When Dr. Keith Flaherty picked up an issue of Dwell Magazine with a feature on modern prefabs in his local grocery store's checkout aisle, he had little clue that his spontaneous purchase would be the beginning of a five-year journey into the dynamic world of prefabs. This journey culminated in the creation of two modular holiday homes, designed and built by Minnesota-based Alchemy Architects.

$23,000 Floor and Wall Tile	$5,200 Painting	$6,600 Steam Shower and Door
$3,500 Staircase Finishing	$7,000 Drywall	$20,000 Appliances
$37,000 Wood Flooring	$2,200 Bath Accessories	$8,000 Countertops
$25,000 IKEA Cabinets + Assembly	$2,500 Kitchen Hardware	$35,000 Deck and Railings
$14,000 Floor and Roof Systems	$25,000 Systems Labor	$1,700 Exterior Wall Sheathing
$29,000 Finish Carpentry	$28,000 Thermal and Moisture Protection	$36,500 Doors and Windows
$5,000 Basement Moisture Protection	$43,000 Mechanical Systems	$24,000 Electrical Systems
$12,500 General Conditions	$38,000 General Contractor Fees	$12,000 Site Oversight
$40,000 Foundation and Excavation Prep	$51,000 Retaining Wall Excavation	$21,500 Concrete Foundation
$22,000 Cor-TEN Siding and Install	$2,000 Engineering Fees	$85,000 Architectural Design Fees
Grand Total: $665,200

In need of a tranquil retreat from hectic city living in Philadelphia, Keith first commissioned Alchemy Architects for the Johnson Creek weeHouse, a modular vacation home for himself, his wife Dr. Mira Kautsky, and their two young daughters in northern Pennsylvania. But when new career opportunities at Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital moved the family up to Boston, Keith called upon the architects once more to design a new calming retreat within easy access of the city.

As with the Johnson Creek weeHouse, the family sought a remote site near a stream where they could disconnect from work and focus on social gatherings. They found the perfect spot on a steep, creekside lot two hours north of Boston in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.

“The building site was picked because there is a five- to 10-degree turn in the creek around the point on which the house was built,” explains Keith, who wanted the retreat to emphasize the creek and have a treehouse-like feel. “This provided the opportunity to position the main living space on the second floor. Up there, the windows capture both the upstream and downstream views of the creek.”

Like its predecessor, the new home—dubbed Rocky Brook weeHouse—was conceived with Alchemy Architects’ weeHouse modular approach, which helped minimize construction time on the somewhat remote site.

Years of living in an Alchemy Architects' weeHouse had taught the family that a two-building setup was ideal for maximizing private space while maintaining a compact footprint.

“The big adjustment we made going into Rocky Brook was to expand the second floor deck,” notes Keith. “We learned at Johnson Creek that the space with the highest time-spent-per-square-foot ratio was the second floor deck next to the kitchen. So instead of two two-story buildings, we pushed one of the bedrooms into the main house."

“That created a very large, open-on-three-sides deck extending from the kitchen out over the master bedroom unit. That was a big win in terms of creating a big outdoor living space, but also allowed for maximal sun exposure as the deck/master bedroom is on the south side of the main house,” he says.

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The 1,800-square-foot home was created in two phases following an “unhurried” design process that took place over a few years and allowed the owners the luxury of using a modular delivery process initially and a site-build process for the main house. Split into a series of “boxes,” the Rocky Brook weeHouse comprises a two-story main box with two bedrooms and a flex-room, as well as a detached single-story box for the adjacent master bedroom suite. The property also includes a separate 845-square-foot, one-bedroom one-bath modular guesthouse.

“The house was conceived as being carved out of the grade of a steep creekside lot, blending the margins between aged artifact and landscape,” says Geoffrey Warner, principal architect at Alchemy Architects. “It is about close views, inhabiting the sound of rushing water, and moving through the trees and vertical space of the New Hampshire White Mountains. Over- and under-spaces provide comfortable places to be in hot or cold, sunny or rainy weather.”

“Although building into a significant grade was a technical challenge and increased cost, it also tucks the house into the hill in a really effective way,” adds Keith. “The integration of the house into the creek, hemlock forest canopy and hillside create an embrace from earth, air, and water. And we have a big fire pit on a dedicated deck on the creekside of the house to get the fourth element. You fell really cocooned in this space.”

More Budget Breakdowns:

Budget Breakdown: A Creative Couple Rehab a Vermont Cabin For $18K

Budget Breakdown: Weekend DIYers Renovate a Dated Catskills Retreat For $201K

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Alchemy Architects / @alchemyarchitects

Builder/ General Contractor: Leet Ware Construction

Factory: Simplex Industries

Structural Engineer: Erickson Roed and Associates

Landscape Design Company: Phillips Garden Rockydale

Specialty Contractors: Wanner Earthmoving, Discount Steel