Exterior Gambrel Roofline Design Photos and Ideas

The new building (at right) utilizes traditional forms and materials, but declares its modernity with asymmetrical windows an an exterior shutter with oversized graphics.
Vibrant red siding references the original buildings on the site.
A full exterior remodel of the older house allowed Cornuelle and Tall Firs to match its siding and trim to the new ADU. They designed a front door with a circular cut-out, bringing a modern touch to the traditional entry.
Unlike its next-door neighbor, R-House, TED wasn’t originally planned to meet the exacting Passive House standard. The building’s green bona fides came largely from four roof-mounted thermal solar panels and a 120-gallon water storage tank that architect Tim McDonald attests would have met nearly all of the home’s heat and hot-water needs. After submitting the proposal, though, he completed a course in the Passive House standard. Inspired, McDonald modified the original approach, ditching the tank and thermal panels in favor of a highly insulated, airtight envelope—the equivalent, he says, of shielding the house from the harsh Syracuse winter with a fur coat instead of a windbreaker.