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The actual site of the 1955 residence is one of the first aspects that appealed to the client. "Situated on a flag lot tucked away by tall 20-foot-tall hedges, [the home is] a secret that only reveals itself once you get inside," he says.

Before: The Mariposa House’s original kitchen featured dark floor tiles and white cabinetry.

The wings of this cruciform residence jut out over the landscape on stilts to capture panoramic views.

A spacious deck was created as part of the addition. A cantilevered concrete bench stretches out to the rear garden and complements the adjacent concrete wall.

The two wings of the addition are connected by a central “void space.” The glass walls visually draw the garden and greenery into the living space. Both East Coast transplants, the couple wanted to more easily take advantage of favorable gardening conditions in the mild Northern California climate. With this in mind, they used the renovation to bring the outdoors in, as well as encourage easy and direct exterior access for gardening.

"The most challenging part of the design was fusing the old part of the house with the new addition," says principal architect Alex Terry. The character and architectural integrity of the single-level 1950s ranch house was thoughtfully reconsidered during the addition and remodel. The home’s front porch, typical of the period, was refreshed with Ipe decking and railing.

The larger volume of the addition, consisting of kitchen, living, and dining spaces, loops around to the smaller bedroom through a wooden passage. The same ipe, with differing finishes, is used for both the interior and exterior. Expansive sliding glass doors by Fleetwood dramatically open up the living space to the outdoors.

Structure

The home enjoys a connection with the surrounding landscape with views from every room that invite the 100-acre site into the interior. “The framed views from each room are a source of pride for us,” says architect Meelena Oleksiuk Turkel. “They illustrate the way in which we design for a specific site, bringing the outdoors into the home and making the most of what the homeowners love about their land.”

“We often hear that our homes don’t look like prefab,” says architect Meelena Oleksiuk Turkel. “But there’s no reason high quality, good design and prefabrication can’t work together.” Mulmur Hills Farm, for example, makes use of thermally modified ash cladding that contributes to both durability and beauty.

The pool was kept, but the spa was enlarged and a new electric heater was installed.

The fireplace is a striking, and popular, feature that the family uses frequently. It was an investment upfront, but will prove a cost-effective choice as time goes on. "Our unit can warm our entire family space including the kitchen, living room, dining room, and office with a more than 90-percent efficiency rating," the homeowner explains.

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.

As Nicolás Tovo and Teresa Sarmiento of La Base embraced modular design as part of their architectural practice, they noticed that prospective clients were wary of prefabricated construction. So the duo teamed up with Place, an Argentine prefab builder, to make a proof of concept just outside the Patagonian resort town of Bariloche.