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Situated outside the village of Burrowbridge in Southwest England, this historic property occupies the site of a 19th-century Baptist chapel.

Victorian terrace homes may be the norm in Melbourne, but Ripple House by FMD Architects stands out with a geometric addition that expands the floor plan for a couple nearing retirement and their two dogs.

One of the most important aspects of the renovation was to achieve the same high quality of crafted finish that had defined the original building—and much of the budget was allocated to skilled craftsmen, bricklayers, and carpenters. “Obviously, this has a huge impact on a renovation project like this,” explains Thomas.

The volume of the first floor overhangs the entrance by three meters, covering the semi-public garden. “The overhead volume makes you feel quite small,” says Eduardo Ugalde from All Arquitectura. “Then, when you open the door and turn to the right, you discover a large open space.”

Antonio and Estela have been together since they were teenagers and today have two teenage children, a son and daughter. The couple built a business together and lived in rented accommodation but always dreamed of having their own home. As their company became increasingly successful, they had the opportunity to not just buy but create their dream home. Interestingly, for a home that values privacy, the front garden is conceived as a semi-public space.

HR Design Department refurbished the original wood siding and painted it in Sherwin Williams Snowbound. New flagstone pavers and gravel make the yard more drought tolerant.

The home is divided into different zones that are clearly represented in the built form. The ground floor is open, public and noisy; the first floor houses more private rooms for guests and children; and the new mansard roof extension has a

The couple took advantage of numerous municipal programs when landscaping the backyard. Mandy recently completed a free course through LADWP, who also promotes resources for the SoCal Turf Replacement Program, to become a certified California Native Plant Landscape: “There is an amazing amount of knowledge and resources for transitioning yards with more native/drought-tolerant plants through LADWP and the Theodore Payne Foundation,” says Mandy.

A triangular pool is also terraced into the landscape surrounding the pavilion-like house.

The floating home, originally constructed in 1968 by Forbes Kiddoo, that Marka Hansen and Joe Brubaker recreated with designer Michelle Chan and builder Steve Crutchfield of True North Construction bobs in a berth at the historical Waldo Point Harbor in Sausalito, California, just north of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.

The gable-roofed home features sustainable Accoya wood siding and Tecu patinated copper by KME, experimental materials that Ricks had proposed for MASS Design Group competition entries but put in use for the first time here. His colleague, Sierra Bainbridge, designed the landscape.

After: "I think the design on the facade of our shophouse suits us. We tend to prefer simple and understated designs," says Kelvin on the shophouse's facade that is less elaborate than some others in the area.

The house on the corner in the tiny town of Castellet in Catalonia, that Kirsten Dirksen and Nicolás Boullosa bought in 2018.

Builders, developers, designers, and architects have developed a range of homes that are composed of prefabricated, modular, or kit-of-parts pieces that can allow for lower costs, faster and easier on-site construction, and even higher quality spaces. Here, we delve into the differences—and similarities—among these manufactured residences.