Having completed over 30 homes in Washington’s San Juan Islands, Seattle-based Method Homes has shown time and again how prefab can solve the challenges of remote island construction.

The firm’s impressive track record and reputation for beautiful and sustainable builds attracted the attention of a client, who also enlisted the design services of her brother, an architect at Los Angeles–based Make Ground, to realize her custom retreat on a hillside site in the San Juan Islands.

Although the island home would be her brother’s first-ever modular project, the design process proceeded without a hitch. “The Method team regularly works with architects who are new to prefab, and is adept at assisting in making the designs modular friendly,” says Method Homes Founder Brian Abramson.

The biggest challenge, as with most island prefab projects, was transporting and placing the modules. “Those logistics become even more challenging when tides, ferries, barges and other factors come into play,” notes Abramson. “The main lesson we have learned is to plan ahead, and allow plenty of time for logistics and coordination.”

Constructed over a seven-month period (both on-site and at the factory), the 1,245-square-foot San Juan Islands retreat comprises three modules: a 620-square-foot factory-built module with two bedrooms, two half-baths, and a shared wet room; a 527-square-foot factory-built living room module; and a 98-square-foot site-built entry module. The factory-built modules were ferried to the site and installed with a mobile crane.

The bedroom module, oriented north to south, is placed on the west side of the home, perpendicular to the open-plan living room positioned for optimal views of the bay to the south. A large, site-built oak deck expands the living space to the outdoors, creating an indoor/outdoor connection integral to the project’s brief.

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Nature inspired the home’s subdued material palette, which mainly comprises timbers and earthy hues—such as the Heath Ceramics Lichen backsplash—that evoke tones of the surrounding forest.

“The house was designed to tread lightly on the land and let the views be the centerpiece,” says Abramson.

Related Reading:

Method Homes’ Element 1 rises to the challenge of a difficult building site.

6 Eco-Minded Prefab Companies in Seattle

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Make Ground Design

Builder/ General Contractor: Method Homes / @methodhomes

Structural Engineer: Ashley & Vance Engineering

Landscape Design Company: Make Ground Design

Interior Design: Method Homes

Cabinetry Design/ Installation: Smith & Vallee