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

Zero Energy Home in Apollo Beach. Solar Electric system produces enough power to eliminate electricity bills and power electric car.
Example of a large arts and crafts green one-story gable roof design in Tampa

Zero Energy Home in Apollo Beach. Solar Electric system produces enough power to eliminate electricity bills and power electric car.
Large craftsman green one-story gable roof idea in Tampa

Exterior of first Massachusetts LEED certified home (2006) utilizing solar PV, expansive window design for optimal light and solar gain, recycled rubber shingled roof designed to look and feel like slate angled for seasonal variations. Instead of gutters the house uses rain handlers, a system designed by engineers at MIT to disperse water away from house and prevent soil erosion.

natural quarter sawn white oak hardwood flooring. simply white walls. exposed stripped metal radiator cover. crate and barrel bed frame, crate and barrel rug, gray solar shades

Zero Energy Home in Apollo Beach. Solar Electric system produces enough power to eliminate electricity bills and power electric car.
Inspiration for a large craftsman green one-story gable roof remodel in Tampa

Zero Energy Home in Apollo Beach. Solar Electric system produces enough power to eliminate electricity bills and power electric car.
Inspiration for a large craftsman green one-story gable roof remodel in Tampa

Charming California Ranch Style board and batten home with top of the line solar energy system installed. This model SunPower home is typical of the A-series black on black solar panel array that we have helped hundreds of homeowners across the US install on their roofs. The design, permitting, installation is all taken care of and included in the solar programs we offer, some are $0 down and others utilize generous incentives to save you money from day 1.

Silicon Energy Modules and Mounting System installed by Blue Horizon Energy in Minneapolis, http://www.bluehorizonsolar.com/

Luxury Back Yard Studio 100% Off grid & engineered like no other. Home office, gym, design studio and more. Tiny Solar Structures manufactures the highest quality back yard space you can find. Don’t put a shed in your back yard, place a class “A” office space there that is worthy of the design and aesthetics of your home…and engineered to last as long. Steel framing, commercial grade glass, HVAC, solar, batteries & interior finishes are just a few of our standard features.

Sunroom - transitional sunroom idea in Columbus with a standard ceiling

This transitional bungalow home's small addition allows the long rays of the winter sun to warm this family room's stone floor while shading it from the high summer sun.

Exterior home idea in Indianapolis

How much electricity will you make today? -San Jose, CA 2016. Solar Edge DC Optimizers. Solar Edge Inverter. Photo by Earth Electric.
Example of a mid-sized transitional brown two-story stucco house exterior design in San Francisco with a hip roof and a shingle roof

Trendy patio photo in Los Angeles

Exterior solar shades and awning systems are the most efficient solution to protect your windows and patio areas from the sun's damaging heat and UV rays. Blocking up to 99% of UV, motorized retractable shading systems allow you to block the sun and heat or reverse the strategy to allow in natural light and heat as desired.

Enjoy dazzling and panoramic views every day from this stunning Mediterranean in the Sherman Oaks Hills! Beyond the private gates, you are greeted by a peaceful courtyard shaded by mature trees. Beyond the double story entryway, this smart home impresses with countless upgrades and amenities. Plus, the large solar panel installation on the roof keeps this stunning home running entirely off of solar energy!

Beautiful 9.45 kW solar array installed in St. Louis area. The efficient design and installation translated into major electric bill savings and the production of renewable energy at the property for 25+ years. The system, as you can see, is well integrated into the theme and layout of the property and offers an enhancement in looks but also increases property value substantially. Photo: Julie Heck

7.56 kW Worcester, MA Equipment: 24 LG 315-watt Solar Panels 1 SolarEdge Inverter
Inspiration for a mid-sized timeless white two-story vinyl gable roof remodel in Boston