This client couple, from out of town, searched far and wide for views like these. The 10-acre parcel features a long driveway through the woods, up to a relatively flat building site. Large windows out the front and back take in the layers of mountain ranges. The wood-beamed high ceilings and the wood-carved master bathroom barn add to the decor. Wide open floorplan is well-suited to the gatherings and parties they often host.

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

Old World elegance meets modern ease in the beautiful custom-built home. Distinctive exterior details include European stone, classic columns and traditional turrets. Inside, convenience reigns, from the large circular foyer and welcoming great room to the dramatic lake room that makes the most of the stunning waterfront site. Other first-floor highlights include circular family and dining rooms, a large open kitchen, and a spacious and private master suite. The second floor features three additional bedrooms as well as an upper level guest suite with separate living, dining and kitchen area. The lower level is all about fun, with a games and billiards room, family theater, exercise and crafts area.

Photo credit: Scott McDonald @ Hedrich Blessing 7RR-Ecohome: The design objective was to build a house for a couple recently married who both had kids from previous marriages. How to bridge two families together? The design looks forward in terms of how people live today. The home is an experiment in transparency and solid form; removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. The house floor plan is derived by pushing and pulling the house’s form to maximize the backyard and minimize the public front yard while welcoming the sun in key rooms by rotating the house 45-degrees to true north. The angular form of the house is a result of the family’s program, the zoning rules, the lot’s attributes, and the sun’s path. We wanted to construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. We could tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with a nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the siding is installed and the exposed interior beams are placed in the double height space. We engineered the house to be smart which not only looks modern but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades, blinds, HVAC, communication, audio, video, or security. We developed a planning module based on a 6-foot square room size and a 6-foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The house is 6,200 SF of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 9,200 SF. A large formal foyer celebrates the entry and opens up to the living, dining, kitchen and family rooms all focused on the rear garden. The east side of the second floor is the Master wing and a center bridge connects it to the kid’s wing on the west. Second floor terraces and sunscreens provide views and shade in this suburban setting. The playful mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hard-scapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot. Many green attributes were designed into the home; Ipe wood sunscreens and window shades block out unwanted solar gain in summer, but allow winter sun in. Patio door and operable windows provide ample opportunity for natural ventilation throughout the open floor plan. Minimal windows on east and west sides to reduce heat loss in winter and unwanted gains in summer. Open floor plan and large window expanse reduces lighting demands and maximizes available daylight. Skylights provide natural light to the basement rooms. Durable, low-maintenance exterior materials include stone, ipe wood siding and decking, and concrete roof pavers. Design is based on a 2' planning grid to minimize construction waste. Basement foundation walls and slab are highly insulated. FSC-certified walnut wood flooring was used. Light colored concrete roof pavers to reduce cooling loads by as much as 15%. 2x6 framing allows for more insulation and energy savings. Super efficient windows have low-E argon gas filled units, and thermally insulated aluminum frames. Permeable brick and stone pavers reduce the site’s storm-water runoff. Countertops use recycled composite materials. Energy-Star rated furnaces and smart thermostats are located throughout the house to minimize duct runs and avoid energy loss. Energy-Star rated boiler that heats up both radiant floors and domestic hot water. Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures are used to conserve water usage. No VOC finish options and direct venting fireplaces maintain a high interior air quality. Smart home system controls lighting, HVAC, and shades to better manage energy use. Plumbing runs through interior walls reducing possibilities of heat loss and freezing problems. A large food pantry was placed next to kitchen to reduce trips to the grocery store. Home office reduces need for automobile transit and associated CO2 footprint. Plan allows for aging in place, with guest suite than can become the master suite, with no need to move as family members mature.

This home is built into a sloping site overlooking Perch Pond on scenic Cape Cod. Formally, the main living room and kitchen sit atop a plinth housing the other bedrooms and service spaces. The Master Suite is a separate pavilion from the main living space, connected by a sunlit breezeway which acts as an outdoor extension of the home. The house is oriented on the cardinal points, taking advantage of passive solar energy throughout the year.

Situated on this 2.5-acre lake site, four new structures have been created. A main residence, guesthouse, guest cabin, and a detached garage fully unite the site and support a strong desire for family fun and large gatherings. Kept in a similar material palette, each structure is clad in beautifully stained shingles and vertical board paneling, with natural timber brackets detailing the gable ends. Details throughout the residences mark each structure as uniquely connected, and yet provides individual characteristics; a fieldstone veneer was added to the base of the main house to create a hierarchy among the structures. This rustic gathering space boasts large roof overhangs and beautifully landscaped outdoor entertaining areas. Stunning views of the lake and distant mountains can be appreciated from the entire southern front of the site, whether through the large windows or from the comfort of the porch, moments of breathtaking beauty reconnect the spaces with the surrounding environment. The main residence hosts fully connected living room, kitchen, dining room and screened porch on the main level with a private master suite at the edge. Located on the upper level of the lodge are three guest bedrooms and a large bunkroom. Photographer: MTA

Old World elegance meets modern ease in the beautiful custom-built home. Distinctive exterior details include European stone, classic columns and traditional turrets. Inside, convenience reigns, from the large circular foyer and welcoming great room to the dramatic lake room that makes the most of the stunning waterfront site. Other first-floor highlights include circular family and dining rooms, a large open kitchen, and a spacious and private master suite. The second floor features three additional bedrooms as well as an upper level guest suite with separate living, dining and kitchen area. The lower level is all about fun, with a games and billiards room, family theater, exercise and crafts area.

A 6,000 square foot 2-story new home complex in Milpitas was designed to facilitate the owners’ large business parties and gatherings, to have rooms for the kids to come back to upstairs, and a ground floor master suite with a huge walk-in closet. Several separate structures make up the dwelling: The main house, 3-car garage with carport for overflow parking, and a separate entertainment and recreation building separated by a courtyard from the main house. The business activities include gatherings in the hundreds of people, so parking was maximized and guests can flow in through a separate gate to party in the courtyard and recreation building. Inside this structure is a wet bar, billiard room, workout gym and home theater. The main house ground floor has formal and informal living rooms, open kitchen and master suite with views and expansive windows in every direction. The house is sited on the crestline of a hill with views of the San Francisco Bay and private golf course below. The indoor-outdoor aspect of the house is further accentuated with outside living and dining areas. High ceilings and expansive glass walls dissolve the sense of enclosure taking advantage of the site’s openness and privacy. The owner’s suite is downstairs in anticipation of aging-in-place, and upstairs there are three bedrooms and four bathrooms plus a sitting area lounge and casual TV loft area. The house sits on one acre at the top of a low hill range overlooking Milpitas. The city was very cognizant of the importance of keeping a low profile at this crestline and required extensive story poles and photo evidence of the proper height and siting so as not to be seen from certain selected vantage points. GENERAL CONTRACTOR: JCD Builders Inc. LANDSCAPE DESIGN: Morf Chang Landscape Architecture / ODS Architecture PHOTOGRAPHS: Paul Dyer Photography

Custom In-Law Suite Addition Nahant, MA This In-Law Addition to an early-20th Century Craftsman-style home on the ocean in Nahant, MA, is cited to best take advantage of its unique site. The addition is "cranked" away from the original home, creating a courtyard space in-between, and to allow light and air to continue to wash the old home. The rotation also positions the Living and Master Suite areas of the addition to best take advantage of water views and views toward Boston. Web: www.tektoniksarchitects.com

Custom In-Law Suite Addition Nahant, MA This In-Law Addition to an early-20th Century Craftsman-style home on the ocean in Nahant, MA, is cited to best take advantage of its unique site. The addition is "cranked" away from the original home, creating a courtyard space in-between, and to allow light and air to continue to wash the old home. The rotation also positions the Living and Master Suite areas of the addition to best take advantage of water views and views toward Boston. Web: www.tektoniksarchitects.com

Custom In-Law Suite Addition Nahant, MA This In-Law Addition to an early-20th Century Craftsman-style home on the ocean in Nahant, MA, is cited to best take advantage of its unique site. The addition is "cranked" away from the original home, creating a courtyard space in-between, and to allow light and air to continue to wash the old home. The rotation also positions the Living and Master Suite areas of the addition to best take advantage of water views and views toward Boston. Web: www.tektoniksarchitects.com

Custom In-Law Suite Addition Nahant, MA This In-Law Addition to an early-20th Century Craftsman-style home on the ocean in Nahant, MA, is cited to best take advantage of its unique site. The addition is "cranked" away from the original home, creating a courtyard space in-between, and to allow light and air to continue to wash the old home. The rotation also positions the Living and Master Suite areas of the addition to best take advantage of water views and views toward Boston. Web: www.tektoniksarchitects.com

This client couple, from out of town, searched far and wide for views like these. The 10-acre parcel features a long driveway through the woods, up to a relatively flat building site. Large windows out the front and back take in the layers of mountain ranges. The wood-beamed high ceilings and the wood-carved master bathroom barn add to the decor. Wide open floorplan is well-suited to the gatherings and parties they often host.

This unique city-home is designed with a center entry, flanked by formal living and dining rooms on either side. An expansive gourmet kitchen / great room spans the rear of the main floor, opening onto a terraced outdoor space comprised of more than 700SF. The home also boasts an open, four-story staircase flooded with natural, southern light, as well as a lower level family room, four bedrooms (including two en-suite) on the second floor, and an additional two bedrooms and study on the third floor. A spacious, 500SF roof deck is accessible from the top of the staircase, providing additional outdoor space for play and entertainment. Due to the location and shape of the site, there is a 2-car, heated garage under the house, providing direct entry from the garage into the lower level mudroom. Two additional off-street parking spots are also provided in the covered driveway leading to the garage. Designed with family living in mind, the home has also been designed for entertaining and to embrace life's creature comforts. Pre-wired with HD Video, Audio and comprehensive low-voltage services, the home is able to accommodate and distribute any low voltage services requested by the homeowner. This home was pre-sold during construction. Steve Hall, Hedrich Blessing

This 4,800 square-foot guesthouse is a three-story residence consisting of a main-level master suite, upper-level guest suite, and a large bunkroom. The exterior finishes were selected for their durability and low-maintenance characteristics, as well as to provide a unique, complementary element to the site. Locally quarried granite and a sleek slate roof have been united with cement fiberboard shingles, board-and-batten siding, and rustic brackets along the eaves. The public spaces are located on the north side of the site in order to communicate with the public spaces of a future main house. With interior details picking up on the picturesque cottage style of architecture, this space becomes ideal for both large and small gatherings. Through a similar material dialogue, an exceptional boathouse is formed along the water’s edge, extending the outdoor recreational space to encompass the lake. Photographer: Bob Manley

When the successful couple purchased the 1960s ranch house, which sat in the middle of 31 acres of unspoiled California countryside, they envisioned a retreat that would become the simpler, more tranquil version of their primary urban residence. Among other things, they were lured by the site’s unobstructed canyon views, the seemingly endless grove of old Oak trees, and what they described as the “profound sense of quiet.” After taking the original house down to its basic frame, the house was rebuilt as a California Mission-style home. Adding a new wing for the Master Bedroom suite, as well as a new, separate structure for a guest dwelling, DesignARC was able to bring the couple's vision into being. The 3,700 square foot main house is carefully sited to open into a natural clearing, the interior spaces all share in the beauty of the glen, where exterior rooms and dining areas open to the sky--and where in the evening, according to the homeowners, “one can see every star.”

A 6,000 square foot 2-story new home complex in Milpitas was designed to facilitate the owners’ large business parties and gatherings, to have rooms for the kids to come back to upstairs, and a ground floor master suite with a huge walk-in closet. Several separate structures make up the dwelling: The main house, 3-car garage with carport for overflow parking, and a separate entertainment and recreation building separated by a courtyard from the main house. The business activities include gatherings in the hundreds of people, so parking was maximized and guests can flow in through a separate gate to party in the courtyard and recreation building. Inside this structure is a wet bar, billiard room, workout gym and home theater. The main house ground floor has formal and informal living rooms, open kitchen and master suite with views and expansive windows in every direction. The house is sited on the crestline of a hill with views of the San Francisco Bay and private golf course below. The indoor-outdoor aspect of the house is further accentuated with outside living and dining areas. High ceilings and expansive glass walls dissolve the sense of enclosure taking advantage of the site’s openness and privacy. The owner’s suite is downstairs in anticipation of aging-in-place, and upstairs there are three bedrooms and four bathrooms plus a sitting area lounge and casual TV loft area. The house sits on one acre at the top of a low hill range overlooking Milpitas. The city was very cognizant of the importance of keeping a low profile at this crestline and required extensive story poles and photo evidence of the proper height and siting so as not to be seen from certain selected vantage points. GENERAL CONTRACTOR: JCD Builders Inc. LANDSCAPE DESIGN: Morf Chang Landscape Architecture / ODS Architecture PHOTOGRAPHS: Paul Dyer Photography

Cherie Cordellos - http://www.photosbycherie.net JPM Construction offers complete support for designing, building, and renovating homes in Atherton, Menlo Park, Portola Valley, and surrounding mid-peninsula areas. With a focus on high-quality craftsmanship and professionalism, our clients can expect premium end-to-end service. The promise of JPM is unparalleled quality both on-site and off, where we value communication and attention to detail at every step. Onsite, we work closely with our own tradesmen, subcontractors, and other vendors to bring the highest standards to construction quality and job site safety. Off site, our management team is always ready to communicate with you about your project. The result is a beautiful, lasting home and seamless experience for you.

A 6,000 square foot 2-story new home complex in Milpitas was designed to facilitate the owners’ large business parties and gatherings, to have rooms for the kids to come back to upstairs, and a ground floor master suite with a huge walk-in closet. Several separate structures make up the dwelling: The main house, 3-car garage with carport for overflow parking, and a separate entertainment and recreation building separated by a courtyard from the main house. The business activities include gatherings in the hundreds of people, so parking was maximized and guests can flow in through a separate gate to party in the courtyard and recreation building. Inside this structure is a wet bar, billiard room, workout gym and home theater. The main house ground floor has formal and informal living rooms, open kitchen and master suite with views and expansive windows in every direction. The house is sited on the crestline of a hill with views of the San Francisco Bay and private golf course below. The indoor-outdoor aspect of the house is further accentuated with outside living and dining areas. High ceilings and expansive glass walls dissolve the sense of enclosure taking advantage of the site’s openness and privacy. The owner’s suite is downstairs in anticipation of aging-in-place, and upstairs there are three bedrooms and four bathrooms plus a sitting area lounge and casual TV loft area. The house sits on one acre at the top of a low hill range overlooking Milpitas. The city was very cognizant of the importance of keeping a low profile at this crestline and required extensive story poles and photo evidence of the proper height and siting so as not to be seen from certain selected vantage points. GENERAL CONTRACTOR: JCD Builders Inc. LANDSCAPE DESIGN: Morf Chang Landscape Architecture / ODS Architecture PHOTOGRAPHS: Paul Dyer Photography