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

Jim Bartsch
Example of a trendy open concept dark wood floor living room design in San Francisco with beige walls, a rumford fireplace, a stone fireplace and no tv

The guest bath in this project was a simple black and white design with beveled subway tile and ceramic patterned tile on the floor. Bringing the tile up the wall and to the ceiling in the shower adds depth and luxury to this small bathroom. The farmhouse sink with raw pine vanity cabinet give a rustic vibe; the perfect amount of natural texture in this otherwise tile and glass space. Perfect for guests!

Emily O'Brien
Large transitional master medium tone wood floor bedroom photo in Boston with white walls

a concrete fire pit with black lava rock surrounded by built-in concrete seating and comfortable chaise lounges perfect for relaxing or entertaining designed & built by austin outdoor design photo by ryann ford

Sandler Photo
Mid-sized tuscan 3/4 mosaic tile and gray tile marble floor powder room photo in Phoenix with a vessel sink, furniture-like cabinets, white cabinets, beige walls, a two-piece toilet and solid surface countertops

Стена в гардеробную при мастер спальне отделана зеркалом, так же как и дверь. таким образом узкий коридор визуально расширяется.

Transitional bathroom photo in Los Angeles

Freestanding bathtub - large modern master slate floor and black floor freestanding bathtub idea in San Francisco with gray walls

Living room - traditional formal medium tone wood floor living room idea in Little Rock with beige walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and no tv

Professional organizer, Amanda LeBlanc, uses Organized Living Classica to create her dream closet. This closet is in bisque and features crown molding. Find a dealer near you at http://organizedliving.com/home/where-to-buy

Example of a transitional built-in desk dark wood floor and brown floor home office design in Seattle with gray walls

Small minimalist master white tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile and gray floor corner shower photo in Seattle with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, a one-piece toilet, gray walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops, a hinged shower door and white countertops

Photography by: Airyka Rockefeller
Large transitional master gray floor corner shower photo in San Francisco with an undermount tub, gray walls, recessed-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, an undermount sink and a hinged shower door

Whitten Architects | ARCHITECT Knickerbocker Group | INTERIOR DESIGN Knickerbocker Group | MILLWORK & CABINETRY Knickerbocker Group | CONSTRUCTION Darren Setlow | PHOTOGRAPHER

Photos by Julie Soefer
Bedroom - coastal master dark wood floor bedroom idea in Houston with white walls

The bathroom is next to the custom closet. Just a few steps to be able to get ready for the day!
Alcove shower - transitional white tile gray floor alcove shower idea with beige walls, a hinged shower door and a niche

Every inch of the inside and outside living areas are reconceived in this full house and guest-house renovation in Berkeley. In the main house the entire floor plan is flipped to re-orient public and private areas, with the formerly small, chopped up spaces opened and integrated with their surroundings. The studio, previously a deteriorating garage, is transformed into a clean and cozy space with an outdoor area of its own. A palette of screen walls, corten steel, stucco and concrete connect the materials and forms of the two spaces. What was a drab, dysfunctional bungalow is now an inspiring and livable home for a young family. Photo by David Duncan Livingston

What a gorgeous after transformation this room under went. The client's wanted a relaxing and tranquil feel to this space, and we accomplished this. The tall shower doors after taken down 2 walls makes this space larger looking. The shower has a built in seat bench the client's love and wanted. The large tiles 12 x 24 makes the floor more open and makes the space appear larger. The accessories really added that special touch to the space, giving it a welcome and inviting feeling. John Magor Photography took this beautiful photo.This was a fun project, making it easy to love what I do.