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

Cape Cod
Traditional exterior home idea in Chicago

Photographed by Dan Cutrona
Trendy rooftop rooftop deck photo in Boston with no cover

Pleasant Heights is a newly constructed home that sits atop a large bluff in Chatham overlooking Pleasant Bay, the largest salt water estuary on Cape Cod. - Two classic shingle style gambrel roofs run perpendicular to the main body of the house and flank an entry porch with two stout, robust columns. A hip-roofed dormer—with an arch-top center window and two tiny side windows—highlights the center above the porch and caps off the orderly but not too formal entry area. A third gambrel defines the garage that is set off to one side. A continuous flared roof overhang brings down the scale and helps shade the first-floor windows. Sinuous lines created by arches and brackets balance the linear geometry of the main mass of the house and are playful and fun. A broad back porch provides a covered transition from house to landscape and frames sweeping views. - Inside, a grand entry hall with a curved stair and balcony above sets up entry to a sequence of spaces that stretch out parallel to the shoreline. Living, dining, kitchen, breakfast nook, study, screened-in porch, all bedrooms and some bathrooms take in the spectacular bay view. A rustic brick and stone fireplace warms the living room and recalls the finely detailed chimney that anchors the west end of the house outside. - PSD Scope Of Work: Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Construction | Living Space: 6,883ft² | Photography: Brian Vanden Brink |

Small arts and crafts two-story wood exterior home photo in Other

Inspiration for a small craftsman two-story wood exterior home remodel in Other

Cape Cod Colonial History: The early Cap Cods were very crude. They usually had one room on the first floor and a sleeping loft above. The modern version with kitchen, bath, bedrooms and dining area was the one of the popular styles from the 1920's through 1950 and is now coming back into popularity again. Mega Homes ( http://www.mega-homes.com/)

Cape Cod Colonial Characteristics: • Occasionally Dormers Were Used • Wood Shingles on the Roof • Small Grids in the Windows • 1 1/2 Stories • 6 Panel Door • Balanced in Front • Small Overhang Mega Homes ( http://www.mega-homes.com/)

An existing Cape built in the 1980s was transformed through the addition of a wraparound front porch with robust but traditional columns, expanded second floor dormers, a new deck and screened-in porch facing the backyard, an expanded and open kitchen/breakfast/family room, a new mud room/laundry room/powder room suite, and a new bedroom suite in what had previously been attic space. The underlying Cape form still remains but is now expanded to have character, scale and presence befitting its rural seaside neighborhood of mostly large and elegant homes. PSD Scope Of Work: Architecture, Construction | Living Space: 3,197ft² | Photography: Brian Vanden Brink |

Cape Cod; Dennis, MA The central feature is the kitchen island with its dark, contrasting countertop and traditional turned legs, providing a classic farmhouse aesthetic. Paired with the island are three natural-wood bar stools with woven cane seats, which add warmth and texture to the room. The stools are perfectly positioned for casual dining or conversation. The kitchen's cabinetry is a clean, classic off white shaker style that extends to the refrigerator and a built-in wine cooler, creating a seamless and integrated look. The ceiling design varies, with one section featuring traditional beadboard paneling, a common coastal design element, adding depth and visual interest. Two polished metal pendant lights hang over the island, providing focused task lighting and a touch of modern sophistication. Natural light pours into the space from a large window above the sink, which is flanked by simple white countertops and a backsplash. A vase of fresh green flowers on the island and a wine bottle hint at the room's use for entertaining and everyday living. The warm, wood floors complete the space, tying the natural elements together and grounding the bright, off white design.

Rustic and comfortable wet bar and wine rack. - Photo by Landmark Photography
Example of a large transitional ceramic tile wine cellar design in Minneapolis

Waterfront Shingle Style Home with wraparound porch and stone circular driveway on a custom home by Custom coastal home on Cape Cod by Polhemus Savery DaSilva Architects Builders. North-by-Northeast sits on a bluff at a point where the highland bends, creating a promontory from which much of the several square mile Nauset system can be seen, including Thoreau’s route north and the now underwater location of Fo'castle. Spectacular views spanning from northwest to southeast are possible from the site PSD Scope Of Work: Architecture, Construction / Living Space: 3,861ft² / Photography: Randall Perry

Kyle J Caldwell Photography
Beach style screened-in porch idea in Boston with a roof extension

A carpet of grass and bluestone provides a relaxing outdoor sitting room - family & friends can sit in the shade while watching tennis on the adjacent court. Photography by Charles Mayer.

Ryan Dearth Photography
Inspiration for a timeless gray two-story exterior home remodel in Seattle

Two car garage with white trim and shingle flare. Photo by Duckham Architecture
Large ornate attached two-car garage photo in Boston

This custom Cape Cod home gracefully melds into the surrounding landscape. Photo: OnSite Studios
Inspiration for a cottage gray two-story wood exterior home remodel in Boston

An existing Cape built in the 1980s was transformed through the addition of a wraparound front porch with robust but traditional columns, expanded second floor dormers, a new deck and screened-in porch facing the backyard, an expanded and open kitchen/breakfast/family room, a new mud room/laundry room/powder room suite, and a new bedroom suite in what had previously been attic space. The underlying Cape form still remains but is now expanded to have character, scale and presence befitting its rural seaside neighborhood of mostly large and elegant homes. PSD Scope Of Work: Architecture, Construction | Living Space: 3,197ft² | Photography: Brian Vanden Brink |

Foyer - coastal light wood floor and beige floor foyer idea in Los Angeles with white walls and a white front door