The tired wooden staircase was updated by painting the stairs and risers and replacing the balustrade with a more modern glass pne.
Mid-sized contemporary painted wood straight staircase in Brisbane with painted wood risers and metal railing.

Dan Cutrona Photography
Beach style wood staircase in Boston with painted wood risers.

Inspiration for a transitional wood u-shaped staircase in Portland Maine with painted wood risers and mixed railing.

Darlene Halaby
Mid-sized contemporary wood l-shaped staircase in Orange County with painted wood risers and metal railing.

Gwenaelle HOYET
Design ideas for a transitional wood l-shaped staircase in Rennes with painted wood risers and mixed railing.

Photo of a mid-sized beach style wood straight staircase in Providence with painted wood risers.

Large traditional wood u-shaped staircase in Charlotte with painted wood risers and wood railing.

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 is an example of a large country wood u-shaped staircase in Detroit with painted wood risers and mixed railing.

This is an example of a large traditional wood curved staircase in New York with painted wood risers and wood railing.

Custom designed wallpaper on the stair risers. Photo by Lee Manning Photography
Inspiration for an eclectic wood l-shaped staircase in Los Angeles with painted wood risers.

Emily O'Brien
Inspiration for a large transitional wood u-shaped staircase in Boston with painted wood risers and cable railing.

Clawson Architects designed the Main Entry/Stair Hall, flooding the space with natural light on both the first and second floors while enhancing views and circulation with more thoughtful space allocations and period details.

Design ideas for a large contemporary wood u-shaped staircase in Atlanta with painted wood risers.

Starting from scratch for this new home allowed me to create a fresh, comfortable California beach vibe for the home. Quality materials were combined with modern appeal to create an easy and liveable space. photos: Matt Ross

It's hard to decide if the view at the top or bottom on the staircase is better. The wall of windows overlooks the motor court. Chandelier- Visual Comfort Choros Two-Tier ( https://www.circalighting.com/choros-two-tier-chandelier-s5041/)

Modern Living in Mercer Island Washington. http://www.greenbankdevelopment.com/

Transitional wood u-shaped staircase in San Francisco with painted wood risers and cable railing.

Photo of a mid-sized traditional wood straight staircase in Chicago with painted wood risers and wood railing.