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Reclaimed wood covers the ceiling in the main room and bedroom. The large white light fixture was reused from the barn’s previous incarnation, and the sectional is from Interior Define.

Kevin and Katie enjoy happy hour on their new covered patio. The plantings were inspired by the garden in Mexico where they got married. During the pandemic, "We were like, I want to go on vacation, but we can't, so let's just make our backyard a vacation,

After purchasing the ruins in 2017, Barbara and Andreas worked with Mexico City firm Pedro y Juana to rebuild them into two separate houses.

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.

A clean-lined bathroom of stone and concrete.

Sean found the vintage school chairs at an auction. "They just matched the aesthetics," he says.

For the living room, Dovetail’s metal shop fabricated a custom fireplace to go between the Quantum windows. The steel surround is coated in an antique black finish to complement the stained cedar wall.

After years of hosting loved ones in their 1,450-square-foot home, a couple called on architect Warren Techentin to build a bold backyard house with vacation vibes.

While Leah and Kyle initially wanted to fully open up the wall between the kitchen and the living room, discovering that it was load-bearing changed their plans. “We ended up opening the wall up so you could see into the beautiful kitchen, and made a custom hood vent with shelves,” says Leah. “Looking back, I am not sure I even would have wanted it removed now.”

Keep founders Austin and Kotono Watanabe revived a compact home in Minneapolis with a dazzling kitchen, an all-electric upgrade, and a clerestory “scoop.”

Floor Plan of Backyard House in Oosterbeek by Manta North

Previously, a screened porch at the front left had been enclosed for additional living space, but wasn’t very usable, so Jobe and Corral converted it back to its original purpose. Now, it serves as a mudroom and a transition space before entering the living room. The preserved board and batten siding is painted Benjamin Moore ‘Kendall Charcoal’ and the ceiling fans are from Schoolhouse. Board-formed concrete replaced the brick, and new steps are formed by limestone slabs taken from the tops of quarries so that the top surface is natural.

Packed with personality, this retooled shed by Best Practice Architecture might just be the cutest little ADU in Texas.

The roof is clad in natural cedar with a copper trim.