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

Bathroom - craftsman master gray tile and ceramic tile ceramic tile bathroom idea in Seattle with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, gray walls, an undermount sink and quartz countertops

This polished dining room keeps sleek lines in play, while still feeling warm and welcoming. The custom-designed zebra-print host chairs take center stage, and play beautifully with the rich teal silk curtains. The art deco lines of the table maintain the air of luxury in a clean, crisp way. Photo by: Robert Radifera Styling: Charlotte Safavi

Peter Molick Photography
Trendy exterior home photo in Houston

Steam shower/walk in shower. This shower is both a walk in shower and a steam shower. This door dries itself. Also the interior of the shower is dried out completely each time the user pushes the button with air ports installed flush in the tile work.. The glass door is also a pocket door. The pocket is made of stainless steel. Air jets blow out the door when desired. Very clean and sanitary system. www.tuckercline.com No more Squeegee!

Example of a large minimalist master white tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile and multicolored floor freestanding bathtub design in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, a two-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops and white countertops

Large minimalist master white tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile and multicolored floor freestanding bathtub photo in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, a two-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops and white countertops

Master Bath cabinets are glazed to give a subtle rustic feeling. Note the correctly placed sconces light the side of the user's face.
Example of a large mountain style master brown tile and stone tile porcelain tile alcove shower design with recessed-panel cabinets, distressed cabinets, a one-piece toilet, black walls, an undermount sink and granite countertops

Large minimalist master white tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile and multicolored floor freestanding bathtub photo in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, a two-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops and white countertops

Mid-sized arts and crafts gray one-story vinyl house exterior photo in Cleveland with a mixed material roof

Inspiration for a large coastal master white tile and marble tile marble floor and white floor bathroom remodel in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, white walls, marble countertops and white countertops

Home bar - small coastal single-wall home bar idea in Minneapolis with no sink, gray cabinets, wood backsplash and gray countertops

The 800 square-foot guest cottage is located on the footprint of a slightly smaller original cottage that was built three generations ago. With a failing structural system, the existing cottage had a very low sloping roof, did not provide for a lot of natural light and was not energy efficient. Utilizing high performing windows, doors and insulation, a total transformation of the structure occurred. A combination of clapboard and shingle siding, with standout touches of modern elegance, welcomes guests to their cozy retreat. The cottage consists of the main living area, a small galley style kitchen, master bedroom, bathroom and sleeping loft above. The loft construction was a timber frame system utilizing recycled timbers from the Balsams Resort in northern New Hampshire. The stones for the front steps and hearth of the fireplace came from the existing cottage’s granite chimney. Stylistically, the design is a mix of both a “Cottage” style of architecture with some clean and simple “Tech” style features, such as the air-craft cable and metal railing system. The color red was used as a highlight feature, accentuated on the shed dormer window exterior frames, the vintage looking range, the sliding doors and other interior elements. Photographer: John Hession

Example of a large minimalist master white tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile and multicolored floor freestanding bathtub design in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, a two-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops and white countertops

Example of a large minimalist master white tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile and multicolored floor freestanding bathtub design in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, a two-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops and white countertops

Living room - contemporary living room idea in New York

Inspiration for a large modern master white tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile and multicolored floor freestanding bathtub remodel in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, a two-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops and white countertops

Freestanding bathtub - large modern master white tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile and multicolored floor freestanding bathtub idea in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, a two-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops and white countertops

Large minimalist master white tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile and multicolored floor freestanding bathtub photo in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, a two-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops and white countertops