Facedes

The 3,016-square-foot home also includes a sunny roof terrace.

In Seattle, architect Matt Wittman of Wittman Estes tried his hand as developer, leveraging his firm’s network of engineers to create an arrangement of two townhomes and a stand-alone on an undesirable—and therefore inexpensive—site in Highland Park. “One of the main opportunities we saw here was to utilize things that are free: light, nature, and access to views,” says Wittman. “Bringing in nature can instantly make a space feel more generous.”

Hem House by Future Firm, a Chicago studio, is a 1,300-square-foot stand-alone in the East Garfield Park neighborhood that sold in summer 2021 at its listing price of $399,000. The design for the home was inspired by the Eames House in Los Angeles, which favored prefabricated construction over proprietary building methods, and used off-the-shelf materials instead of bespoke finishes. More cost savings came by using land that the Cook County Land Bank Authority purchased in 2015.

The attention to detail extends to the design of the home's streamlined contemporary gutters.

Sweeping eaves protect the home from unwanted solar gain.

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