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After a forest fire destroyed their cabin in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Jeff Waldman and Molly Fiffer built a new retreat with salvaged, charred timber and a community of friends.

Almo Troup repurposed nearly all of the materials from a tumbledown shack to create a dreamy, minimalist workspace in his backyard.

The door here was not part of the original shed, but it was being stored within the shed when Troup and his wife moved onto the property. The front entrance is clad in the old cement sheet planks, now cement sheet shingles.

Homeowners Heather Thompson, a literary specialist in Lake Oswego School District, and Sam Gaty, executive director at a nonprofit that supports documentary filmmakers, loved almost everything about their spacious, light-filled 1965 ranch house in Portland, Oregon’s West Haven neighborhood. But the one pain point was the kitchen, a cramped, dark space with a bad layout.

#Honomobo M.05

5. "What are the top 10 most important things I must have in a home?" "If there are two people buying the home, write your answers down separately, starting with your absolute must-haves," Hoffman explains. “Putting together a list separately can give both parties and the realtor a clear picture of what the perfect home will have for both of you."

Resident Brian Whitlock saved some serious cash by taking on much of the construction and electrical work himself.

Here's what you need to know before undergoing a building project with a contractor but no architect.

Hiring a general contractor (GC) may not be as exciting as picking an architect, but it’s definitely as important. After all, this is the person who will determine whether you’re sleeping in a beautiful new bedroom or a motel when your projected move-in date rolls around.

A family chose MyCabin to construct prefab structures in their home country of Latvia. The prefab structures have space for work, sleep, and relaxation.

"Radical sustainability

The Linns’ home, which Andrew Linn and Jack Becker completed for Andrew and his wife last year, declares its commitment to natural materials with a patchwork of wood products on its exterior. The sassafras cladding the lower portion of the house’s east face peels away from the building to become a freestanding fence enclosing a small, private outdoor space in the middle of the alley.

Conic Estudi transformed an industrial space into Vasto Gallery: a comfortable home in Poblenou, Barcelona, that doubles as an art gallery. The two programs are separated in the otherwise open plan by a service core detached from walls and ceiling. Built in wood, this central volume stands out as a freestanding element that allows an uninterrupted view of the interior.

In Australia, a manufacturer and an architecture firm create an off-grid home that can be broken down and shipped across the world.

“We pulled apart one volume and staggered it along the buildable area of the property,” says architect Matthew Ahlberg of Portland firm Barrett Made. The home is clad in unfinished cedar, meant to weather over time.