Search results for "Performance compared" in Home Design Ideas

This LEED Platinum certified house reflects the homeowner's desire for an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment, within a traditional neighborhood.
INFILL SITE. The family, who moved from another area of Wellesley, sought out this property to be within walking distance of the high school and downtown area. An existing structure on the tight lot was removed to make way for the new home. 84% of the construction waste, from both the previous structure and the new home, was diverted from a landfill. ZED designed to preserve the existing mature trees on the perimeter of the property to minimize site impacts, and to maintain the character of the neighborhood as well as privacy on the site.
EXTERIOR EXPRESSION. The street facade of the home relates to the local New England vernacular. The rear uses contemporary language, a nod to the family’s Californian roots, to incorporate a roof deck, solar panels, outdoor living space, and the backyard swimming pool. ZED’s careful planning avoided to the need to face the garage doors towards the street, a common syndrome of a narrow lot.
THOUGHTFUL SPACE. Homes with dual entries can often result in duplicate and unused spaces. In this home, the everyday and formal entry areas are one and the same; the front and garage doors share the entry program of coat closets, mudroom storage with bench for removing your shoes, and a laundry room with generous closets for the children's sporting equipment. The entry area leads directly to the living space, encompassing the kitchen, dining and sitting area areas in an L-shaped open plan arrangement. The kitchen is placed at the south-west corner of the space to allow for a strong connection to the dining, sitting and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit on the deck satisfies the family’s desire for an open flame while a sealed gas fireplace is used indoors - ZED’s preference after omitting gas burning appliances completely from an airtight home. A small study, with a window seat, is conveniently located just off of the living space. A first floor guest bedroom includes an accessible bathroom for aging visitors and can be used as a master suite to accommodate aging in place.
HEALTHY LIVING. The client requested a home that was easy to clean and would provide a respite from seasonal allergies and common contaminants that are found in many indoor spaces. ZED selected easy to clean solid surface flooring throughout, provided ample space for cleaning supplies on each floor, and designed a mechanical system with ventilation that provides a constant supply of fresh outdoor air. ZED selected durable materials, finishes, cabinetry, and casework with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and no added urea formaldehyde.
YEAR-ROUND COMFORT. The home is super insulated and air-tight, paired with high performance triple-paned windows, to ensure it is draft-free throughout the winter (even when in front of the large windows and doors). ZED designed a right-sized heating and cooling system to pair with the thermally improved building enclosure to ensure year-round comfort. The glazing on the home maximizes passive solar gains, and facilitates cross ventilation and daylighting.
ENERGY EFFICIENT. As one of the most energy efficient houses built to date in Wellesley, the home highlights a practical solution for Massachusetts. First, the building enclosure reduces the largest energy requirement for typical houses (heating). Super-insulation, exceptional air sealing, a thermally broken wall assembly, triple pane windows, and passive solar gain combine for a sizable heating load reduction. Second, within the house only efficient systems consume energy. These include an air source heat pump for heating & cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation, and high efficiency appliances. Lastly, photovoltaics provide renewable energy help offset energy consumption. The result is an 89% reduction in energy use compared to a similar brand new home built to code requirements.
RESILIENT. The home will fare well in extreme weather events. During a winter power outage, heat loss will be very slow due to the super-insulated and airtight envelope– taking multiple days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. An engineered drainage system, paired with careful the detailing of the foundation, will help to keep the finished basement dry. A generator will provide full operation of the all-electric house during a power outage.
OVERALL. The home is a reflection of the family goals and an expression of their values, beautifully enabling health, comfort, safety, resilience, and utility, all while respecting the planet.
ZED - Architect & Mechanical Designer
Bevilacqua Builders Inc - Contractor
Creative Land & Water Engineering - Civil Engineering
Barbara Peterson Landscape - Landscape Design
Nest & Company - Interior Furnishings
Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Location: Sacramento, CA
Project Type: Roof Sheathing, barge rafter, patio beam, door jambs/door casing, window trim at the duplex dry rot repair
Description: There are wood damage at the roof sheathing, barge rafter, patio beam, door jambs/door casing, window trim at the duplex caused by uncontrollable exterior moisture sources.
RECOMMENDATION:
Remove all damaged wood and replace with new material (to match as close as practical) where necessary and perform a local repair where needed.
PAINTING:
Prime paint on all exterior surfaces included in this estimate in the event that pre-primed wood is not used. Elite Construction and Remodel
to color match and paint the repaired areas only as discussed with the client. Elite Construction and Remodel is not responsible for color
match due to the age of the old painted surfaces compared to the new painted surface.
https://www.eliteconstructioncorp.com/projects/sacramento-indian-oaks-ca

This gorgeous open porch design is brought to life with low-maintenance TimberTech Terrain decking in Silver Maple, which beautifully complements the home’s exterior finish! The steps are matching TimberTech product with riser lights. The railing is also a low-maintenance vinyl and powder coated aluminum combined with a TimberTech top rail, which will have this family enjoying their space – not performing yearly maintenance! The substantial stacked stone columns are the shining stars of this covered porch design in beautiful muted grey and brown tones. We provided matching roofing and siding on the exterior of the gable, so the new porch appears an original extension of the home – not an afterthought.
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Location: Roseville, CA
Project Type: Lap siding, belly band trim and deck dry rot repair
Description: There are wood damage at the lap siding and trim, to the belly band trim, to the deck caused by uncontrollable exterior moisture sources.
RECOMMENDATION:
Remove all damaged wood and replace with new material (to match as close as practical) where necessary and perform a local repair
where needed. Remove and dispose of the existing deck. In place construct a new like for like deck utilizing pressure treated material for the framing and redwood material for the planks.
PAINTING:
Prime paint on all exterior surfaces included in this estimate in the event that pre-primed wood is not used. Elite Construction and Remodel
to color match and paint the repaired areas only as discussed with the client. Elite Construction and Remodel is not responsible for color
match due to the age of the old painted surfaces compared to the new painted surfaces.
https://www.eliteconstructioncorp.com/projects/roseville-diamond-ca

Location: Roseville, CA
Project Type: Lap siding, belly band trim and deck dry rot repair
Description: There are wood damage at the lap siding and trim, to the belly band trim, to the deck caused by uncontrollable exterior moisture sources.
RECOMMENDATION:
Remove all damaged wood and replace with new material (to match as close as practical) where necessary and perform a local repair
where needed. Remove and dispose of the existing deck. In place construct a new like for like deck utilizing pressure treated material for the framing and redwood material for the planks.
PAINTING:
Prime paint on all exterior surfaces included in this estimate in the event that pre-primed wood is not used. Elite Construction and Remodel
to color match and paint the repaired areas only as discussed with the client. Elite Construction and Remodel is not responsible for color
match due to the age of the old painted surfaces compared to the new painted surfaces.
https://www.eliteconstructioncorp.com/projects/roseville-diamond-ca

Location: Roseville, CA
Project Type: Lap siding, belly band trim and deck dry rot repair
Description: There are wood damage at the lap siding and trim, to the belly band trim, to the deck caused by uncontrollable exterior moisture sources.
RECOMMENDATION:
Remove all damaged wood and replace with new material (to match as close as practical) where necessary and perform a local repair
where needed. Remove and dispose of the existing deck. In place construct a new like for like deck utilizing pressure treated material for the framing and redwood material for the planks.
PAINTING:
Prime paint on all exterior surfaces included in this estimate in the event that pre-primed wood is not used. Elite Construction and Remodel
to color match and paint the repaired areas only as discussed with the client. Elite Construction and Remodel is not responsible for color
match due to the age of the old painted surfaces compared to the new painted surfaces.
https://www.eliteconstructioncorp.com/projects/roseville-diamond-ca

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

RTA cabinets, or Ready-To-Assemble cabinets, are shipped flat-packed and assembled on-site. At The Cabination, our RTA cabinets are engineered for easy assembly while maintaining long-term durability and structural integrity.
Are RTA Cabinets Good Quality?
Yes — high-quality RTA cabinets from The Cabination use plywood construction, solid wood doors, and soft-close hardware, delivering performance comparable to semi-custom cabinets at a lower cost.
RTA Cabinets vs Custom Cabinets
RTA Cabinets by The Cabination: Affordable, faster lead times, consistent quality
Custom Cabinets: Higher cost, longer timelines, full customization
For most homeowners, The Cabination’s RTA kitchen cabinets offer the best balance of value, design, and performance.
Why Navy Blue Shaker RTA Cabinets Are Trending
Navy blue is one of the most searched kitchen cabinet colors on Pinterest.
The Cabination’s navy blue shaker RTA cabinets pair beautifully with white countertops, stainless steel appliances, and modern transitional layouts — making them a top choice for today’s kitchen remodels.

RTA cabinets, or Ready-To-Assemble cabinets, are shipped flat-packed and assembled on-site. At The Cabination, our RTA cabinets are engineered for easy assembly while maintaining long-term durability and structural integrity.
Are RTA Cabinets Good Quality?
Yes — high-quality RTA cabinets from The Cabination use plywood construction, solid wood doors, and soft-close hardware, delivering performance comparable to semi-custom cabinets at a lower cost.
RTA Cabinets vs Custom Cabinets
RTA Cabinets by The Cabination: Affordable, faster lead times, consistent quality
Custom Cabinets: Higher cost, longer timelines, full customization
For most homeowners, The Cabination’s RTA kitchen cabinets offer the best balance of value, design, and performance.
Why Navy Blue Shaker RTA Cabinets Are Trending
Navy blue is one of the most searched kitchen cabinet colors on Pinterest.
The Cabination’s navy blue shaker RTA cabinets pair beautifully with white countertops, stainless steel appliances, and modern transitional layouts — making them a top choice for today’s kitchen remodels.

This outdoor project features Ipe decking, also known as Brazilian Walnut, a premium hardwood decking material prized for its exceptional durability, rich natural character, and long-term outdoor performance.
Used in this exterior living space, Ipe creates a refined, high-end look while standing up to the demands of outdoor environments. Its dense fibers and natural oils help protect against decay, mold, fungi, and insects, making it one of the most trusted hardwood decking options for luxury residential applications.
This decking material is available in 1" x 6" boards, with both random lengths and long-length material available to suit a range of project layouts. Each board is S4S sanded on all four sides for a smooth, consistent finish. With an A1 fire resistance rating comparable to concrete and steel, Ipe offers both beauty and performance for outdoor spaces designed to last.
Material: Ipe Decking
Species: Brazilian Walnut
Application: Outdoor deck / exterior living space
Type: Hardwood Decking

RTA cabinets, or Ready-To-Assemble cabinets, are shipped flat-packed and assembled on-site. At The Cabination, our RTA cabinets are engineered for easy assembly while maintaining long-term durability and structural integrity.
Are RTA Cabinets Good Quality?
Yes — high-quality RTA cabinets from The Cabination use plywood construction, solid wood doors, and soft-close hardware, delivering performance comparable to semi-custom cabinets at a lower cost.
RTA Cabinets vs Custom Cabinets
RTA Cabinets by The Cabination: Affordable, faster lead times, consistent quality
Custom Cabinets: Higher cost, longer timelines, full customization
For most homeowners, The Cabination’s RTA kitchen cabinets offer the best balance of value, design, and performance.
Why Navy Blue Shaker RTA Cabinets Are Trending
Navy blue is one of the most searched kitchen cabinet colors on Pinterest.
The Cabination’s navy blue shaker RTA cabinets pair beautifully with white countertops, stainless steel appliances, and modern transitional layouts — making them a top choice for today’s kitchen remodels.

This outdoor project features Ipe decking, also known as Brazilian Walnut, a premium hardwood decking material prized for its exceptional durability, rich natural character, and long-term outdoor performance.
Used in this exterior living space, Ipe creates a refined, high-end look while standing up to the demands of outdoor environments. Its dense fibers and natural oils help protect against decay, mold, fungi, and insects, making it one of the most trusted hardwood decking options for luxury residential applications.
This decking material is available in 1" x 6" boards, with both random lengths and long-length material available to suit a range of project layouts. Each board is S4S sanded on all four sides for a smooth, consistent finish. With an A1 fire resistance rating comparable to concrete and steel, Ipe offers both beauty and performance for outdoor spaces designed to last.
Material: Ipe Decking
Species: Brazilian Walnut
Application: Outdoor deck / exterior living space
Type: Hardwood Decking

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

This outdoor project features Ipe decking, also known as Brazilian Walnut, a premium hardwood decking material prized for its exceptional durability, rich natural character, and long-term outdoor performance.
Used in this exterior living space, Ipe creates a refined, high-end look while standing up to the demands of outdoor environments. Its dense fibers and natural oils help protect against decay, mold, fungi, and insects, making it one of the most trusted hardwood decking options for luxury residential applications.
This decking material is available in 1" x 6" boards, with both random lengths and long-length material available to suit a range of project layouts. Each board is S4S sanded on all four sides for a smooth, consistent finish. With an A1 fire resistance rating comparable to concrete and steel, Ipe offers both beauty and performance for outdoor spaces designed to last.
Material: Ipe Decking
Species: Brazilian Walnut
Application: Outdoor deck / exterior living space
Type: Hardwood Decking

This outdoor project features Ipe decking, also known as Brazilian Walnut, a premium hardwood decking material prized for its exceptional durability, rich natural character, and long-term outdoor performance.
Used in this exterior living space, Ipe creates a refined, high-end look while standing up to the demands of outdoor environments. Its dense fibers and natural oils help protect against decay, mold, fungi, and insects, making it one of the most trusted hardwood decking options for luxury residential applications.
This decking material is available in 1" x 6" boards, with both random lengths and long-length material available to suit a range of project layouts. Each board is S4S sanded on all four sides for a smooth, consistent finish. With an A1 fire resistance rating comparable to concrete and steel, Ipe offers both beauty and performance for outdoor spaces designed to last.
Material: Ipe Decking
Species: Brazilian Walnut
Application: Outdoor deck / exterior living space
Type: Hardwood Decking

RTA cabinets, or Ready-To-Assemble cabinets, are shipped flat-packed and assembled on-site. At The Cabination, our RTA cabinets are engineered for easy assembly while maintaining long-term durability and structural integrity.
Are RTA Cabinets Good Quality?
Yes — high-quality RTA cabinets from The Cabination use plywood construction, solid wood doors, and soft-close hardware, delivering performance comparable to semi-custom cabinets at a lower cost.
RTA Cabinets vs Custom Cabinets
RTA Cabinets by The Cabination: Affordable, faster lead times, consistent quality
Custom Cabinets: Higher cost, longer timelines, full customization
For most homeowners, The Cabination’s RTA kitchen cabinets offer the best balance of value, design, and performance.
Why Navy Blue Shaker RTA Cabinets Are Trending
Navy blue is one of the most searched kitchen cabinet colors on Pinterest.
The Cabination’s navy blue shaker RTA cabinets pair beautifully with white countertops, stainless steel appliances, and modern transitional layouts — making them a top choice for today’s kitchen remodels.

Location: Atlanta, Georgia - Historical Inman Park
Scope: This home was a new home we developed and built in Atlanta, GA. This was built to fit into the historical neighborhood. This family room is meant to appear like an addition to the "original" home, which is in fact also new. This space is designed more within the modern farmhouse feel, compared to the rest of the home.. The wood on the fireplace is from our sustainable woods program and is from a downed white oak tree. The table is made from a repurposed wooden cart. The room also looks out onto the pool, which is not visible from this angle. Please see other photos to see the relationship.
High performance / green building certifications: EPA Energy Star Certified Home, EarthCraft Certified Home - Gold, NGBS Green Certified Home - Gold, Department of Energy Net Zero Ready Home, GA Power Earthcents Home, EPA WaterSense Certified Home. The home achieved a 50 HERS rating.
Builder/Developer: Heirloom Design Build
Architect: Jones Pierce
Interior Design/Decorator: Heirloom Design Build
Photo Credit: D. F. Radlmann
www.heirloomdesignbuild.com

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

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

Paul Despenas: Since 1995 Midwest Construction has been offering insulated vinyl siding, because we believed in the product in many ways.
Vinyl siding has come a long way since I (Paul Despenas – VP Marketing) installed the companies 1st job in 1982. The product was Alside D-5 Endura Supreme. I drove by the job 6 years later and it was still on the house, wall lines looked good, but the color had faded from nice Beige to a dirty white.
Manufacturers stepped up to the plate and added the right blends of vinyl resins, the addition of color stabilizers, thicker and better material, and the best improvement to vinyl siding was to add laminated foam behind it for strength and energy savings.
Well here is some documented proof to what we have been saying for years, Your new American Classic Insulated Siding will save energy and maintenance over fiber cement siding.
NYSERDA HOME VINYL SIDING INSTITUTE STUDY
NYSERDA Home- In a new study, Insulated Vinyl Siding (Fullback® siding insulation laminated to vinyl siding) proved to outperform fiber cement in multiple categories. The Vinyl Siding Institute (VSI) recently commissioned a study to evaluate the environmental performance of Fullback® Insulated Siding. The Vinyl Siding Institute study was conducted by Newport Ventures, a research and consulting firm with expertise in the housing industry.
Two high-performance homes were built to comply with the rigorous goals of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority's (NYSERDA) High Performance Residential Development Challenge, one in Saratoga Springs, NY and one in Burnt Hills, NY. The challenge was conceived to educate home builders on construction of cost-effective, high performance homes designed to achieve 50-60% energy savings above that of typical homes built to New York's stringent energy code. In achieving this goal, both builders involved in the challenge showed preferences for systems that offered both energy savings and affordability. Fullback® Insulated Siding was specified by both builders as a system to help them achieve energy conservation and LEED for Homes.
Fullback V Siding Comparison
BURNT HILLS, NY: Researchers performed a side-by-side field test on the Burnt Hills home to compare Fullback® Insulated Siding against uninsulated fiber cement. This Vinyl Siding Institute study was conducted during the winter on a two story colonial built by Stewart Construction. The thermal imaging clearly indicated that there was less heat loss from the home to the outdoors with the Fullback® Insulated Siding compared to the fiber cement. The exterior surface temperature of the Fullback® Insulated Siding section of the wall was considerably colder, indicating that there was more thermal bridging (heat loss) with the fiber cement product.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY:
In the case of the Saratoga Springs home, the LEED case study found that environmental performance and visual appeal can go hand-in-hand through the use of Fullback® Insulated Siding. This home became the first home in New York's capital region to achieve LEED for Homes' Gold Rating. Sixty eight percent of visitors to the home found the siding to be "very attractive" while 95% agreed that the visual appeal of the Fullback® Insulated Siding was "better than average".
Overall, the study provides documentation that insulated vinyl siding can outperform exterior cladding alternatives on environmental issues while at the same time remaining aesthetically pleasing.
Midwest Construction Qualified Remodeler Magazine Big 50 inductee and Top 500 remodeler's has won the Better Business Bureau Integrity Award 2 times.(1999 & 2015) Quality Products & Quality Installation is our motto since 1958 and we still live up to that today by delivering the best home improvement products in our industry. Backing those products up with top notch installation crews with all of the certifications and water management techniques to give you the home owner some peace of mind and comfort knowing your products will save you energy and maintenance for years to come.
Midwest Construction is also a Progressive Foam Preferred Platinum Contractor which gives you the home owner, extra benefits, Lifetime warranty on the thermal performance of the insulation and a 10 year labor warranty from Progressive foam including our American Classic Insulated Vinyl siding lifetime warranty with lifetime non fade protection.
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