The front of this home was set back a considerable distance from the front of the garage. The lack of a front porch caused the front door to feel inaccessibly recessed, and there was no occupiable space at the front of the home. After providing many different design iterations of the front porch, and weighing the pros and cons, the clients decided upon a shed roof with a new railing system and stone/wood columns. The addition of the front porch moved the front of the home forward, minimizing the look of the garage extrusion.

For this backyard we regarded the entire lot. To maximize the backyard space, we used Redwood boards to created two decks, 1) an upper deck level with the upper unit, with wrapping stairs landing on a paver patio, and 2) a lower deck level with the lower unit and connecting to the main patio. The steep driveway was regraded with drainage and stairs to provide an activity patio with seating and custom built shed. We repurposed about 60 percent of the demoed concrete to build urbanite retaining walls along the Eastern side of the house. A Belgard Paver patio defines the main entertaining space, with stairs that lead to a flagstone patio and spa, small fescue lawn, and perimeter of edible fruit trees.

Example of a large trendy backyard concrete paver and rectangular lap pool design in Atlanta

A quiet oasis for two full time professionals to relax in when home
Photo of a mid-sized traditional partial sun backyard stone landscaping in Chicago.

This project was made for family fun. It has a large cabana with kitchen, raised perimeter overflow spa, large tanning ledge, fire bowls, fire bar, LED gushers and porcelain tile decks. Designed by Mike Farley. FarleyPoolDesigns.com

The shower wall, adjacent to the spa serves as the back side of the garden shed.
Transitional patio photo in Portland

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

Never forget to add color!! Evergreens are great for the winter, but a beautiful Japanese Maple is the way to draw attention to your landscape during the colorful summer months! Even in the fall when the weather is cooler, the leaves turn bright red for an exciting ending to the season.

Mid-level patio area serves as a landing between levels and point of entry from the side of the house. Overlooks pool and main entertaining space. - Neals Design Remodel - Robin Victor Goetz/www.GoRVGP.com

Julie Soefer Photography
Inspiration for a mid-century modern home office remodel in Houston

Inspiration for a large contemporary u-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Los Angeles with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite countertops, gray backsplash, porcelain backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

The main entertaining space complete with an outdoor kitchen space and a spacious seating area. - Neals design Remodel - Robin Victor Goetz/www.GoRVGP.com

Detail of the shower tile pattern which runs down the wall and stitches together in the corner shower. These are 1x4 glazed ceramic tiles. Photo and styling by Heidi Solander

Tim Burleson
Large trendy medium tone wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen photo with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, gray backsplash, glass tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Example of a mid-sized classic backyard tile patio design in Miami with a gazebo

Entry Stair Lighting Photo: Eric Rorer
Example of a mid-sized transitional green two-story exterior home design in San Francisco

Photo of a mid-sized rustic backyard concrete paver retaining wall landscape in Minneapolis.

After searching for years for the perfect home in Nantucket, they feel in love with the large garden, rare within the town limits, of this traditional Nantucket bungalow. While the garden was perfect, the house needed to be renovated and expanded to host family and friends. By smartly capturing every inch of space within the existing footprint, the house was transformed into a bright and airy 5 bedroom, 3.5 bath vacation home.