Mid-sized midcentury two-storey brick black house exterior in Denver with a gable roof and a shingle roof.

In this close up view of the side of the house, you get an even better idea of the previously mentioned paint scheme. The fence shows the home’s former color, a light brown. The new exterior paint colors dramatically show how the right color change can add a wonderful fresh feel to a house.

The front facade is composed of bricks, shiplap timber cladding and James Hardie Scyon Axon cladding, painted in Dulux Blackwood Bay. Photography: Tess Kelly

Josh Partee
Design ideas for a mid-sized midcentury one-storey black house exterior in Portland with wood siding, a gable roof and a metal roof.

Large country two-storey black house exterior in Charlotte with mixed siding, a gable roof and a shingle roof.

Mid-sized arts and crafts two-storey black house exterior in Salt Lake City with wood siding, a gable roof and a shingle roof.

Inspiration for a contemporary two-storey black house exterior in Charlotte with mixed siding, a gable roof and a metal roof.

Photo by Eric Rorer
This is an example of a mid-sized country two-storey black house exterior in San Francisco with a tile roof.

Design ideas for a contemporary two-storey black house exterior in Brisbane with mixed siding, a hip roof and a metal roof.

Mid-sized midcentury one-storey black house exterior in Vancouver with a gable roof.

Photo: Roy Aguilar
Design ideas for a small midcentury one-storey brick black house exterior in Dallas with a gable roof and a metal roof.

© Philipp Obkircher
Design ideas for a mid-sized industrial two-storey black house exterior in Berlin with wood siding and a flat roof.

Inspiration for a small scandinavian two-storey black house exterior in Burlington with wood siding, a gable roof and a metal roof.

Photo of an asian black exterior in Tokyo with a flat roof.

Mid-sized scandinavian two-storey black house exterior in Yokohama with metal siding, a shed roof and a metal roof.

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

James Florio & Kyle Duetmeyer
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern two-storey black house exterior in Denver with metal siding, a gable roof and a metal roof.

This Scandinavian look shows off beauty in simplicity. The clean lines of the roof allow for very dramatic interiors. Tall windows and clerestories throughout bring in great natural light! Meyer Design Lakewest Custom Homes

A mid-century a-frame is given new life through an exterior and interior renovation
Inspiration for a mid-sized midcentury two-storey black exterior in Toronto with wood siding and a gable roof.