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Kelly Dawson is a writer in Los Angeles who has been contributing to Dwell's print and online publications since 2015. Follow her on Instagram @kellydawsonwrites.

Budget Breakdown: A $1.1M Prefab Gives a Divorcée a Fresh Start in Midcoast Maine
The customized model from BrightBuilt Home has a large deck, tons of windows, and personal touches like a horseshoe crab knocker...
The Green Roof on Their Icelandic Cabin Blends With the Forest Floor
A family’s country retreat is designed to further blur into its setting with walls of windows and natural wood finishes.
Budget Breakdown: They Built an $830K ADU With Attitude on a Steep Silver Lake Hillside
After years of hosting loved ones in their 1,450-square-foot home, a couple call on architect Warren Techentin to build a bold...
An Idea From the Homeowner’s Father Made Building on This ‘Unbuildable’ Silicon Valley Lot Possible
A series of “stacked boxes” lay the foundation for a Sea Ranch–inspired home on a narrow site set on two flood zones and filled...
Budget Breakdown: Three Friends Build a $940K Home Near Joshua Tree That Breaks With Boho Vibes
The dark-green outpost in Landers, California, is now on the market at $1.4M, objets d’art and high desert views included.
Budget Breakdown: A 1960s A-Frame Gets a $558K Refresh—and Historic Landmark Status
Instead of tearing down the fixer-upper, a realtor with a passion for swimming and her wife worked with their architect friend to...
A Lake House in Chilean Patagonia Takes Inspiration from Japanese Pagodas
Owned by a family of naturalists, the glass-walled vacation home employs a wraparound deck with panoramic views of its...
A Builder Striving to Make Sustainable Homes Accessible Gets Into Prefab
Based in British Columbia, Hewing Haus utilizes clean construction methods and sources materials from responsibly managed local...
In Brazil, a Rooftop Deck Takes a Mountain Home to New Heights
Architects Flavio Butti and Alice Martins build on a steep site with jaw-dropping views of an araucaria tree forest.
Budget Breakdown: Two Designers Lean on Friends to Build a $740K Home During The Pandemic
When construction was slated to start in March of 2020, Kyle Hovenkotter and Tiffany Rattray relied on common materials and loved...
Construction Diary: Two Friends Dream Up a Cabin-Like Home on a Tricky Lot Split by a Stream
Designer Lisa Carolla draws inspiration from Sea Ranch and Scandinavia as she fits a family home on a forested site in Asheville,...
There’s More Deck Than Interior at This Prefab Cabin in Colorado
A sauna and outdoor shower emphasize the benefits of national park living at this tiny retreat by ELMNTL.
Go-Box Makes Super-Portable Tiny Homes Inspired by #VanLife
From a 140-square-foot office to a larger unit with a kitchenette and bathroom, the prefabs emphasize flexibility for whatever...
Two Canadian Designers Couldn’t Afford a Home, So They Built Some Really Nice Tiny Ones
Payam Shalchian and Lee Loewen created three wood-clad models starting at 260 square feet that are meant to provide a path to...
Build an Eichler-Esque Home—or Whatever You Dream Up—With These Customizable Prefab Frames
Blue Sky Building Systems makes steel structures to your specifications, whether for a suburban dwelling or Joshua Tree retreat.
This Melbourne Apartment Has the Coolest Solution for Exposed Pipes
A remodel turned them into a focal point with a bright orange paint job that matches the fixtures.
Before & After: He Gave His Hollywood Hills Midcentury an All-Electric Upgrade
Sherwood Kypreos revives a 1959 home with verde granite, rich walnut, and a suite of high-performing systems for a homeowner who...
Before & After: This Accessible Catskills Retreat Brings Together Three Generations of Family
Designer Fauzia Khanani of Studio For revises a ’70s ranch house to provide independence for the homeowners’ daughter, who uses a...
Cosmic Buildings’s $279K Tiny Home Recycles Water and Generates Its Own Solar Power
The 380-square-foot prefab is equipped to go in your backyard or completely off-grid.
Construction Diary: In the Mojave Desert, a First-Time Builder Takes On a Tricky Prefab Home
Assuming the role of contractor, Julie Park works through trials and tribulations to construct a Blue Sky house with a complex...
Want to Design Your Own ADU? This Prefab Company Gives You the Tools
Type Five lets clients choose everything from floor plans to finishes via its website configurator, and then manages the rest.
Black Gables Give a Filmmaker’s Venice Beach Home a Dramatic Edge
Ras-a studio plants a dwelling and an ADU on a wide Los Angeles lot while preserving its beloved avocado tree.
Budget Breakdown: This Completely Restored $500K Airstream Is Built Like a Yacht
Drawing inspiration from boat design, Innovative Spaces rebuilds a 1953 trailer from top to bottom with a custom mahogany...
You (Likely) Won’t Need a Permit for KitHAUS’s $38K Backyard Studio
The roughly 120-square-foot prefab is the smallest offering from the California company, which uses an aluminum system to create...
Two Winemakers Build a Compact, Fire-Resistant Home With an Earthy Palette
In Healdsburg, California, a couple hire TenBooks and Social Studio to create a resilient vineyard house with a ground-floor...
Before & After: Two Friends Give a Dated ’90s Cabin a Moody Reinvention
Photographer Bess Friday hires designer Hana Mattingly to revamp her woodsy Truckee getaway with a striking monochromatic palette.
Quartzite Counters and Cedar Cladding Come Standard in These $65K Tiny Homes
The 200-square-foot unit by Clever Tiny Homes also figures in storage and a Murphy bed that don’t dominate the floor plan.
This Prefab Builder Never Makes the Same Home Twice—and You Can See It in the Price
Turkel Design creates residences starting at $1.7M based entirely on a client’s personal preferences.
Budget Breakdown: She Turned a Joshua Tree Shack Into a Homestead for the Long Haul With $456K
A 1954 one-room cabin gave designer Veronica Koltuniak access to the deep desert.
Solar Arrays and Good Insulation Make These Prefab Residences Net-Zero—Even in Cold Climates
Maine design firm BrightBuilt Home offers 20 modular templates that emphasize year-round energy savings.
The Garden Is the Heart of This Revived London Terrace House
Oliver Leech Architects brings in skylights, sliders, and swaths of sage to give a dreary Herne Hill home a fresh start.
Hoteliers, You Can Create Destination Retreats With These Luxe Tiny Cabins
High-end prefab maker Moliving partners with proprietors to establish resort-like accommodations in a wilderness setting.
Work/Life Balance? This Architect Couple’s Cambridge Home Doesn’t See a Need to Strike One
Harvard professors Sarah Whiting and Ron Witte reenvisioned a commercial space as a two-story residence and office that serves as...
Midcentury-Style Butterfly Roofs Top Off These Luxe Prefab Homes
Stillwater Dwellings creates soaring, estate-worthy residences that start at $500 per square foot.
This Prefab Builder Is Making Homes That Are Designed to Keep You Healthy
Dvele says it uses sustainable materials to build its residences, which come with air and water filtration systems you can...
These Tiny Prefab Cabins Are Designed to Feel Like Luxe Hotel Rooms
The founders of Nokken applied their backgrounds in high-end hospitality to bring upscale touches to their units, which start at...
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