This Boulder, Colorado remodel by fuentesdesign demonstrates the possibility of renewal in American suburbs, and Passive House design principles. Once an inefficient single story 1,000 square-foot ranch house with a forced air furnace, has been transformed into a two-story, solar powered 2500 square-foot three bedroom home ready for the next generation. The new design for the home is modern with a sustainable theme, incorporating a palette of natural materials including; reclaimed wood finishes, FSC-certified pine Zola windows and doors, and natural earth and lime plasters that soften the interior and crisp contemporary exterior with a flavor of the west. A Ninety-percent efficient energy recovery fresh air ventilation system provides constant filtered fresh air to every room. The existing interior brick was removed and replaced with insulation. The remaining heating and cooling loads are easily met with the highest degree of comfort via a mini-split heat pump, the peak heat load has been cut by a factor of 4, despite the house doubling in size. During the coldest part of the Colorado winter, a wood stove for ambiance and low carbon back up heat creates a special place in both the living and kitchen area, and upstairs loft. This ultra energy efficient home relies on extremely high levels of insulation, air-tight detailing and construction, and the implementation of high performance, custom made European windows and doors by Zola Windows. Zola’s ThermoPlus Clad line, which boasts R-11 triple glazing and is thermally broken with a layer of patented German Purenit®, was selected for the project. These windows also provide a seamless indoor/outdoor connection, with 9′ wide folding doors from the dining area and a matching 9′ wide custom countertop folding window that opens the kitchen up to a grassy court where mature trees provide shade and extend the living space during the summer months. With air-tight construction, this home meets the Passive House Retrofit (EnerPHit) air-tightness standard of

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional u-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor enclosed kitchen remodel in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, quartzite countertops, white backsplash, ceramic backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and gray countertops

Photo: Brian Barkley © 2015 Houzz
Mountain style guest bedroom photo in Other with beige walls and no fireplace

Example of a transitional kitchen pantry design in Chicago with gray cabinets

Matt Carbone
Example of a mid-sized beach style u-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen design in New York with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, white backsplash, glass sheet backsplash, an island, quartz countertops and colored appliances

Inspiration for a large contemporary single-wall beige floor and laminate floor open concept kitchen remodel in Miami with flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, blue backsplash, an island, an undermount sink, glass sheet backsplash and stainless steel appliances

Custom Pedini Cabinetry Custom Pedini Countertop Designer: Roy Wellman Photographer: Austin Rooke
Small trendy u-shaped bamboo floor enclosed kitchen photo in DC Metro with an integrated sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, stainless steel countertops, glass sheet backsplash, stainless steel appliances and white backsplash

Photography: Grey Crawford
Example of a small trendy u-shaped porcelain tile kitchen design in Los Angeles with an integrated sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, quartzite countertops, beige backsplash, glass sheet backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

Leonard Ortiz
Example of a beach style 3/4 black and white tile and ceramic tile mosaic tile floor and multicolored floor alcove shower design in Orange County with white walls, recessed-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, an undermount sink, tile countertops and a hinged shower door

Trendy u-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen photo in San Francisco with an integrated sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, stainless steel countertops, white backsplash, glass sheet backsplash, stainless steel appliances, a peninsula and gray countertops

Transitional u-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen photo in DC Metro with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, glass sheet backsplash and an island

Example of a large trendy u-shaped open concept kitchen design in Other with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, glass sheet backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

The transformation of this kitchen began by removing the peninsula and upper cabinets to open the space and allow for a multi-functional island. The blue stained glass backsplash is accentuated by a beautiful repeating ivory pattern. Glazed maple cabinets provide warm contrast and my client's beloved rooster collection adds an interesting focal point. Photography Peter Rymwid

Beach style carpeted bedroom photo in Grand Rapids with blue walls

In 1949, one of mid-century modern’s most famous NW architects, Paul Hayden Kirk, built this early “glass house” in Hawthorne Hills. Rather than flattening the rolling hills of the Northwest to accommodate his structures, Kirk sought to make the least impact possible on the building site by making use of it natural landscape. When we started this project, our goal was to pay attention to the original architecture--as well as designing the home around the client’s eclectic art collection and African artifacts. The home was completely gutted, since most of the home is glass, hardly any exterior walls remained. We kept the basic footprint of the home the same—opening the space between the kitchen and living room. The horizontal grain matched walnut cabinets creates a natural continuous movement. The sleek lines of the Fleetwood windows surrounding the home allow for the landscape and interior to seamlessly intertwine. In our effort to preserve as much of the design as possible, the original fireplace remains in the home and we made sure to work with the natural lines originally designed by Kirk.

Andrew McKinney Photography Not every kitchen on houzz is enormous! Here's a 10' x 10' kitchen. It seems that painted white kitchens never go out of favor. While the cabinets, faucets and hardware lean toward a more traditional look, that look is tempered by the modern lines of grey glass tile and the chimney hood. And instead of carrara marble counter tops, the client opted for quartz for a similar look (Cambria's "Torquay").

Barry Grossman Photography
Trendy foyer photo in Miami with white walls

Nathan Scott Photography
Large trendy u-shaped light wood floor and beige floor enclosed kitchen photo in Other with dark wood cabinets, quartz countertops, glass sheet backsplash, an island, white countertops, an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, beige backsplash and black appliances

The homeowners desired an outdoor space that felt more rustic than their refined interior spaces, but still related architecturally to their house. Cement plaster support arbor columns provide enough of visual tie to the existing house exterior. Oversized wood beams and rafter members provide a unique outdoor atmosphere. Structural bolts and hardware were minimized for a cleaner appearance. Structural connections and supports were engineered to meet California's stringent earthquake standards. Ali Atri Photography