MERGE focuses on the idea of community building through social activities such as table tennis. This idea of helping one other through this transition off the streets depend on relationships that are built and support that is given.

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

The elegant master bedroom of this home uses unusual angles and plush furnishings to create defined areas for sleeping and restful activities. Photo by StyleTours ABQ.

A modern home gym in a mountain ranch, featuring sleek equipment, natural finishes, and ample natural light. This energy-efficient and eco-friendly fitness space blends functionality with sustainable design, ideal for active living in Asheville's serene mountain setting.

Photo by James Maidhof
Inspiration for a small rustic loft-style concrete floor living room remodel in Kansas City with beige walls, no fireplace and a tv stand

Photo: Bonnie McCarthy © 2015 Houzz
Inspiration for a contemporary exterior home remodel in Los Angeles

Holly Hill is comprised of three wings joined by bridges: An architect's wing facing a master garden to the east, an engineer’s wing with an automotive workshop and a central activity, kitchen, living, dining wing. Similar to a radiator in design, the plan of the house increases the amount of exterior wall thus maximizing opportunities for natural ventilation during temperate and hot summer months.

Custom pantry doors and shelves, hand-gouged/planed. Most of this wood was milled from trees cut from the property. Antique rusty hinges. Adobe mud plaster. Recycled maple floor reclaimed from school gym. Locally milled rough-sawn wood ceiling. A design-build project by Sustainable Builders llc of Taos NM. Photo by Thomas Soule of Sustainable Builders llc.

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

Sustainability was a central focus of this renovation, guiding the Design Draw Build team in upgrading both the passive and active systems of the home. The building envelope was highly insulated and a greywater capture and reuse system was installed, significantly reducing water usage in tandem with drought-tolerant landscaping.

Can you spot the Monarch butterfly? Watch the incredible pollinator activity in this garden on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi2hbqw0fqk&list=PLmatUkAp_Vvbh_OgrLY_6B28qrnFtMZLP&index=6

Custom wood work made from reclaimed wood or lumber harvested from the site. The vigas (log beams) came from a wild fire area. Adobe mud plaster. Recycled maple floor reclaimed from school gym. Locally milled rough-sawn wood ceiling. A design-build project by Sustainable Builders llc of Taos NM. Photo by Thomas Soule of Sustainable Builders llc.

Lovingly referred to as “The Sanctuary” by its owners, an active couple of ordained ministers, and executed on a very modest budget, this modern take on the farmhouse vernacular is a place to bring people together and find spiritual renewal in a responsible, sustainable setting. Photo by Paul Finkel | Piston Design

Full ICF Home: Active and Passive Solar at Work - Great Building Concepts, LLC enjoys the ability to work with our customers to maximize energy efficiency in every way - including positioning the home to take full advantage of lot conditions, as seen here with active and passive solar working hand-in-hand.

Photo by: Scott DW Smith modern mining solar strawbale residence
Inspiration for a transitional exterior home remodel in Albuquerque

Photo by: Scott DW Smith grid tied solar cabin
Transitional exterior home photo in Albuquerque

A Vermont second home renovation used for an active family who skis. Photos by Matthew Niemann Photography.
Inspiration for a contemporary light wood floor and beige floor great room remodel in Dallas with white walls

The back patio offers indoor-outdoor living throughout the year and a cool place for dining and entertaining during the warmer months. A custom shed with horizontal wood planks mimics the fence design, giving the space an open, modern feel while offering ample storage for an active family.

This small cluster of eight homes in four duplex buildings, close to the centers of Florence and Northampton, offers a new and enviable sustainable neighborhood living experience. One floor living, with light and ventilation on three sides, in the best of mid-century American style, is designed for passive and active solar performance. Inspired architecture by Charles Roberts of Kuhn Riddle Architects means bright winter light, summer shading, storage loft, great kitchens for cooks, sloped ceilings for airiness and construction technologies for the 21st century.