Amy: Because winters in the Pacific Northwest are so long and dark, it was important that our interior be light and warm. Also, the spectacular scenery and wildlife is really the star, so we wanted the view out of the windows to be the main focal point. The design of our home is narrow so we can really capitalize on natural light. Chris: I really like the flow of the house. Everything from the way you can easily move through rooms, to the way light travels, to the way air flows through on warm days. The insteon-powered lighting is also one of the best decisions we made. We pre-programmed settings like "movie time" and "middle of the night baby feeding" so that we can press a button on the wall or using our mobile phones and control the entire house. The other major life saver has been the fireplace. It was something Amy really wanted, but it wasn't on our "Minimal Viable Product" list. However, when another design/structural challenge presented itself—the need to add a support beam between the dining and living open floor plan spaces—Method suggested we could integrate a fireplace to obscure the support. It's great. It adds cozy ambience, provides real heat when the power goes out, and provides slight separation between rooms without closing them off at all. Photo 4 of 11 in A Prefab Home on Washington's Puget Sound by Diana Budds

A Prefab Home on Washington's Puget Sound

4 of 11

Amy: Because winters in the Pacific Northwest are so long and dark, it was important that our interior be light and warm. Also, the spectacular scenery and wildlife is really the star, so we wanted the view out of the windows to be the main focal point. The design of our home is narrow so we can really capitalize on natural light.

Chris: I really like the flow of the house. Everything from the way you can easily move through rooms, to the way light travels, to the way air flows through on warm days. The insteon-powered lighting is also one of the best decisions we made. We pre-programmed settings like "movie time" and "middle of the night baby feeding" so that we can press a button on the wall or using our mobile phones and control the entire house.

The other major life saver has been the fireplace. It was something Amy really wanted, but it wasn't on our "Minimal Viable Product" list. However, when another design/structural challenge presented itself—the need to add a support beam between the dining and living open floor plan spaces—Method suggested we could integrate a fireplace to obscure the support. It's great. It adds cozy ambience, provides real heat when the power goes out, and provides slight separation between rooms without closing them off at all.