Stone and shake shingles, in complementary earth tones, creates a warm welcoming look to the home.
Inspiration for a large traditional one-storey brown house exterior in Indianapolis with mixed siding, a gable roof, a shingle roof, a black roof and shingle siding.

The house glows like a lantern at night.
Design ideas for a mid-sized modern one-storey brown house exterior in Raleigh with mixed siding, a flat roof, a green roof and a white roof.

Inspiration for a mid-sized modern two-storey brown house exterior in Other with wood siding, a shed roof and a metal roof.

Barn Pros Denali barn apartment model in a 36' x 60' footprint with Ranchwood rustic siding, Classic Equine stalls and Dutch doors. Construction by Red Pine Builders www.redpinebuilders.com

This Craftsman lake view home is a perfectly peaceful retreat. It features a two story deck, board and batten accents inside and out, and rustic stone details.

Photo of a large modern one-storey brown house exterior in Seattle with concrete fiberboard siding, a shed roof and a metal roof.

This mid-century modern was a full restoration back to this home's former glory. New cypress siding was installed to match the home's original appearance. New windows with period correct mulling and details were installed throughout the home. Photo credit - Inspiro 8 Studios

Photo by Fisheye Studios
Photo of a large country three-storey brown house exterior in Other with wood siding, a gable roof and a shingle roof.

Lincoln Farmhouse LEED-H Platinum, Net-Positive Energy OVERVIEW. This LEED Platinum certified modern farmhouse ties into the cultural landscape of Lincoln, Massachusetts - a town known for its rich history, farming traditions, conservation efforts, and visionary architecture. The goal was to design and build a new single family home on 1.8 acres that respects the neighborhood’s agrarian roots, produces more energy than it consumes, and provides the family with flexible spaces to live-play-work-entertain. The resulting 2,800 SF home is proof that families do not need to compromise on style, space or comfort in a highly energy-efficient and healthy home. CONNECTION TO NATURE. The attached garage is ubiquitous in new construction in New England’s cold climate. This home’s barn-inspired garage is intentionally detached from the main dwelling. A covered walkway connects the two structures, creating an intentional connection with the outdoors between auto and home. FUNCTIONAL FLEXIBILITY. With a modest footprint, each space must serve a specific use, but also be flexible for atypical scenarios. The Mudroom serves everyday use for the couple and their children, but is also easy to tidy up to receive guests, eliminating the need for two entries found in most homes. A workspace is conveniently located off the mudroom; it looks out on to the back yard to supervise the children and can be closed off with a sliding door when not in use. The Away Room opens up to the Living Room for everyday use; it can be closed off with its oversized pocket door for secondary use as a guest bedroom with en suite bath. NET POSITIVE ENERGY. The all-electric home consumes 70% less energy than a code-built house, and with measured energy data produces 48% more energy annually than it consumes, making it a 'net positive' home. Thick walls and roofs lack thermal bridging, windows are high performance, triple-glazed, and a continuous air barrier yields minimal leakage (0.27ACH50) making the home among the tightest in the US. Systems include an air source heat pump, an energy recovery ventilator, and a 13.1kW photovoltaic system to offset consumption and support future electric cars. ACTUAL PERFORMANCE. -6.3 kBtu/sf/yr Energy Use Intensity (Actual monitored project data reported for the firm’s 2016 AIA 2030 Commitment. Average single family home is 52.0 kBtu/sf/yr.) o 10,900 kwh total consumption (8.5 kbtu/ft2 EUI) o 16,200 kwh total production o 5,300 kwh net surplus, equivalent to 15,000-25,000 electric car miles per year. 48% net positive. WATER EFFICIENCY. Plumbing fixtures and water closets consume a mere 60% of the federal standard, while high efficiency appliances such as the dishwasher and clothes washer also reduce consumption rates. FOOD PRODUCTION. After clearing all invasive species, apple, pear, peach and cherry trees were planted. Future plans include blueberry, raspberry and strawberry bushes, along with raised beds for vegetable gardening. The house also offers a below ground root cellar, built outside the home's thermal envelope, to gain the passive benefit of long term energy-free food storage. RESILIENCY. The home's ability to weather unforeseen challenges is predictable - it will fare well. The super-insulated envelope means during a winter storm with power outage, heat loss will be slow - taking days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. During normal conditions, reduced energy consumption plus energy production means shelter from the burden of utility costs. Surplus production can power electric cars & appliances. The home exceeds snow & wind structural requirements, plus far surpasses standard construction for long term durability planning. ARCHITECT: ZeroEnergy Design http://zeroenergy.com/lincoln-farmhouse CONTRACTOR: Thoughtforms http://thoughtforms-corp.com/ PHOTOGRAPHER: Chuck Choi http://www.chuckchoi.com/

This three-story vacation home for a family of ski enthusiasts features 5 bedrooms and a six-bed bunk room, 5 1/2 bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, great room, 2 wet bars, great room, exercise room, basement game room, office, mud room, ski work room, decks, stone patio with sunken hot tub, garage, and elevator. The home sits into an extremely steep, half-acre lot that shares a property line with a ski resort and allows for ski-in, ski-out access to the mountain’s 61 trails. This unique location and challenging terrain informed the home’s siting, footprint, program, design, interior design, finishes, and custom made furniture. Credit: Samyn-D'Elia Architects Project designed by Franconia interior designer Randy Trainor. She also serves the New Hampshire Ski Country, Lake Regions and Coast, including Lincoln, North Conway, and Bartlett. For more about Randy Trainor, click here: https://crtinteriors.com/ To learn more about this project, click here: https://crtinteriors.com/ski-country-chic/

This is an example of a large modern two-storey brown exterior in Orange County with wood siding and a flat roof.

Design ideas for a mid-sized country two-storey brown house exterior in San Diego with wood siding, a hip roof and a metal roof.

We drew inspiration from traditional prairie motifs and updated them for this modern home in the mountains. Throughout the residence, there is a strong theme of horizontal lines integrated with a natural, woodsy palette and a gallery-like aesthetic on the inside. Interiors by Alchemy Design Photography by Todd Crawford Built by Tyner Construction

Photo of a mid-sized arts and crafts two-storey brown house exterior in Philadelphia with mixed siding, a gable roof and a mixed roof.

Design ideas for a small transitional one-storey brown exterior in San Francisco with wood siding.

Matt Powell
This is an example of a small country three-storey brown exterior in Charlotte with wood siding and a gable roof.

Summer Beauty onion surround the stone entry columns while the Hydrangea begin to glow from the landscape lighting. Landscape design by John Algozzini. Photo courtesy of Mike Crews Photography.

Design ideas for a mid-sized two-storey brown house exterior in Tokyo Suburbs with wood siding and a flat roof.

This is an example of a mid-sized country two-storey brown exterior in Charlotte with wood siding.