Allen Remodel

A Seattle couple built their own backyard house with a city-sponsored design—and then rented out their old home on the property to friends.

Before: After living in Austin for over a decade, Ann and Ben Edgerton chose to move to the hill country during the pandemic, eventually purchasing this 1983 ranch outside Fredericksburg, Texas on two acres.

Fittingly, the brick was painted "Country Living

Before: The kitchen was gutted but the appliance layout kept.

Caesarstone counters are a classic workhorse in the kitchen. Open shelving provides storage and display for pieces picked up around the world.

Designed by the original owner, the cabin was imagined as a retreat for her and her siblings' young families.

The outdoor Jacuzzi is built for stargazing and catching the northern lights, seating up to twelve.

Pink Muhly grasses by the pool

Looking for a better separation between work and home life, Seattleites Natalie Rohde and Patrick Haig asked local firm Linework Architecture to draw up plans to replace an aging backyard shed with a standalone workspace containing two acoustically separated offices. To make it work for their budget, the couple convinced Patrick’s father, Rob, a retired contractor, to lead the build.

In the master bedroom, the couple selected plywood pieces from Plyroom for their elegant simplicity. The Dr. Spinner pendant lights are from Dowel Jones, and the bedding is from In Bed.

The raked red cedar ceiling is one of the couple’s favorite aspects of the home. They are particularly enamored with “the small shadow lines we created in the junction between the raked ceiling and the plaster bulk heads…it’s such a tiny detail that tightens everything up.”

False beams put in place solely to hold those awesome Louis Poulsen lights.

The den is now outfitted with custom storage for Joel’s vinyl collection. Also, this creates an area for the couple’s television out of the main living space.

A dark concrete countertop is paired with blue laminate cabinets in architect Janet Bloomberg’s kitchen.

Pros: Concrete countertops are durable, resistant to heat, and can be less expensive than natural stone, especially when completed as a DIY project. Cons: Concrete must be sealed before being used; otherwise, its porous nature means that it will stain very easily.

Sugarhouse designed custom storage for many corners of the apartment, including this area that serves a lot of functions: extra pantry and tool storage, serving bar, desk, and even a couple junk drawers. It's painted Barren Plain by Benjamin Moore.

The counters are Calacatta Turquoise from ABC Stone.