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Olive-green Fireclay tile creates a spa-like experience in the bathroom and fluctuates in tone throughout the day.

"The wood-burning stove is also a winter delight. I like to spend time with my wife drinking a glass of wine while watching the fire swaying in the wind. It gives me an extraordinary feeling!" says the owner.

The kitchen-cum-dining area is an open space that facilitates gatherings, working from home and lets people behind the counters communicate with others outside easily.

After staying in a tree house listed on Airbnb, Remo Kommnick and Emi Moore wanted their own getaway in the woods. "It was amazing being up in the trees,

“Everything is in the core,” Farley says. “It’s an efficient way to organize space and functions.

“We splurged on everything—we doubled our budget,” says Remo. To afford the increases, he sought out cash discounts, and Emi got trade rates through her company on pricey materials like limewash paint and Zia cement tiles.

As opposed to a traditional "design, bid, build

While Swinburne and the builder focused on local materials for sustainability purposes, using timber harvest from the site and milled locally also cut down on costs.

The Vermont land where this 1,300-square-foot home, designed by Robert Swinburne, sits was previously used for harvesting maple sap to make syrup, so it was entirely free of underbrush and only the best trees remained when the new owner bought it to build a home. "It felt like a park,

Architect Robert Swinburne deploys a collaborative building approach and hyperlocal materials to craft a Passive House–certified home that celebrates the land it’s built on.

The detached screened porch sits out in the landscape, not unlike a Japanese teahouse.