Roof Lines

Full-height sliding glass doors bring a sense of the outdoors into the home.

The garage doors are finished in the same painted cedar cladding as the external walls, helping them seamlessly blend in.

The great room, housed under a dramatic tongue and groove Cedar soffit, is flanked by views towards the East and West.

A 1.4-kW solar array by Sharp and propane-powered in-floor radiant heating from Radiantec obviate any need to connect to municipal power.

“At first we thought we might not need that much space, but then we started thinking long term. We look at this house as the home of our lifetime.” —Guido Chiavelli

Using technology to design a home as energy-efficient as possible was a priority for Hague, both from a financial and philosophical standpoint. Along with Passive House certification for the main house, a solar array on the roof of the barn keeps energy use near zero. In fact, the entire property was Net Zero before the addition of the pool, and it may soon generate an energy surplus with the addition of a second solar array at the main house.

From its locally quarried stone foundation to its zinc-coated copper roof, the cottage was inspired by its surroundings. “We talked a lot with our client about what the materiality would be,” says architect Karen Stonely, who, citing the organic style of Bar Harbor architect Robert Patterson, designed the structure with wood rather than drywall.

With their matching peaked roofs, every cabin nods to the traditional form of countryside retreats. The cluster’s pine cladding has been treated to speed up the aging process, giving it a warm patina.

Insulated with denim and highly sealed, the sheds can also double as an outdoor room, like this outdoor living room in Palo Alto, California.

Each bedroom is designed to replicated a mini house, and follows the roof's pitch. A skylight lets in light. A custom unit made of white-painted MDF panels provides necessary storage.

Marco V. Morelli says his Studio Shed is the perfect refuge. “It’s changed my life for the better,” he says. “I’ve gotten so much more work done, and I think my marital relations are much better because I have a place of my own.”

A side view of the house and of Salmela’s signature architectural feature: the “unchimney.” All windows are from Loewen.

According to Remijnse, since the only direction they could build on the small site was up, they decided to add height with a gabled roof.

Insulated with denim and highly sealed, the sheds can also double as an outdoor room, like this outdoor living room in Palo Alto, California.

When homeowners of an off-the-grid property in the Bay Area needed to add a home office, they added a custom deck to their Studio Shed to take advantage of the landscape.

Each shed is customizable via a recently launched interactive online tool and range from $120-150 per square foot. With more people working from home, backyard offices offer a physical barrier between life and work, this one in Walnut Creek, California, has a FullLite glass front elevation.

Studio Shed founders Mike Koenig and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski had a common problem: too many things, too little space. As mountain bikers, they needed extra room for their bikes and equipment. Frustrated by the options on the market, they combined brainpower (Koenig has a degree in business, Horgan-Kobelski in engineering) to create Studio Shed. This shed is used as an art studio (twelve by 24 feet) in Boulder, CO. The resident opted for custom lighting and a stained plywood floor.

The roofs of each of the three sections of the home are constructed of zinc and are insulated for added protection.

The architects discreetly sunk a pool into the roof terrace of the old corral. In order to shade part of the terrace, the architects designed a freestanding sun shelter. So as not to damage the outer walls of the old building, a galvanized-steel frame is secured to the terrace floor. A bamboo-reed covering projects a soft, filtered light onto the outdoor living area below.