Sitting aside the slopes of Windham Ski Resort in the Catskills, this is a stunning example of what happens when everything gels — from the homeowners’ vision, the property, the design, the decorating, and the workmanship involved throughout. An outstanding finished home materializes like a complex magic trick. You start with a piece of land and an undefined vision. Maybe you know it’s a timber frame, maybe not. But soon you gather a team and you have this wide range of inter-dependent ideas swirling around everyone’s heads — architects, engineers, designers, decorators — and like alchemy you’re just not 100% sure that all the ingredients will work. And when they do, you end up with a home like this. The architectural design and engineering is based on our versatile Olive layout. Our field team installed the ultra-efficient shell of Insulspan SIP wall and roof panels, local tradesmen did a great job on the rest. And in the end the homeowners made us all look like first-ballot-hall-of-famers by commissioning Design Bar by Kathy Kuo for the interior design. Doesn’t hurt to send the best photographer we know to capture it all. Pics from Kim Smith Photo.

Example of a trendy eat-in kitchen design in Seattle with flat-panel cabinets

A Northwest Modern, 5-Star Builtgreen, energy efficient, panelized, custom residence using western red cedar for siding and soffits. Photographs by Miguel Edwards

Example of a cottage family room design in New York

Location: Sand Point, ID. Photos by Marie-Dominique Verdier; built by Selle Valley
Inspiration for a mid-sized rustic single-wall medium tone wood floor and brown floor kitchen remodel in Seattle with flat-panel cabinets, metal backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an undermount sink, light wood cabinets, quartz countertops, metallic backsplash and no island

Architecture by: 360 Architects Photos taken by: ERIC LINEBARGER lemonlime photography website :: lemonlimephoto.com twitter :: www.twitter.com/elinebarger/

92 square foot SIP panel, modular, backyard office. Shou-Sugi-Ban wood siding and Monotread wall sheathing. Photography by Blake Gordon and Lisa Hause

The house features energy independence by necessity. Solar hot water collectors provide domestic hot water as well as space heating by flowing the heated fluid first through a heat exchanger and then into tubing buried in a 2 ft. bed of sand beneath the floor slabs. © Eric Millette Photography

aga@agajphoto.com
Example of a minimalist light wood floor kitchen/dining room combo design in San Francisco with white walls

The goal of this project was to build a house that would be energy efficient using materials that were both economical and environmentally conscious. Due to the extremely cold winter weather conditions in the Catskills, insulating the house was a primary concern. The main structure of the house is a timber frame from an nineteenth century barn that has been restored and raised on this new site. The entirety of this frame has then been wrapped in SIPs (structural insulated panels), both walls and the roof. The house is slab on grade, insulated from below. The concrete slab was poured with a radiant heating system inside and the top of the slab was polished and left exposed as the flooring surface. Fiberglass windows with an extremely high R-value were chosen for their green properties. Care was also taken during construction to make all of the joints between the SIPs panels and around window and door openings as airtight as possible. The fact that the house is so airtight along with the high overall insulatory value achieved from the insulated slab, SIPs panels, and windows make the house very energy efficient. The house utilizes an air exchanger, a device that brings fresh air in from outside without loosing heat and circulates the air within the house to move warmer air down from the second floor. Other green materials in the home include reclaimed barn wood used for the floor and ceiling of the second floor, reclaimed wood stairs and bathroom vanity, and an on-demand hot water/boiler system. The exterior of the house is clad in black corrugated aluminum with an aluminum standing seam roof. Because of the extremely cold winter temperatures windows are used discerningly, the three largest windows are on the first floor providing the main living areas with a majestic view of the Catskill mountains.

Designed with a rusty mining shed as the goal, this is a new residence featuring geo-thermal heating/cooling, passive solar lighting and heating, high efficiency foam insulation, SIPS panels, low flow water fixtures and locally sourced/milled woodwork.

92 square foot SIP panel, modular, backyard office. Shou-Sugi-Ban wood siding and Monotread wall sheathing. Our signature interior surface, Monotread is a durable, seamless, sustainable material used on floors, walls and ceilings. Milled from OSB (Oriented Strand Board), Monotread is produced from fast-growing, underutilized, inexpensive wood species grown in carefully managed forests. The combination of wood chips allows a unique, monolithic presentation allowing various applications. Photography by Blake Gordon and Lisa Hause

92 square foot SIP panel, modular, backyard office. Shou-Sugi-Ban wood siding and Monotread wall sheathing. Photography by Blake Gordon and Lisa Hause

Photography, Sam Oberter
Trendy open concept light wood floor living room photo in Philadelphia with white walls, a standard fireplace, a plaster fireplace and a concealed tv

92 square foot SIP panel, modular, backyard office. Shou-Sugi-Ban wood siding and Monotread wall sheathing. Burned-wood or charred-wood siding, Shou-Sugi-Ban is Japanese wood treatment used in various elements throughout Sett – interior and exterior. Not only does it deliver an attractive aesthetic, the burning also weatherizes the wood, prevents bugs and rot, and has enhanced fire-resistance. Photography by Blake Gordon and Lisa Hause

Photovoltaic panels generate all the home’s electricity, sending surplus energy back to the grid. All the home’s systems—hot water, HVAC, and radiant heating—are integrated, electric-based, and powered by the PV panels on the roof. The only use of natural gas is at the cooking range, which draws from a 50-gallon propane tank. With the exception of the propane tank, the home is net-zero in terms of its energy consumption. Photographer: Matthew Millman

This project salvages a historic German-style bank barn that fell into serious decay and readapts it into a private family entertainment space. The barn had to be straightened, stabilized, and moved to a new location off the road as required by local zoning. Design plans maintain the integrity of the bank barn and reuses lumber. The traditional details juxtapose modern amenities including two bedrooms, two loft-style dayrooms, a large kitchen for entertaining, dining room, and family room with stone fireplace. Finishes are exposed throughout. A highlight is a two-level porch: one covered, one screened. The backside of the barn provides privacy and the perfect place to relax and enjoy full, unobstructed views of the property. Photos by Cesar Lujan

The Twin Peaks Passive House + ADU was designed and built to remain resilient in the face of natural disasters. Fortunately, the same great building strategies and design that provide resilience also provide a home that is incredibly comfortable and healthy while also visually stunning. This home’s journey began with a desire to design and build a house that meets the rigorous standards of Passive House. Before beginning the design/ construction process, the homeowners had already spent countless hours researching ways to minimize their global climate change footprint. As with any Passive House, a large portion of this research was focused on building envelope design and construction. The wall assembly is combination of six inch Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPs) and 2x6 stick frame construction filled with blown in insulation. The roof assembly is a combination of twelve inch SIPs and 2x12 stick frame construction filled with batt insulation. The pairing of SIPs and traditional stick framing allowed for easy air sealing details and a continuous thermal break between the panels and the wall framing. Beyond the building envelope, a number of other high performance strategies were used in constructing this home and ADU such as: battery storage of solar energy, ground source heat pump technology, Heat Recovery Ventilation, LED lighting, and heat pump water heating technology. In addition to the time and energy spent on reaching Passivhaus Standards, thoughtful design and carefully chosen interior finishes coalesce at the Twin Peaks Passive House + ADU into stunning interiors with modern farmhouse appeal. The result is a graceful combination of innovation, durability, and aesthetics that will last for a century to come. Despite the requirements of adhering to some of the most rigorous environmental standards in construction today, the homeowners chose to certify both their main home and their ADU to Passive House Standards. From a meticulously designed building envelope that tested at 0.62 ACH50, to the extensive solar array/ battery bank combination that allows designated circuits to function, uninterrupted for at least 48 hours, the Twin Peaks Passive House has a long list of high performance features that contributed to the completion of this arduous certification process. The ADU was also designed and built with these high standards in mind. Both homes have the same wall and roof assembly ,an HRV, and a Passive House Certified window and doors package. While the main home includes a ground source heat pump that warms both the radiant floors and domestic hot water tank, the more compact ADU is heated with a mini-split ductless heat pump. The end result is a home and ADU built to last, both of which are a testament to owners’ commitment to lessen their impact on the environment.

Habor Cottage, www.harborcottagemaine.com, in Martinsville Maine. Renovation by Sheila Narusawa, http://www.sheilanarusawa.com/. Construction by Harbor Builders www.harborbuilders.com. Photography by Justine Hand. For the complete tour see http://designskool.net/harbor-cottage-maine.