Dark Delight New Zealand Flax frame what will soon be a majestic Pincushion flower (Leucospermum) transplanted from the back garden (seen through the breezeway). Purple flowers and foliage echo each other and lots of open space was preserved to avoid clutter. photos by Billy Goodnick

Xeriscaping is extremely popular, especially in Southern California. With rising water costs, many homeowners have turned to xeriscaping to lower their utility bills and reduce their carbon footprint. Xeriscaping entails the creative use of hardscape and native and succulant plants to create a beautiful, low-maintenance, drought-tolerant landscape design.

Xeriscaping is extremely popular, especially in Southern California. With rising water costs, many homeowners have turned to xeriscaping to lower their utility bills and reduce their carbon footprint. Xeriscaping entails the creative use of hardscape and native and succulant plants to create a beautiful, low-maintenance, drought-tolerant landscape design. Our experienced landscape architects and garden designers specialize in planning out practical, efficient garden designs that use little to no water.

Christian Phillips Photography
Design ideas for a contemporary full sun concrete paver garden path in Boston.

What was once lawn has been transformed into a habitat garden for the local wildlife to enjoy and feast from. The plants also allow for minimal maintenance and water usage thus reducing the energy cost.

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

Anigozanthos, Agaves, Aeoniums Design- Harry Thompson, Torrey Pines Landscape Co., Inc A San Diego Home and Garden 2014 award winner Maintenance- Torrey Pines Landscape Co., Inc, A CLCA award winner Photo-Martin Mann

Flapjacks and Blue chalk sticks add a touch of color while keeping it a low maintenance garden.

What was once lawn has been transformed into a habitat garden for the local wildlife to enjoy and feast from. The plants also allow for minimal maintenance and water usage thus reducing the energy cost.

This deck entertainment area was constructed using an Azek composite wood product. The advantages of using a material such as this is that maintenance is greatly reduced (no need to stain or seal) for a longer lasting product.

Xeriscaping is extremely popular, especially in Southern California. With rising water costs, many homeowners have turned to xeriscaping to lower their utility bills and reduce their carbon footprint. Xeriscaping entails the creative use of hardscape and native and succulant plants to create a beautiful, low-maintenance, drought-tolerant landscape design.

Look closely and you'll see there are two similar Sedum ground covers: 'Angelina' in the foreground with its tiny chartreuse leaves and upright stems, and Pork and Beans (Sedum rubrotinctum) at the bend in the path. It's a subtle combination only noticed when walking slowly through the garden. It pays to slow down. photo by Billy Goodnick

-Rock placement to enhance texture and reduce maintenance
Patio - patio idea in San Francisco

What was once lawn has been transformed into a habitat garden for the local wildlife to enjoy and feast from. The plants also allow for minimal maintenance and water usage thus reducing the energy cost.

Xeriscaping is extremely popular, especially in Southern California. With rising water costs, many homeowners have turned to xeriscaping to lower their utility bills and reduce their carbon footprint. Xeriscaping entails the creative use of hardscape and native and succulant plants to create a beautiful, low-maintenance, drought-tolerant landscape design. Our experienced landscape architects and garden designers specialize in planning out practical, efficient garden designs that use little to no water.

The newly poured upper patio and dining area backed by the privacy screen and newly planted clumping bamboo.
Example of an eclectic patio design in Portland

What was once lawn has been transformed into a habitat garden for the local wildlife to enjoy and feast from. The plants also allow for minimal maintenance and water usage thus reducing the energy cost.

What was once lawn has been transformed into a habitat garden for the local wildlife to enjoy and feast from. The plants also allow for minimal maintenance and water usage thus reducing the energy cost.

What was once lawn has been transformed into a habitat garden for the local wildlife to enjoy and feast from. The plants also allow for minimal maintenance and water usage thus reducing the energy cost.