The homeowner of this third floor renovation in Toronto's Roncesvalles neighbourhood wanted to make more efficient use of the space and tackle drafts through insulation, air sealing, and balanced ventilation. The project saved an estimated 6,597 KG of C02 compared to a typical renovation of the same size. That’s equal to the carbon that 171 trees remove from the air we breathe during their lifetime!* While insulation and high efficiency windows reduce energy (i.e. natural gas) needed to heat and cool the home, other measures such as waste diversion and non-toxic building materials are also critical in reducing environmental impact and safeguarding occupant health. For this project, like others, we developed a number of plans, including waste diversion, materials, resources and transportation.

Strand woven Bamboo flooring is becoming a more popular choice because of its exotic beauty, durability, price, easy maintenance, and eco-friendliness. By applying extreme heat and pressure, Bamboo flooring manufacturers have determined a way to transform “waste” into a beautiful, stylish, and green product. Compared to some other hardwood floors, strand woven Bamboo flooring is much harder, measuring 2800 on the Janka Hardness Scale.

This space needed to be redesigned to better improve both the functionality and overall aesthetics of the room. The narrow footprint didn’t inhibit on all that is included in this laundry and mud room! The homeowners received their much-needed overflow pantry storage, ample shoe storage for their growing family, and plenty of room to fold laundry with additional space made for a drying rack and pull out waste/recycle bin. The final design gives everything a place!

Strand woven Bamboo flooring is becoming a more popular choice because of its exotic beauty, durability, price, easy maintenance, and eco-friendliness. By applying extreme heat and pressure, Bamboo flooring manufacturers have determined a way to transform “waste” into a beautiful, stylish, and green product. Compared to some other hardwood floors, strand woven Bamboo flooring is much harder, measuring 2800 on the Janka Hardness Scale.

Basement media center in white finish and raised panel doors
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional underground carpeted and beige floor basement remodel in Indianapolis with gray walls and no fireplace

Gibeon Photography
Home office - freestanding desk medium tone wood floor and brown floor home office idea with brown walls

Inspiration for a huge timeless white tile marble floor freestanding bathtub remodel in Orlando with an integrated sink, white cabinets, marble countertops, gray walls and recessed-panel cabinets

Drop-in bathtub - small traditional master blue tile marble floor drop-in bathtub idea in Hawaii with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, a one-piece toilet and gray walls

This LEED Platinum certified house reflects the homeowner's desire for an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment, within a traditional neighborhood. INFILL SITE. The family, who moved from another area of Wellesley, sought out this property to be within walking distance of the high school and downtown area. An existing structure on the tight lot was removed to make way for the new home. 84% of the construction waste, from both the previous structure and the new home, was diverted from a landfill. ZED designed to preserve the existing mature trees on the perimeter of the property to minimize site impacts, and to maintain the character of the neighborhood as well as privacy on the site. EXTERIOR EXPRESSION. The street facade of the home relates to the local New England vernacular. The rear uses contemporary language, a nod to the family’s Californian roots, to incorporate a roof deck, solar panels, outdoor living space, and the backyard swimming pool. ZED’s careful planning avoided to the need to face the garage doors towards the street, a common syndrome of a narrow lot. THOUGHTFUL SPACE. Homes with dual entries can often result in duplicate and unused spaces. In this home, the everyday and formal entry areas are one and the same; the front and garage doors share the entry program of coat closets, mudroom storage with bench for removing your shoes, and a laundry room with generous closets for the children's sporting equipment. The entry area leads directly to the living space, encompassing the kitchen, dining and sitting area areas in an L-shaped open plan arrangement. The kitchen is placed at the south-west corner of the space to allow for a strong connection to the dining, sitting and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit on the deck satisfies the family’s desire for an open flame while a sealed gas fireplace is used indoors - ZED’s preference after omitting gas burning appliances completely from an airtight home. A small study, with a window seat, is conveniently located just off of the living space. A first floor guest bedroom includes an accessible bathroom for aging visitors and can be used as a master suite to accommodate aging in place. HEALTHY LIVING. The client requested a home that was easy to clean and would provide a respite from seasonal allergies and common contaminants that are found in many indoor spaces. ZED selected easy to clean solid surface flooring throughout, provided ample space for cleaning supplies on each floor, and designed a mechanical system with ventilation that provides a constant supply of fresh outdoor air. ZED selected durable materials, finishes, cabinetry, and casework with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and no added urea formaldehyde. YEAR-ROUND COMFORT. The home is super insulated and air-tight, paired with high performance triple-paned windows, to ensure it is draft-free throughout the winter (even when in front of the large windows and doors). ZED designed a right-sized heating and cooling system to pair with the thermally improved building enclosure to ensure year-round comfort. The glazing on the home maximizes passive solar gains, and facilitates cross ventilation and daylighting. ENERGY EFFICIENT. As one of the most energy efficient houses built to date in Wellesley, the home highlights a practical solution for Massachusetts. First, the building enclosure reduces the largest energy requirement for typical houses (heating). Super-insulation, exceptional air sealing, a thermally broken wall assembly, triple pane windows, and passive solar gain combine for a sizable heating load reduction. Second, within the house only efficient systems consume energy. These include an air source heat pump for heating & cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation, and high efficiency appliances. Lastly, photovoltaics provide renewable energy help offset energy consumption. The result is an 89% reduction in energy use compared to a similar brand new home built to code requirements. RESILIENT. The home will fare well in extreme weather events. During a winter power outage, heat loss will be very slow due to the super-insulated and airtight envelope– taking multiple days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. An engineered drainage system, paired with careful the detailing of the foundation, will help to keep the finished basement dry. A generator will provide full operation of the all-electric house during a power outage. OVERALL. The home is a reflection of the family goals and an expression of their values, beautifully enabling health, comfort, safety, resilience, and utility, all while respecting the planet. ZED - Architect & Mechanical Designer Bevilacqua Builders Inc - Contractor Creative Land & Water Engineering - Civil Engineering Barbara Peterson Landscape - Landscape Design Nest & Company - Interior Furnishings Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Milan Kovacevic
Large elegant open concept medium tone wood floor family room photo in San Diego with beige walls

photo: Mark Pinkerton, VI360
Home design - contemporary home design idea in San Francisco

Vetrazzo® is a distinctive surfacing material. 100% of the glass is recycled from everyday items like beverage bottles, windows, stemware and stained glass and the unexpected – traffic light lenses, windshields and shower doors. There is, quite literally, a story in every surface™. With no petroleum resin binders and its savvy use of waste, Vetrazzo is one of the most eco-friendly surfacing options in the industry. It is an extremely durable and easy-to-maintain surface. it’s comparable to granite in strength, scratch resistance, heat resistance, durability, and care and maintenance. Vetrazzo surfaces can easily be cleaned, which means that you shouldn’t expect to spend much (or any) money by way of maintenance over the years.

Vetrazzo® is a distinctive surfacing material. 100% of the glass is recycled from everyday items like beverage bottles, windows, stemware and stained glass and the unexpected – traffic light lenses, windshields and shower doors. There is, quite literally, a story in every surface™. With no petroleum resin binders and its savvy use of waste, Vetrazzo is one of the most eco-friendly surfacing options in the industry. It is an extremely durable and easy-to-maintain surface. it’s comparable to granite in strength, scratch resistance, heat resistance, durability, and care and maintenance. Vetrazzo surfaces can easily be cleaned, which means that you shouldn’t expect to spend much (or any) money by way of maintenance over the years.

Vetrazzo® is a distinctive surfacing material. 100% of the glass is recycled from everyday items like beverage bottles, windows, stemware and stained glass and the unexpected – traffic light lenses, windshields and shower doors. There is, quite literally, a story in every surface™. With no petroleum resin binders and its savvy use of waste, Vetrazzo is one of the most eco-friendly surfacing options in the industry. It is an extremely durable and easy-to-maintain surface. it’s comparable to granite in strength, scratch resistance, heat resistance, durability, and care and maintenance. Vetrazzo surfaces can easily be cleaned, which means that you shouldn’t expect to spend much (or any) money by way of maintenance over the years.

Vetrazzo® is a distinctive surfacing material. 100% of the glass is recycled from everyday items like beverage bottles, windows, stemware and stained glass and the unexpected – traffic light lenses, windshields and shower doors. There is, quite literally, a story in every surface™. With no petroleum resin binders and its savvy use of waste, Vetrazzo is one of the most eco-friendly surfacing options in the industry. It is an extremely durable and easy-to-maintain surface. it’s comparable to granite in strength, scratch resistance, heat resistance, durability, and care and maintenance. Vetrazzo surfaces can easily be cleaned, which means that you shouldn’t expect to spend much (or any) money by way of maintenance over the years.

Vetrazzo® is a distinctive surfacing material. 100% of the glass is recycled from everyday items like beverage bottles, windows, stemware and stained glass and the unexpected – traffic light lenses, windshields and shower doors. There is, quite literally, a story in every surface™. With no petroleum resin binders and its savvy use of waste, Vetrazzo is one of the most eco-friendly surfacing options in the industry. It is an extremely durable and easy-to-maintain surface. it’s comparable to granite in strength, scratch resistance, heat resistance, durability, and care and maintenance. Vetrazzo surfaces can easily be cleaned, which means that you shouldn’t expect to spend much (or any) money by way of maintenance over the years.

Vetrazzo® is a distinctive surfacing material. 100% of the glass is recycled from everyday items like beverage bottles, windows, stemware and stained glass and the unexpected – traffic light lenses, windshields and shower doors. There is, quite literally, a story in every surface™. With no petroleum resin binders and its savvy use of waste, Vetrazzo is one of the most eco-friendly surfacing options in the industry. It is an extremely durable and easy-to-maintain surface. it’s comparable to granite in strength, scratch resistance, heat resistance, durability, and care and maintenance. Vetrazzo surfaces can easily be cleaned, which means that you shouldn’t expect to spend much (or any) money by way of maintenance over the years.

Vetrazzo® is a distinctive surfacing material. 100% of the glass is recycled from everyday items like beverage bottles, windows, stemware and stained glass and the unexpected – traffic light lenses, windshields and shower doors. There is, quite literally, a story in every surface™. With no petroleum resin binders and its savvy use of waste, Vetrazzo is one of the most eco-friendly surfacing options in the industry. It is an extremely durable and easy-to-maintain surface. it’s comparable to granite in strength, scratch resistance, heat resistance, durability, and care and maintenance. Vetrazzo surfaces can easily be cleaned, which means that you shouldn’t expect to spend much (or any) money by way of maintenance over the years.

Vetrazzo® is a distinctive surfacing material. 100% of the glass is recycled from everyday items like beverage bottles, windows, stemware and stained glass and the unexpected – traffic light lenses, windshields and shower doors. There is, quite literally, a story in every surface™. With no petroleum resin binders and its savvy use of waste, Vetrazzo is one of the most eco-friendly surfacing options in the industry. It is an extremely durable and easy-to-maintain surface. it’s comparable to granite in strength, scratch resistance, heat resistance, durability, and care and maintenance. Vetrazzo surfaces can easily be cleaned, which means that you shouldn’t expect to spend much (or any) money by way of maintenance over the years. Location: Sarasota Ranch Model Builder: Nutter Custom Construction