A John Kraemer & Sons home on Lake Minnetonka's Wayzata Bay. Photography: Landmark Photography

CB Wilson Interior Design Bruce Thompson Photography

The Porch House located just west of Springfield, Missouri, presented Hufft Projects with a unique challenge. The clients desired a residence that referenced the traditional forms of farmhouses but also spoke to something distinctly modern. A hybrid building emerged and the Porch House greets visitors with its namesake – a large east and south facing ten foot cantilevering canopy that provides dramatic cover. The residence also commands a view of the expansive river valley to the south. L-shaped in plan, the house’s master suite is located in the western leg and is isolated away from other functions allowing privacy. The living room, dining room, and kitchen anchor the southern, more traditional wing of the house with its spacious vaulted ceilings. A chimney punctuates this area and features a granite clad fireplace on the interior and an exterior fireplace expressing split face concrete block. Photo Credit: Mike Sinclair

The Porch House located just west of Springfield, Missouri, presented Hufft Projects with a unique challenge. The clients desired a residence that referenced the traditional forms of farmhouses but also spoke to something distinctly modern. A hybrid building emerged and the Porch House greets visitors with its namesake – a large east and south facing ten foot cantilevering canopy that provides dramatic cover. The residence also commands a view of the expansive river valley to the south. L-shaped in plan, the house’s master suite is located in the western leg and is isolated away from other functions allowing privacy. The living room, dining room, and kitchen anchor the southern, more traditional wing of the house with its spacious vaulted ceilings. A chimney punctuates this area and features a granite clad fireplace on the interior and an exterior fireplace expressing split face concrete block. Photo Credit: Mike Sinclair

The Eagle Harbor Cabin is located on a wooded waterfront property on Lake Superior, at the northerly edge of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, about 300 miles northeast of Minneapolis. The wooded 3-acre site features the rocky shoreline of Lake Superior, a lake that sometimes behaves like the ocean. The 2,000 SF cabin cantilevers out toward the water, with a 40-ft. long glass wall facing the spectacular beauty of the lake. The cabin is composed of two simple volumes: a large open living/dining/kitchen space with an open timber ceiling structure and a 2-story “bedroom tower,” with the kids’ bedroom on the ground floor and the parents’ bedroom stacked above. The interior spaces are wood paneled, with exposed framing in the ceiling. The cabinets use PLYBOO, a FSC-certified bamboo product, with mahogany end panels. The use of mahogany is repeated in the custom mahogany/steel curvilinear dining table and in the custom mahogany coffee table. The cabin has a simple, elemental quality that is enhanced by custom touches such as the curvilinear maple entry screen and the custom furniture pieces. The cabin utilizes native Michigan hardwoods such as maple and birch. The exterior of the cabin is clad in corrugated metal siding, offset by the tall fireplace mass of Montana ledgestone at the east end. The house has a number of sustainable or “green” building features, including 2x8 construction (40% greater insulation value); generous glass areas to provide natural lighting and ventilation; large overhangs for sun and snow protection; and metal siding for maximum durability. Sustainable interior finish materials include bamboo/plywood cabinets, linoleum floors, locally-grown maple flooring and birch paneling, and low-VOC paints.

Firmness . . . Santa Cruz’s historically eclectic Pleasure Point neighborhood has been evolving in its own quirky way for almost a century, and many of its inhabitants seem to have been around just as long. They cling to the relaxed and funky seaside character of their beach community with an almost indignant provinciality. For both client and architect, neighborhood context became the singular focus of the design; to become the “poster child” for compatibility and sustainability. Dozens of photos were taken of the surrounding area as inspiration, with the goal of honoring the idiosyncratic, fine-grained character and informal scale of a neighborhood built over time. A low, horizontal weathered ipe fence at the street keeps out surfer vans and neighborhood dogs, and a simple gate beckons visitors to stroll down the boardwalk which gently angles toward the front door. A rusted steel fire pit is the focus of this ground level courtyard, which is encircled by a curving cor-ten garden wall graced by a sweep of horse tail reeds and tufts of feather grass. Extensive day-lighting throughout the home is achieved with high windows placed in all directions in all major rooms, resulting in an abundance of natural light throughout. The clients report having only to turning on lights at nightfall. Notable are the numerous passive solar design elements: careful attention to overhangs and shading devices at South- and West-facing glass to control heat gain, and passive ventilation via high windows in the tower elements, all are significant contributors to the structure’s energy efficiency. Commodity . . . Beautiful views of Monterey Bay and the lively local beach scene became the main drivers in plan and section. The upper floor was intentionally set back to preserve ocean views of the neighbor to the north. The surf obsessed clients wished to be able to see the “break” from their upper floor breakfast table perch, able to take a moment’s notice advantage of some killer waves. A tiny 4,500 s.f. lot and a desire to create a ground level courtyard for entertaining dictated the small footprint. A graceful curving cor-ten and stainless steel stair descends from the upper floor living areas, connecting them to a ground level “sanctuary”. A small detached art studio/surfboard storage shack in the back yard fulfills functional requirements, and includes an outdoor shower for the post-surf hose down. Parking access off a back alley helps to preserve ground floor space, and allows in the southern sun on the view/courtyard side. A relaxed “bare foot beach house” feel is underscored by weathered oak floors, painted re-sawn wall finishes, and painted wood ceilings, which recall the cozy cabins that stood here at Breakers Beach for nearly a century. Delight . . . Commemorating the history of the property was a priority for the surfing couple. With that in mind, they created an artistic reproduction of the original sign that decorated the property for many decades as an homage to the “Cozy Cabins at Breakers Beach”, which now graces the foyer. This casual assemblage of local vernacular architecture has been informed by the consistent scale and simple materials of nearby cottages, shacks, and bungalows. These influences were distilled down to a palette of board and batt, clapboard, and cedar shiplap, and synthesized with bolder forms that evoke images of nearby Capitola Wharf, beach lifeguard towers, and the client’s “surf shack” program requirements. The landscape design takes its cues from boardwalks, rusted steel fire rings, and native grasses, all of which firmly tie the building to its local beach community. The locals have embraced it as one of their own. Architect - Noel Cross Architect Landscape Architect - Christopher Yates Interior Designer - Gina Viscusi-Elson Lighting Designer - Vita Pehar Design Contractor - The Conrado Company

Who says green and sustainable design has to look like it? Designed to emulate the owner’s favorite country club, this fine estate home blends in with the natural surroundings of it’s hillside perch, and is so intoxicatingly beautiful, one hardly notices its numerous energy saving and green features. Durable, natural and handsome materials such as stained cedar trim, natural stone veneer, and integral color plaster are combined with strong horizontal roof lines that emphasize the expansive nature of the site and capture the “bigness” of the view. Large expanses of glass punctuated with a natural rhythm of exposed beams and stone columns that frame the spectacular views of the Santa Clara Valley and the Los Gatos Hills. A shady outdoor loggia and cozy outdoor fire pit create the perfect environment for relaxed Saturday afternoon barbecues and glitzy evening dinner parties alike. A glass “wall of wine” creates an elegant backdrop for the dining room table, the warm stained wood interior details make the home both comfortable and dramatic. The project’s energy saving features include: - a 5 kW roof mounted grid-tied PV solar array pays for most of the electrical needs, and sends power to the grid in summer 6 year payback! - all native and drought-tolerant landscaping reduce irrigation needs - passive solar design that reduces heat gain in summer and allows for passive heating in winter - passive flow through ventilation provides natural night cooling, taking advantage of cooling summer breezes - natural day-lighting decreases need for interior lighting - fly ash concrete for all foundations - dual glazed low e high performance windows and doors Design Team: Noel Cross+Architects - Architect Christopher Yates Landscape Architecture Joanie Wick – Interior Design Vita Pehar - Lighting Design Conrado Co. – General Contractor Marion Brenner – Photography

Spanish Colonial Style Homes, Photo Credit: Kevin Rugee Architect, Inc

Watch Hill Oceanfront Residence Photo featured in Houzz article "Which Window for Your World." Link to article: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/14914516/list/which-window-for-your-world Photo: Kindra Clineff

Mark Boisclair Photography

Two Story addition and Kitchen Renovation - included new family room, patio, bedroom, bathroom, laundry closet and screened porch with mahogany floors

Timbered porches shelter entries, an outdoor kitchen and sitting areas for this timber framed house. Photos by Don Cochran Photography

Electric solar system, solar hot water heater, solar pool heater and geothermal A/C system. Sustainably designed project completed in 2002. Prairie style meets Scandinavian influence. Systems include: solar electric, solar hot water heater, solar pool heater, daylighting and natural ventilation. In addition a geothermal system uses the earths ground temperature to heat and cool the house. Local materials include Austin limestone and Louisiana Cypress wood.

Photo by. Jonathan Jackson

LAKE IOSCO HOUSE Location: Bloomingdale, NJ Completion Date: 2009 Size: 2,368 sf Typology Series: Single Bar Modules: 4 Boxes, Panelized Fireplace/Storage Program: o Bedrooms: 3 o Baths: 2.5 o Features: Carport, Study, Playroom, Hot Tub Materials: o Exterior: Cedar Siding, Azek Infill Panels, Cement Board Panels, Ipe Wood Decking o Interior: Maple Cabinets, Bamboo Floors, Caesarstone Countertops, Slate Bathroom Floors, Hot Rolled Black Steel Cladding Aluminum Clad Wood Windows with Low E, Insulated Glass, Architects: Joseph Tanney, Robert Luntz Project Architect: Kristen Mason Manufacturer: Simplex Industries Project Coordinator: Jason Drouse Engineer: Lynne Walshaw P.E., Greg Sloditskie Contractor: D Woodard Builder, LLC Photographer: © RES4

Sun Room. Exteiror Sunroom -Photographer: Rob Karosis