In 2024, the most popular homes focused on new beginnings: After decades in her San Francisco home, an 83-year-old completes its inaugural renovation to age in place; in remote Washington, an outdoors enthusiast commits to the wilderness by building a tiny cabin; and—after a 70-year ban—a mother and son build one of Chicago’s first ADUs as a means of keeping family close. From fresh starts to groundbreaking projects, here are the most popular homes of the year.

She Built a 330-Square-Foot Cabin in One of Washington’s Biggest Outdoors Destinations

Before & After: After 70 Years, a Seattle Midcentury Finally Reaches Its Full Potential

Before & After: The Brownstone Boys Overhaul a Brooklyn Garage Into a Family Home

It’s Your Average Off-Grid Shipping Container Home—Just Set on a Tall Metal Tower

Two Friends Bought Utah Land as College Grads. Now They’ve Built an Off-Grid Retreat for Retirement

Architect Rick Cook Designed a Home for His Family—Then Discovered Someone Had Done It Better

Just Getting to the Front Door of This Family’s Midcoast Maine Retreat Is an Adventure

In Baja Sur, a Chef Turns a Historic Property Into a Compound for His Creative Community

Before & After: They Gave Their “Telescoping” Oakland Bungalow an Eye-Opening Renovation

The house, painted in Poppyseed by Behr, now features a second-floor loft for the couple’s sons and a newly vaulted living room at the front. The board-formed concrete foundation was an early change." layout="" credit="Photo by Bénédicte Lassalle" photoUserId=""/>

Budget Breakdown: It Took Twice as Long, But This $266K ADU Built a Close Friendship

Budget Breakdown: This Completely Restored $500K Airstream Is Built Like a Yacht

Before & After: They Gave Their Dilapidated Washington D.C. Home the Renovation of a Lifetime

Two Vintage Furniture Dealers Remake a Maine Home to Fill With Their Prized Collection

The basement-level guest bedroom features a painting by Marleigh Culver. An Alvar Aalto Stool 60 sits with a 1973 Onda Incisa stool by Vittorio Livi. The ’60s lamp to the left of the bed by Paul Mayén and one on the right, a Nesso by Giancarlo Mattioli, rest on matching Giano-Giano-Vano nightstands by Emma Gismondi Schweinberger." layout="" credit="Photo by Greta Rybus" photoUserId=""/>

Before & After: She Cloaked Her 1970s Brick Home in a Concrete-and-Metal “Skin”

A new compressed fibre cement sheet and metal enclosure wraps the home." layout="wide" credit="Photo by Andy Macpherson Studio" photoUserId="6593657100733423616"/>The staircase to the garden and library, accessed from a metal bridge just inside the enclosure, is one of Carmen's favorite aspects of the home." layout="" credit="Photo by Andy Macpherson Studio" photoUserId="6593657100733423616"/>

Turning Simple Materials and Recycled Finds Into a New-Old New Orleans Home

She Dreamed of Living in an Ancient Tower—and It Came True

No, 83 Isn’t Too Old to Renovate. Just Ask San Francisco Resident Roberta Gordon

Construction Diary: In the Mojave Desert, a First-Time Builder Takes On a Tricky Prefab Home

ADUs Were Banned in Chicago for Almost 70 Years. This Woman Just Built One of the First

Before & After: To Revive Their Dated Bungalow, First They Chopped It in Half

The new back section reveals itself in layers, extending all the way through to the garden, where the kids and dog can play safely." layout="" credit="Photo courtesy of LiteraTrotta" photoUserId=""/>"As our clients live in the space, we want them to discover new things," says Trotta. "Things can look beautiful, but it’s your experience of them every day that makes them special."" layout="wide" credit="

Photo courtesy of LiteraTrotta

" photoUserId=""/>

Related Reading:

These Are Dwell’s Most Popular Homes of 2023

Also Appears In

It’s Your Average Off-Grid Shipping Container Home—Just Set on a Tall Metal Tower