Cottage shiplap wall double front door photo in Seattle with white walls and a black front door

Example of an urban dark wood floor enclosed kitchen design in Chicago with white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, an island, an integrated sink, open cabinets and stainless steel countertops

The media room was brought into the 21st century with a state-of-the-art home theatre and sound system and new furnishings. This room also comes with a rainbow choice of colored light options. The lighting, sound and HVAC system in this smart home can be controlled with the swipe of a finger on a tablet or phone. Robert Vente Photography

Stephen Cridland
Inspiration for a contemporary backyard concrete paver landscaping in Portland.

Photo of a huge traditional partial sun water fountain landscape in Philadelphia.

Large trendy master gray tile gray floor and concrete floor double shower photo with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, a one-piece toilet, gray walls, a vessel sink, a hinged shower door, black countertops and concrete countertops

Architect of Record: David Burton, photographer: Paul Dyer
Large transitional concrete floor exterior home idea in San Francisco

Large backyard ground level cable railing deck photo in New York

A coastal style open kitchen and family room, accompanied by balanced organic hues and blue accents.
Open concept kitchen - coastal light wood floor open concept kitchen idea in Boston with white backsplash and white countertops

Bedroom with Nanawall system opening to private deck
Bedroom - mid-sized rustic master dark wood floor and black floor bedroom idea in Seattle with white walls

Liadesign
Mid-sized minimalist closet photo in Milan

Joe Fletcher Photography
Bedroom - industrial loft-style medium tone wood floor bedroom idea in San Francisco with beige walls

Designed by DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen Ann Arbor designer Kami Michels Built by DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen Carpenter Gerry Davids Photographed by Angela Brown Photography 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

Close-up of DesignRail® Base Mount to deck surface and CableRail infill. Transition from level railing to stair railing. Nat Rea Photography
Deck - large modern deck idea in Portland Maine

Mariko Reed

Deck - large backyard ground level cable railing deck idea in New York

Large backyard ground level cable railing deck photo in New York

David Heald
Inspiration for a farmhouse landscaping in New York.