Construction Diary: It Took a Decade, But Their Experimental, DIY Home Was Worth the Wait

Twelve years ago, Holly Freres and David Horning were renting a house by architect Dale Farr in the leafy neighborhood of Dunthorpe, in southwest Portland, Oregon. As designers themselves—she is owner of the firm JHL Design, where she oversees interiors and he runs the architecture side—they longed to create a home of their own, which would be a better long-term fit for themselves, their four children, and two hunting dogs.