Search results for "Reduce efficiently" in Home Design Ideas

Phase one of this Littleton, Colorado, backyard landscape renovation focused on reducing sod and creating a more intentional, water-wise outdoor environment. The design was carefully personalized around the homeowners’ goals while considering the health and long-term needs of the property’s existing mature trees.
New landscape edging and decorative boulders add structure, dimension and natural texture throughout the yard. A balanced combination of mulch, river rock and planting beds complements the home’s architecture while reducing lawn area and helping create a lower-maintenance Colorado landscape. Two new trees and additional plantings were thoughtfully integrated with the existing landscape for a cohesive, established appearance.
A stepping-stone garden path now leads through the mulched planting area, adding both function and visual interest. The irrigation system was also updated to support the redesigned planting beds and encourage efficient water use. At the front of the home, custom seasonal porch containers provide welcoming color and a polished finishing touch.
Completed in July 2026, this first phase establishes a strong foundation for the property’s continued transformation. The homeowners are taking a thoughtful, phased approach to their Littleton landscape design, with a custom outdoor kitchen now underway as the next step in creating a personalized and functional outdoor living space.

Interactive Construction’s second Passive House shows that it is possible to achieve this high level of energy efficiency in even the tightest of lots. This build challenged the common assumption that you need a lot of south facing windows to achieve the Passive House certification.
The relatively small solar gains from the limited southern exposure was made up for with an extremely tight air-barrier, a top of the line HRV, and higher R-values of insulation.
To achieve the best indoor air quality, low-VOC products were used in the finishes. Solid Maple flooring was used throughout the upper levels to create a beautiful look without the chemicals found in engineered flooring.
Aging-in-place was key to the design, with a central elevator and accessible door sizes and shower access. Smart design can make homes for versatile over their lifespan which reduces the need for costly renovations in the future.
Both the indoor and outdoor areas blend to create tranquil and calm-inspiring spaces.
What the homeowners had to say:
Each area works well for its purpose. We love the stairs and the glass wall that separates the stairs from the living area. We love our windows, doors and skylights which give us so much light.

The Arcadia Louvered Roof enhances the beauty of any style home and provides the flexibility of having an open roof when the weather is good or a solid roof to keep the rain off your patio when the weather turns bad.
Eco-friendly Construction
The Arcadia system is made up of recycled aluminum making it an extremely Green product. It is also eco-friendly, helping consumers save on passive solar heating and cooling.
We Think Green
Arcadia is proud to continue the company's tradition with its approach to Environmental Innovation. From the choice of lightweight materials and lean production methods to the efficiency of its drive system and designs, Arcadia is committed to operating as a more sustainable business and reducing its overall environmental impact.
High-quality Building Materials
Each Arcadia system is a work of art, constructed with care and attention to every little detail.
Our system is powered coated, extruded aluminum with stainless steel components giving us the most durable louvered roof on the market today. From our superior drive system, which is UL & CE certified, down to the stainless steel tex screws that secures the system together. Nothing but the best!
Our low-maintenance components eliminate painting, staining, and waterproofing of traditional shading structures. Using powder-coated aluminum construction prevents warping, cracking, and corrosion.
Photographed by: Roger Chafin
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Bay Windows Roller Shades, Solar Shades Revers Roller ,Without energy-efficient window treatments, as much as 50% of a home's heating and cooling energy can be lost through its windows. All Hunter Douglas window fashions provide window insulation, offering your home increased protection against heat loss during the winter, as well as minimizing the sun's heat or "solar heat" during the summer.
Solar Heat Control
The warmth provided by the sun, its solar energy, may be desirable during the winter to help heat your home, yet it can make a room overly hot and uncomfortable while driving up air conditioning costs in the summer. Many Hunter Douglas products are designed to reduce the amount of solar heat that passes through the window, which is known as the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC). The lower the SHGC, the more protected your home is from the sun's heat. To enjoy the sun's warmth when desired, simply raise or open the window fashion and invite it in.

FLA XT is a fully automatic bio fireplace equipped with an external fuel tank and a control panel. It emits no smell and no smoke. The fireplace can be operated with a single remote control or mobile devices. Connected to any given Smart Home System installation, FLA XT allows the customers simple use and gives unlimited control.
FLA XT in a stylish black colour fits both modern and classic interiors. Its external fuel tank is hidden in the tailored BOX XT and can be easily pulled-out for replacement or refuelling. This efficient solution reduces the frequency of refuelling and significantly elongates the burning time

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

Wet room in the master bath.
We'll probably install glass water/splash shields when we can afford to do so. Until then, the shower curtains are working great.
Double shower heads with separate temperature controls.
Windows are Andersen and crank out.
Tub is from Signature Hardware.
Porcelain tile on walls is from Lowe's.
Mosaic marble tile on floor is from Lowe's.
Free Tip: The day we went in to buy ALL THE TILE for the bathrooms (and nearly busted our truck's suspension), the total for the tile was just shy of a zillion dollars. I asked (politely, of course), if we could get some sort of discount since it was approximately the equivalent of a moon launch. The guy that was helping us made one phone call and 5 minutes later reduced the total by 15%. He had to get permission from someone in some other location. It never hurts to ask.

Master Bedroom with Red Bed Frame and custom drapery and bedding.
Bedroom - traditional master light wood floor bedroom idea in Charlotte
Bedroom - traditional master light wood floor bedroom idea in Charlotte

FLA XT is a fully automatic bio fireplace equipped with an external fuel tank and a control panel. It emits no smell and no smoke. The fireplace can be operated with a single remote control or mobile devices. Connected to any given Smart Home System installation, FLA XT allows the customers simple use and gives unlimited control.
FLA XT in a stylish black colour fits both modern and classic interiors. Its external fuel tank is hidden in the tailored BOX XT and can be easily pulled-out for replacement or refuelling. This efficient solution reduces the frequency of refuelling and significantly elongates the burning time

FLA XT Master of Luxury, Amsterdam 2016
FLA XT is a fully automatic bio fireplace equipped with an external fuel tank and a control panel. It emits no smell and no smoke. The fireplace can be operated with a single remote control or mobile devices. Connected to any given Smart Home System installation, FLA XT allows the customers simple use and gives unlimited control.
FLA XT in a stylish black colour fits both modern and classic interiors. Its external fuel tank is hidden in the tailored BOX XT and can be easily pulled-out for replacement or refuelling. This efficient solution reduces the frequency of refuelling and significantly elongates the burning time

Our client planned to spend more time in this home and wanted to increase its livability. The project was complicated by the strata-specified deadline for exterior work, the logistics of working in an occupied strata complex, and the need to minimize the impact on surrounding neighbours.
By reducing the deck space, removing the hot tub, and moving out the dining room wall, we were able to add important livable space inside. Our homeowners were thrilled to have a larger kitchen. The additional 500 square feet of living space integrated seamlessly into the existing architecture.
This award-winning home features reclaimed fir flooring (from the Stanley Park storm), and wood-cased sliding doors in the dining room, that allow full access to the outdoor balcony with its exquisite views.
Green building products and processes were used extensively throughout the renovation, which resulted in a modern, highly-efficient, and beautiful home.

Large transitional backyard stone and rectangular lap pool photo in San Francisco

The Arcadia Louvered Roof enhances the beauty of any style home and provides the flexibility of having an open roof when the weather is good or a solid roof to keep the rain off your patio when the weather turns bad.
Eco-friendly Construction
The Arcadia system is made up of recycled aluminum making it an extremely Green product. It is also eco-friendly, helping consumers save on passive solar heating and cooling.
We Think Green
Arcadia is proud to continue the company's tradition with its approach to Environmental Innovation. From the choice of lightweight materials and lean production methods to the efficiency of its drive system and designs, Arcadia is committed to operating as a more sustainable business and reducing its overall environmental impact.
High-quality Building Materials
Each Arcadia system is a work of art, constructed with care and attention to every little detail.
Our system is powered coated, extruded aluminum with stainless steel components giving us the most durable louvered roof on the market today. From our superior drive system, which is UL & CE certified, down to the stainless steel tex screws that secures the system together. Nothing but the best!
Our low-maintenance components eliminate painting, staining, and waterproofing of traditional shading structures. Using powder-coated aluminum construction prevents warping, cracking, and corrosion.
Photographed by: Roger Chafin

This 3 BR, 3 1/2 bath home allows the owners to live on one level most of the time. The Master Suite is on the main level along with the Living Room, Kitchen, Dining, pantries, Sun Room and service areas. The upper level houses two ample bedrooms while the lower level supports a rec center, media room, wine cellar, shop and full wet bar. Conceived as a Great Room house, the main level is designed as one seamless space that flows onto an ample deck overlooking the rear yard.
We also incorporated a variety of green building techniques - photo-voltaic shingles on the roof of the garage to generate a portion of the home's energy, a super insulated building envelope, rain water harvesting, high performance windows and doors, a high efficiency heat pump, low flow bath & kitchen fixtures, Energy Star appliances and LED lighting - that greatly reduced this structure's carbon footprint. All of the strategies amounted to a 30% reduction in the energy consumption in this home relative to comparable structures.

The Arcadia Louvered Roof enhances the beauty of any style home and provides the flexibility of having an open roof when the weather is good or a solid roof to keep the rain off your patio when the weather turns bad.
Eco-friendly Construction
The Arcadia system is made up of recycled aluminum making it an extremely Green product. It is also eco-friendly, helping consumers save on passive solar heating and cooling.
We Think Green
Arcadia is proud to continue the company's tradition with its approach to Environmental Innovation. From the choice of lightweight materials and lean production methods to the efficiency of its drive system and designs, Arcadia is committed to operating as a more sustainable business and reducing its overall environmental impact.
High-quality Building Materials
Each Arcadia system is a work of art, constructed with care and attention to every little detail.
Our system is powered coated, extruded aluminum with stainless steel components giving us the most durable louvered roof on the market today. From our superior drive system, which is UL & CE certified, down to the stainless steel tex screws that secures the system together. Nothing but the best!
Our low-maintenance components eliminate painting, staining, and waterproofing of traditional shading structures. Using powder-coated aluminum construction prevents warping, cracking, and corrosion.
Photographed by: Roger Chafin

Interactive Construction’s second Passive House shows that it is possible to achieve this high level of energy efficiency in even the tightest of lots. This build challenged the common assumption that you need a lot of south facing windows to achieve the Passive House certification.
The relatively small solar gains from the limited southern exposure was made up for with an extremely tight air-barrier, a top of the line HRV, and higher R-values of insulation.
To achieve the best indoor air quality, low-VOC products were used in the finishes. Solid Maple flooring was used throughout the upper levels to create a beautiful look without the chemicals found in engineered flooring.
Aging-in-place was key to the design, with a central elevator and accessible door sizes and shower access. Smart design can make homes for versatile over their lifespan which reduces the need for costly renovations in the future.
Both the indoor and outdoor areas blend to create tranquil and calm-inspiring spaces.
What the homeowners had to say:
Each area works well for its purpose. We love the stairs and the glass wall that separates the stairs from the living area. We love our windows, doors and skylights which give us so much light.

Interactive Construction’s second Passive House shows that it is possible to achieve this high level of energy efficiency in even the tightest of lots. This build challenged the common assumption that you need a lot of south facing windows to achieve the Passive House certification.
The relatively small solar gains from the limited southern exposure was made up for with an extremely tight air-barrier, a top of the line HRV, and higher R-values of insulation.
To achieve the best indoor air quality, low-VOC products were used in the finishes. Solid Maple flooring was used throughout the upper levels to create a beautiful look without the chemicals found in engineered flooring.
Aging-in-place was key to the design, with a central elevator and accessible door sizes and shower access. Smart design can make homes for versatile over their lifespan which reduces the need for costly renovations in the future.
Both the indoor and outdoor areas blend to create tranquil and calm-inspiring spaces.
What the homeowners had to say:
Each area works well for its purpose. We love the stairs and the glass wall that separates the stairs from the living area. We love our windows, doors and skylights which give us so much light.

This 3 BR, 3 1/2 bath home allows the owners to live on one level most of the time. The Master Suite is on the main level along with the Living Room, Kitchen, Dining, pantries, Sun Room and service areas. The upper level houses two ample bedrooms while the lower level supports a rec center, media room, wine cellar, shop and full wet bar. Conceived as a Great Room house, the main level is designed as one seamless space that flows onto an ample deck overlooking the rear yard.
We also incorporated a variety of green building techniques - photo-voltaic shingles on the roof of the garage to generate a portion of the home's energy, a super insulated building envelope, rain water harvesting, high performance windows and doors, a high efficiency heat pump, low flow bath & kitchen fixtures, Energy Star appliances and LED lighting - that greatly reduced this structure's carbon footprint. All of the strategies amounted to a 30% reduction in the energy consumption in this home relative to comparable structures.

The Arcadia Louvered Roof enhances the beauty of any style home and provides the flexibility of having an open roof when the weather is good or a solid roof to keep the rain off your patio when the weather turns bad.
Eco-friendly Construction
The Arcadia system is made up of recycled aluminum making it an extremely Green product. It is also eco-friendly, helping consumers save on passive solar heating and cooling.
We Think Green
Arcadia is proud to continue the company's tradition with its approach to Environmental Innovation. From the choice of lightweight materials and lean production methods to the efficiency of its drive system and designs, Arcadia is committed to operating as a more sustainable business and reducing its overall environmental impact.
High-quality Building Materials
Each Arcadia system is a work of art, constructed with care and attention to every little detail.
Our system is powered coated, extruded aluminum with stainless steel components giving us the most durable louvered roof on the market today. From our superior drive system, which is UL & CE certified, down to the stainless steel tex screws that secures the system together. Nothing but the best!
Our low-maintenance components eliminate painting, staining, and waterproofing of traditional shading structures. Using powder-coated aluminum construction prevents warping, cracking, and corrosion.
Photographed by: Roger Chafin

Green Hammer worked with the client and real estate agent to find a home to renovate to their goals and budget. This 1930’s Alameda house had a robust structure, but the interior was a series of compromised disjointed remodel projects. The clients wanted a contemporary design that could blend with the historic neighborhood. In addition to creating an elegant contemporary design, we air-sealed, added deep insulation, and integrated heat recovery ventilation to reduce energy consumption by 80%.
Bookmatched kitchen countertop made from Douglas fir slabs reclaimed from Tualatin. Dining room table compliments countertop with live edge bookmatched design from the same Douglas fir tree. Kitchen cabinets are painted FSC certified maple. Bathroom cabinets FSC certified alder. Custom woodwork by Urban Timberworks.
Photography: Jon Jensen
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