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Stones excavated during the foundation dig were redistributed to level out the yard while simultaneously creating a drainage curtain around the leach field.

The prefab design utilizes a pin foundation system that reduces the project’s carbon footprint by 77 percent, says Wittman.

Floor plan of Pritchard Residence by Woodhull

MASS Design Group cofounder Alan Ricks upgrades his “not structurally sound” bungalow with innovative materials and enough solar panels to produce more energy than it consumes.

The studio is wrapped in corrugated Cor-Ten steel, while the ends are composed of charred reclaimed cedar.

The studio’s mobility has proved its worth. “We’ve moved it to various rentals and will move it to our new house once it’s complete,” says Kat. “We may bring it downtown for an arts festival.”

The home is clad in corrugated iron coated with Zincalume. “We chose the cladding so we could curve the metal sheets and create barrel vaulted roofs,” says architect William Samuels. “The finish gives a natural reflection to the surface of the house, picking up on the colors of the surrounding bush and the changing daylight.”

The owners toured this home, which surrounds a mature tipu tipu tree, while visiting relatives for the day. The brick is original to the 1947 construction.

The exterior was kept mostly the same, with wood siding throughout.

The home was originally built in 1975 and needed a lot of updates.

After renting in San Francisco for a decade, DIY couple Molly Fiffer and Jeff Waldman bought 10 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where the pair and their friends built a cabin compound complete with sheds, tree decks, a pavilion, a wood-fired hot tub, an outhouse, and an outdoor shower. The cabin is made from locally sourced, rough-sawn redwood, which the couple stained with nontoxic Eco Wood Treatment to give the panels an aged appearance and a dark patina.

Backdrop’s After Hours, a soft charcoal hue, gives Carlos Naude and Whitney Brown’s home in Woodland Hills, California, sleek curb appeal. Lund Sconces by Kuzco Lighting punctuate the exterior, and the streamlined garage doors are by Amarr.

EXTERIOR - Our ranch house sits on 9 acres of private boulders and has lots of outdoor living space and something to see from every window. It feels remote but has cell reception and is minutes away from town.

Located off paved roads, across a river, and up a mountain, Pablo Pérez Palacios’s cabin in the Mexican wilderness has a rooftop terrace designed for entertaining.

Floor plan of Paso Robles Vineyard Home by Bracket Architecture Office