This foyer was updated with the addition of white paneling and new herringbone hardwood floors with a walnut border. The walls are covered in a navy blue grasscloth wallpaper from Thibaut. A navy and white geometric patterned stair-runner, held in place with stair rods capped with pineapple finials, further contributes to the home's coastal feel. Photo by Mike Mroz of Michael Robert Construction

Take a home that has seen many lives and give it yet another one! This entry foyer got opened up to the kitchen and now gives the home a flow it had never seen.

Design: Mark Lind Project Management: Jon Strain Photography: Paul Finkel, 2012

Paul Burk Photography

Pilar House (2010) Project, Works Management and Construction Location Altos de Pilar Country Club, Pilar, Buenos Aires, Argentina Total Area 706 m² Photo Eugenio Valentini Principal> Arq. Alejandro Amoedo Lead Designer> Arq. Lucas D’Adamo Baumann Project Manager> Hernan Montes de Oca Collaborators> Federico Segretin Sueyro, Luciana Flores, Fausto Cristini This weekend house was designed on a large lot. Framed by two large walls placed orthogonally over one of the corners of the lot, an H-shaped layout was designed, dividing the lot in three well differentiated areas. To the front, there is the access driveway for cars and pedestrians; on the northeastern side, there is the pool and leisure area; and, finally, on the southern side, there is the service and garage area. The plan is very big and more developed on the ground floor, which allowed for the creation of a big terrace that benefits from the views onto the garden and the swimming pool and also articulates functionally the private area of the upper floor bedrooms with the playroom and the gallery on the ground floor. The white image with pure lines of this house, inspired in the Bauhaus principles where form follows function, is broken by some walls paneled in black slates, steel, wood and mainly by large glass areas that are integrated into the views and natural light in all its rooms. From the front of the lot, we access the house under a folded wall that organizes the main hall and we face an inner yard around which we find: the sitting room, half a level below, and the formal dining room, after which is the home theater room, especially conditioned for its function. The large cantilever proposed by the upper floor over the sitting room forms a semi-covered sector adjacent to it where a sunken space especially devised for leisure was designed over a wooden deck. It is accompanied by a double-sided fireplace which may be seen from the inside and from the outside. The access sector is completed with a wardrobe, a toilet and a guest bedroom with private bathroom, profiting from exclusive views onto an inner yard created by the stone wall that surrounds these sectors. In the center of the H there is the family area, made up of the kitchen, the informal dining room and the main gallery, which connects it to the playroom and the barbecue area. From the kitchen, access may be gained to the southern sector, comprising the service area and used as secondary access from the garages. A laundry, a pantry, a bedroom with bathroom, a storage room, a full bathroom with sauna for the pool and playroom make up this sector. The upper floor includes the master suite with bathroom, walk-in closet and views onto the garden; the girls' suite is made up of two bedrooms that may be integrated into a common playroom and a bathroom shared with the rest areas. From the central hall in double height, access is gained to the terrace through a steel and glass bridge that connects it to the stairs made of the same materials.

ZeroEnergy Design (ZED) created this modern home for a progressive family in the desirable community of Lexington. Thoughtful Land Connection. The residence is carefully sited on the infill lot so as to create privacy from the road and neighbors, while cultivating a side yard that captures the southern sun. The terraced grade rises to meet the house, allowing for it to maintain a structured connection with the ground while also sitting above the high water table. The elevated outdoor living space maintains a strong connection with the indoor living space, while the stepped edge ties it back to the true ground plane. Siting and outdoor connections were completed by ZED in collaboration with landscape designer Soren Deniord Design Studio. Exterior Finishes and Solar. The exterior finish materials include a palette of shiplapped wood siding, through-colored fiber cement panels and stucco. A rooftop parapet hides the solar panels above, while a gutter and site drainage system directs rainwater into an irrigation cistern and dry wells that recharge the groundwater. Cooking, Dining, Living. Inside, the kitchen, fabricated by Henrybuilt, is located between the indoor and outdoor dining areas. The expansive south-facing sliding door opens to seamlessly connect the spaces, using a retractable awning to provide shade during the summer while still admitting the warming winter sun. The indoor living space continues from the dining areas across to the sunken living area, with a view that returns again to the outside through the corner wall of glass. Accessible Guest Suite. The design of the first level guest suite provides for both aging in place and guests who regularly visit for extended stays. The patio off the north side of the house affords guests their own private outdoor space, and privacy from the neighbor. Similarly, the second level master suite opens to an outdoor private roof deck. Light and Access. The wide open interior stair with a glass panel rail leads from the top level down to the well insulated basement. The design of the basement, used as an away/play space, addresses the need for both natural light and easy access. In addition to the open stairwell, light is admitted to the north side of the area with a high performance, Passive House (PHI) certified skylight, covering a six by sixteen foot area. On the south side, a unique roof hatch set flush with the deck opens to reveal a glass door at the base of the stairwell which provides additional light and access from the deck above down to the play space. Energy. Energy consumption is reduced by the high performance building envelope, high efficiency mechanical systems, and then offset with renewable energy. All windows and doors are made of high performance triple paned glass with thermally broken aluminum frames. The exterior wall assembly employs dense pack cellulose in the stud cavity, a continuous air barrier, and four inches exterior rigid foam insulation. The 10kW rooftop solar electric system provides clean energy production. The final air leakage testing yielded 0.6 ACH 50 - an extremely air tight house, a testament to the well-designed details, progress testing and quality construction. When compared to a new house built to code requirements, this home consumes only 19% of the energy. Architecture & Energy Consulting: ZeroEnergy Design Landscape Design: Soren Deniord Design Paintings: Bernd Haussmann Studio Photos: Eric Roth Photography

The first goal for this client in Chatham was to give them a front walk and entrance that was beautiful and grande. We decided to use natural blue bluestone tiles of random sizes. We integrated a custom cut 6" x 9" bluestone border and ran it continuous throughout. Our second goal was to give them walking access from their driveway to their front door. Because their driveway was considerably lower than the front of their home, we needed to cut in a set of steps through their driveway retaining wall, include a number of turns and bridge the walkways with multiple landings. While doing this, we wanted to keep continuity within the building products of choice. We used real stone veneer to side all walls and stair risers to match what was already on the house. We used 2" thick bluestone caps for all stair treads and retaining wall caps. We installed the matching real stone veneer to the face and sides of the retaining wall. All of the bluestone caps were custom cut to seamlessly round all turns. We are very proud of this finished product. We are also very proud to have had the opportunity to work for this family. What amazing people. #GreatWorkForGreatPeople As a side note regarding this phase - throughout the construction, numerous local builders stopped at our job to take pictures of our work. #UltimateCompliment #PrimeIsInTheLead

Genoa Carpet on Stairs

Photo: Rikki Snyder ©2016 Houzz

Quigley Decks & Fence