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

This is a new mid-century modern house that we completed in Midtown Atlanta. It was a showcase house for the Southern Building show demonstrating a blend between modern design and green construction techniques.

Large cottage l-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen photo in Minneapolis with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, ceramic backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

Design ideas for a mid-sized mid-century modern partial sun front yard concrete paver landscaping in Los Angeles for spring.

Mid-sized minimalist open concept porcelain tile living room photo in Austin with gray walls, a corner fireplace, a stone fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Tatin CC13 luxury Italian sideboard upholstered in leather. This luxury Italian furniture collection combines high end materials in wood and metal with fine leather and fabric upholstery. A wide variety of fabrics and leather are available to choose from (samples available upon request). Shown in brown nubuck leather. Made in Italy.

Even with the addition of a pantry and deep cabinet overhead, the kitchen is roomier with a counter depth side-by-side refrigerator and microwave cabinet. The basement stairwell is between the refrigerator sandwiched between it and the living space behind. After considering the cost and requirements of the building codes, and the potential loss of a large closet in the same space, we decided to leave the wall intact rather than open it all up into the popular open plan style.

Inspiration for a timeless home design remodel in Oklahoma City

Product Code:767, This dining set offers a contemporary approach in design with a slight classic flavor. Durable wooden construction combined with thick glass gives this set its ultra modern exterior while the white color of the set adds a touch of elegance. The dining set consists of a dining table and 4 side chairs. For your convenience the table comes in 2 different sizes: 63" and 75". width is 35.5", made in Spain, brand name product: Dupen, Colour available at White and Black, other chairs are available!

This is a perfect example of the best and most popular vinyl fence in the fence industry. The Classic V300-6 PVC vinyl Privacy Fence from Illusions Vinyl Fence. Vinyl privacy fence has fast become the go to fence for almost every home project. Why is Illusions Fence unique and better? Simple. It comes in 35 colors and 6 wood grains too! Photographer Jeremy Dean

Natural extension of kitchen creates perfect butler's pantry for coffee and tea service. Appliances integrated behind the Rutt Classic custom cabinetry. A piece of fine furniture! Photo by Stacy Zarin-Goldberg

Product Code:767, This dining set offers a contemporary approach in design with a slight classic flavor. Durable wooden construction combined with thick glass gives this set its ultra modern exterior while the white color of the set adds a touch of elegance. The dining set consists of a dining table and 4 side chairs. For your convenience the table comes in 2 different sizes: 63" and 75". width is 35.5", made in Spain, brand name product: Dupen, Colour available at White and Black, other chairs are available!

Spacecrafting
Walk-in closet - mid-sized traditional women's carpeted walk-in closet idea in Minneapolis with shaker cabinets and white cabinets

Martin Tessler Photographer
Large minimalist wooden u-shaped open staircase photo in Vancouver

Steve Henke
Mid-sized elegant single-wall light wood floor open concept kitchen photo in Minneapolis with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, an island, marble countertops, white backsplash, a farmhouse sink, stainless steel appliances and stone slab backsplash

A beautiful double island kitchen is perfect for entertaining with lots of cabinet space
Example of a trendy kitchen design in Edmonton with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, metallic backsplash, paneled appliances and two islands

an oversized nelson bubble lamp is centered on the sky blue dining room ceiling, complementing the walnut finishes at the mid-century furniture. jimmy cheng photography

Photo: Sarah Greenman © 2014 Houzz Design: Suzan Davidson Designs
Tuscan dining room photo in Dallas

Stylish, custom, beverage station with decorative glass doors and soft lighting provides additional counter space and cabinet storage in this beautiful kitchen.