Living room - coastal medium tone wood floor, brown floor and wall paneling living room idea in Miami with blue walls

Example of a trendy light wood floor and gray floor kids' room design in New York with white walls

Inspiration for a timeless hallway remodel in Minneapolis

The owners of this home came to us with a plan to build a new high-performance home that physically and aesthetically fit on an infill lot in an old well-established neighborhood in Bellingham. The Craftsman exterior detailing, Scandinavian exterior color palette, and timber details help it blend into the older neighborhood. At the same time the clean modern interior allowed their artistic details and displayed artwork take center stage. We started working with the owners and the design team in the later stages of design, sharing our expertise with high-performance building strategies, custom timber details, and construction cost planning. Our team then seamlessly rolled into the construction phase of the project, working with the owners and Michelle, the interior designer until the home was complete. The owners can hardly believe the way it all came together to create a bright, comfortable, and friendly space that highlights their applied details and favorite pieces of art. Photography by Radley Muller Photography​ Design by Deborah Todd Building Design Services Interior Design by Spiral Studios​

Photo: Charlotte Albers © 2014 Houzz
This is an example of a traditional landscaping in Burlington.

Acer palmatum 'Tamukeyama' at Mr. Maple, East Flat Rock, NC. Photo by Jay Sifford.
Home design - zen home design idea in Charlotte

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary boy carpeted and gray floor nursery remodel in DC Metro with white walls

Greg Powers
Home design - contemporary home design idea in DC Metro

Mid-sized transitional light wood floor eat-in kitchen photo in Orange County with a drop-in sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

Photo: Sarah Greenman © 2015 Houzz
Entryway - eclectic entryway idea in Dallas

Photos by Jeff Herr Photography
Transitional medium tone wood floor kitchen photo in Atlanta with wood countertops, green backsplash and an island

Example of a classic exterior home design in New York

Photography by Erica George Dines
Kids' room - kids' room idea in Atlanta

Custom shelving installed above the doorways of this home lead cats from one room to the next.
Eclectic terra-cotta tile hallway photo in Santa Barbara with beige walls

You can be fully involved in what’s playing on the TV and keep an eye on the kids at the same time thanks to the impressive surround sound and the structural column wrapped with nice wood Mill work which provides a soft separation between this area and the children’s play area. The built-in children’s area is transformational – while they are young, you can use the beautiful shelving and cabinets to store toys and games. As they get older you can turn it into a sophisticated library or office.

Eric Roth
Inspiration for a large timeless bedroom remodel in Boston

Photo: Nanette Wong © 2014 Houzz
Example of an eclectic living room design in San Francisco

Nursery - 1950s nursery idea in Chicago

Photography by Natalie Marotta Bungalows are lovable homes, but how can they be better? Along with many of our clients, we find that older (early 20th c.) homes have a lot of character and a comfortable scale, but are leaky, damp (especially in the basement), have fair to poor air quality, and use unconscionable amounts of fossil fuels to heat. The owners of this bungalow were ready to change that, and wanted to do so with minimal upfront carbon emissions as well. The gut renovation included replacing the basement slab and providing capillary breaks and insulation continuously below grade. The brick structure was treated with a fluid-applied air and water barrier from the interior and insulated entirely with cellulose, a carbon-storing insulation. The roof used HFO-blown spray foam to provide sufficient insulation while allowing headroom for bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry. One great benefit of a full renovation is the possibility of reconfiguring spaces to suit the family’s lifestyle, and to make the best of indoor-outdoor connections. We opened up the main rooms on the first floor, creating a family gathering spot with a view to the back yard, and a spacious kitchen that supports the family’s commitment to cooking for healthy eating. The stair uses a north-facing skylight to bring light from above into the middle of the home, where it was previously dark. As a decarbonization retrofit, the inefficient furnace was replaced with two small ducted heat pump systems, water heating and clothes drying are powered by air-source heat pumps, and cooking uses an induction cooktop plus electric ovens. Energy recovery ventilation provides filtered fresh air continuous exhaust from the kitchen, baths, and laundry, and supplies fresh, highly filtered air to bedrooms and living spaces. The Better Bungalow now makes sense for the 21st century–it now fits the owners’ life-patterns, is super comfortable, has great air quality, and uses a fraction of the energy it did before, greatly lowering the demand on the utility grid. In the near future, when solar PV is installed, it can achieve net zero or near net zero emissions, and with battery backup, can provide great resilience in the event of power outages.