kids to play and couple to retire and grill on their afternoons

This custom-built home in The Ridge of North Park Manor was built by Barrington Homes in 2019. We worked with the homeowners early in the building process to create a custom master plan for the entire property. In the front of the home, we made recommend addition contouring to increase the curb appeal and views of the home from the road. The backyard featured a multi-level walkout basement which created unique terraced entertaining spaces. From the covered patio space, we incorporated a large boulder wall to create extra flat usable lawn space for the kids to play. Our design team created a unique swimming pool area mid-level between the basement and the first-floor covered patio. The homeowner requested a small swimming pool with a larger entertaining space around it. The space includes a circular gas firepit surrounded a sitting wall and pillars. The customer chose a natural look by selecting Lampus Desert Blend Country Stone pillars. The homeowner wanted to incorporate a spa into the entertaining space without obstructing the view from the upper level space and pool area. Our design team solved this by integrating the spa into the landscape surrounded by plantings and boulders to mask the look of the bulky spa. The pergola above the spa with a custom drapery created an elegant look and provided a nice cover to incorporate lighting for evening enjoyment.