Example of a trendy multicolored two-story mixed siding gable roof design in Minneapolis

Gorgeous Mid-Century Modern kitchen remodel on Gibson Island in CODE Artic White Glossy Laminate and Cinnamon Walnut Matte Wood with master bath vanity in Artic White High Gloss Lacquer. Photo credit: Gordon Beall Photography

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

ePlans Contemporary/Modern House Plan – Sleek Contemporary With Walk-Thru Master Dressing Area – 2159 Square Feet and 3 Bedrooms from ePlans – House Plan Code HWEPL77172. Have questions about this plan? Call 1-800-528-8070.

Inspiration for a large contemporary freestanding desk medium tone wood floor and brown floor study room remodel in DC Metro with white walls and no fireplace

Maxine Schnitzer Photography
Inspiration for a timeless master dark wood floor bedroom remodel in DC Metro with gray walls and no fireplace

Snaidero CODE Master Bath in Artic White Gloss Laminate. Photographed by Jennifer Hughes.
Large trendy master gray tile and porcelain tile slate floor freestanding bathtub photo in DC Metro with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, white walls, an undermount sink and quartz countertops

Inspiration for a timeless bathroom remodel in Toronto

Chad Mellon Photographer
Mid-sized beach style backyard tile patio photo in Orange County with a fire pit and no cover

Custom-built, code compliant galvanized steel spiral staircase leading from master bedroom. Staircase has 42" high railings for safety and diamond plate step treads to prevent slipping.

Eplans European House Plan - Private Main Floor Master Retreat - 4976 Square Feet and 5 Bedrooms from Eplans - House Plan Code HWEPL68378. Have questions about this plan? Call 1-800-528-8070.

New American House Plan – Now That’s a Master Bath – 3713 Square Feet and 3 Bedrooms from ePlans – House Plan Code HWEPL75788. Have questions about this plan? Call 1-888-690-1116.

ARC Photography
Mid-sized trendy enclosed concrete floor home theater photo in Los Angeles with beige walls and a wall-mounted tv

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary wooden u-shaped metal railing staircase remodel in Los Angeles with wooden risers

A truly beautiful addition to the Normandy Beach community, this custom home sits overlooking the Barnegat Bay. A summer escape for an ever-growing family, Falcon Industries has had the privelege of building two custom homes for this amazing family. Taking into consideration new building codes and elevations put in place following Hurricane Sandy, this home artfully meets these standards while creating a comfortable and inviting respite from the everyday. Custom furniture, including bedding and dressers hand-built by the Falcon team, are just some of the magical elements of this residence.

Marengo Morton Architects, Inc. in La Jolla, CA, specializes in Coastal Development Permits, Master Planning, Multi-Family, Residential, Commercial, Restaurant, Hospitality, Development, Code Violations, Forensics and Construction Management.

Example of a mid-sized transitional master white tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile, gray floor and single-sink corner shower design in Vancouver with shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, a one-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops, a hinged shower door, white countertops, a niche and a built-in vanity

Custom-built, code compliant galvanized steel spiral staircase leading from master bedroom. Staircase has 42" high railings for safety and diamond plate step treads to prevent slipping.

Photo: Michael K. Wilkinson The owners of this 1923 home in Washington DC wanted a master suite, and originally considered combining two rooms on the second floor to serve this purpose. However, they showed our team the home’s attic and expressed an interest in seeing a design option for a master suite in that space. Our designer was immediately inspired. The appeal of moving the master suite to the attic was that it offered an opportunity to create a unique space that was larger and had more design options than combining two bedrooms. The original attic had wood paneling on the walls and ceiling and was mostly used for storage and as a retreat for the cats. The 7-foot walls did not capture the volume of the roof line, nor did it take advantage of the square footage. We removed the existing paneling and pushed the existing walls back so they had a lower height around the perimeter. This provides a dramatic contrast to the new high ceiling and dramatic angles of the roofline. We maintained an open floor plan and used glass panels and doors for privacy and separation of different functions. The finished square footage is 650 sq.ft. There is about 350 sq.ft. of unfinished the storage area. We also installed larger windows in the front dormer. The new windows are casement windows for egress purposes, which are required by code in a bedroom. The front dormer was also reframed in a shape that follows the original frame, which adds more volume. We installed two long steps inside the dormer to hide the ducts underneath and provide seating and storage. The space needed some detailing to balance the large volume. The open plan also required a visual delineation of the different areas. Our designer added three beams across the ceiling over the bed to define the master bedroom. The beams were finished with the same dark stain used to refinish the attic’s original pine flooring. Dimmable recessed lights in the ceiling are placed in accordance with the beams location.