Master Bath with floating vanity streamlines the mid-century modern design.

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

This homeowner has long since moved away from his family farm but still visits often and thought it was time to fix up this little house that had been neglected for years. He brought home ideas and objects he was drawn to from travels around the world and allowed a team of us to help bring them together in this old family home that housed many generations through the years. What it grew into is not your typical 150 year old NC farm house but the essence is still there and shines through in the original wood and beams in the ceiling and on some of the walls, old flooring, re-purposed objects from the farm and the collection of cherished finds from his travels. Photos by Tad Davis Photography

Caroline Johnson Photography (Photographer) Suzy Baur Design (Interior Designer)

The guest bathroom has the most striking matte glass patterned tile on both the backsplash and in the bathtub/shower combination. A floating wood vanity has a white quartz countertop and mid-century modern sconces on either side of the round mirror.

Barn Door leading to Master Bathroom

Our client asked us to remodel the Master Bathroom of her 1970's lake home which was quite an honor since it was an important and personal space that she had been dreaming about for years. As a busy doctor and mother of two, she needed a sanctuary to relax and unwind. She and her husband had previously remodeled their entire house except for the Master Bath which was dark, tight and tired. She wanted a better layout to create a bright, clean, modern space with Calacatta gold marble, navy blue glass tile and cabinets and a sprinkle of gold hardware. The results were stunning... a fresh, clean, modern, bright and beautiful Master Bathroom that our client was thrilled to enjoy for years to come.

Jacob Snavely

Double floating vanity with freestanding bainultra tub. There is plenty of space in this master bath! Large format wood plank tile is set in a herringbone pattern. The air bubble tub is a stunning view as the focal point when you enter the room. Full wall featuring glass tile with recessed niches and a large picture window. Photos by Chris Veith

Photo Credit: Pura Soul Photography

This remodel went from a tiny corner bathroom, to a charming full master bathroom with a large walk in closet. The Master Bathroom was over sized so we took space from the bedroom and closets to create a double vanity space with herringbone glass tile backsplash. We were able to fit in a linen cabinet with the new master shower layout for plenty of built-in storage. The bathroom are tiled with hex marble tile on the floor and herringbone marble tiles in the shower. Paired with the brass plumbing fixtures and hardware this master bathroom is a show stopper and will be cherished for years to come. Space Plans & Design, Interior Finishes by Signature Designs Kitchen Bath. Photography Gail Owens

Ripping out the old, dated tub made room for a walk-in shower that will remain practical as the client gets older. The back splash wall tile provides a stunning focal point as you enter the Master Bath. Keeping finishes light and neutral helps this small room to feel more spacious and open.

Vanity & Shelves are custom made. Wall tile is from Arizona Tile. Medicine Cabinet is from Kohler. Plumbing fixtures are from Newport Brass.

Photography by J Savage Gibson