CA - Lucerne

The Tini XS model is intended to bring clients closer to nature.

The rear curtain wall system opens to an outdoor patio raised above the tree-covered landscape.

Base models of Dvele homes start at $250 per square foot, and range in size — the company wants its sustainable structures to be flexible to either small or large footprints.

This off-grid retreat is quite literally nestled among the treetops in Epworth, Georgia.

Niki Weber and J.P. Guiseppi were booted from their rental in Venice, California, with only a month’s notice. In the frantic search that followed, the pair bought the first property they visited: a hillside residence in the Silver Lake neighborhood of L.A. The plot had enough space down slope to install an ADU. Putting their hard years of renting to good effect, the pair hired Cover, a Los Angeles-based start-up specializing in prefab backyard homes, to build the rental they wish they had lived in as tenants.

Summary harnesses the power of prefabrication to create a set of compact homes on a breathtaking site.

“Encased in triple-paned glass, stone and adobe, one is led down into the circular seating area, flanked by built-in planters and a soothing whispering fountain in stone,” says the listing agent.

“Dug into the hillside, this sanctuary’s beginnings can be found in its large Earthship-inspired passive solar south facing front room,” says the listing agent.

Finishes for the rental came to a total of $7517, including costs for tile and installation. Augustin prefers to take tile to the ceiling, making for a grand impression. The white hexagonal floor and wall tile is by Antik, and measures 1 3/4” x 1 3/4” in size. The 12x12 tiles for the bathing area are by Demettra in the color Sculpture Gray.

The kitchen countertops, made of white manufactured Quartz, cost $2600 including material, fabrication, and a clean waterfall edge. The backsplash is composed of textural Inedita tile in 5x5 squares. “They are really beautiful; they have this sculpted shape,

Augustin spent $6200 on concrete floors, which included the new slab and the control joins, as well as grinding, polishing, and sealing. “We just put one layer of sealer on and they ground it down a bit,

“I wanted something bold and fresh,” Augustin says of the unit’s citrus-inspired front door, painted Tangerine Dream by Dunn Edwards. The door is flanked by horizontal Redwood slats and gray acrylic stucco.

The chosen materials of concrete and wood continue in the home's two bathrooms.

The structure is made of double-brick walls with insulation between each layer, which regulates indoor temperatures while still providing strong protection from the elements.