Noah Walker
Photo of a contemporary three-storey brown house exterior in Los Angeles with wood siding and a flat roof.

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values.

Country three-storey beige house exterior with mixed siding, a gable roof, a mixed roof, a brown roof and board and batten siding.

Photo of a large country three-storey multi-coloured exterior in Denver with mixed siding, a gable roof, a shingle roof and a grey roof.

Large contemporary three-storey multi-coloured house exterior in Other with mixed siding.

This is an example of a contemporary three-storey brick multi-coloured townhouse exterior in London.

Vue extérieure de la maison
Mid-sized contemporary three-storey concrete beige townhouse exterior in Le Havre with a gable roof and a tile roof.

Fotograf: Thomas Drexel
Design ideas for a mid-sized scandinavian three-storey beige house exterior in Other with wood siding, a shed roof, a tile roof and clapboard siding.

On this site, an existing house was torn down and replaced with a beautiful new wood-framed brick house to take full advantage of a corner lot located in a walkable, 1920’s Atlanta neighborhood. The new residence has four bedrooms and four baths in the main house with an additional flexible bedroom space over the garage. The tower element of the design features an entry with the master bedroom above. The idea of the tower was to catch a glimpse of a nearby park and architecturally address the corner lot. Integrity® Casement, Awning and Double Hung Windows were the preferred choice—the windows’ design and style were historically correct and provided the energy efficiency, sustainability and low-maintenance the architect required.

Photo of an arts and crafts three-storey brown exterior in Other with wood siding.

Inspiration for a large contemporary three-storey exterior in Seattle with mixed siding and a hip roof.

Cesar Rubio
Mid-sized contemporary three-storey stucco pink exterior in San Francisco with a flat roof and a metal roof.

Copper gutter and drain box
Expansive traditional three-storey beige exterior in Richmond with stone veneer.

Zane Williams
Inspiration for a large eclectic three-storey brown house exterior in Other with wood siding, a gable roof, a shingle roof and a brown roof.

Jean Allsopp (courtesy of Coastal Living)
Inspiration for a traditional three-storey white exterior in Atlanta.

AJ Mueller
This is an example of a large contemporary three-storey brown house exterior in Minneapolis with stone veneer, a hip roof and a shingle roof.

This is the modern, industrial side of the home. The floor-to-ceiling steel windows and spiral staircase bring a contemporary aesthetic to the house. The 19' Kolbe windows capture sweeping views of Mt. Rainier, the Space Needle and Puget Sound.

Construction Story: Roof Installation, Owens Corning "Duration" "Teak", Minneapolis, Minnesota
Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional three-storey stucco exterior in Minneapolis with a gable roof.

Anschließend an die Galerie findet sich eine große überdachte Holzterrasse mit bestem Blick auf die Berge
Photo of a large contemporary three-storey house exterior in Munich with wood siding, a gable roof, a tile roof, a red roof and clapboard siding.