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The home has views of a lake basin in the distance, and a studio where the owner can work.

The primary suite has eastern-facing views, given that the owner wanted morning light.

One of Mandy’s many Pandemic home-improvement projects was learning to plumb via the new mini hot tub in the backyard.

Casa Roca consists of a modest plan with two bedrooms and two baths.

The siting was designed so the boulders block the morning sun, yet the reverse side offers beautiful, sunset views.

"The common areas are made for a seamless move from one place to another,

"Something really important to us is the slab in the front and the back,

The guesthouse hovers above the motor court. "The main area was broken up into four zones: the kids wing, the guest suite, the master suite, and the living-dining room and kitchen, which is a transition area, where public meets private," says Hawkins.

Architect Jesse Garlick’s rural Washington vacation home references its rugged surroundings. The steel cladding has developed a patina similar to the ochre-red color of bedrock found in the area.

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For an escape from bustling San Francisco, architect Craig Steely and his wife Cathy have created a modernist getaway on a lava field next to a black sand beach on Hawaii’s Big Island. Fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over the ocean, the steel-framed home is one of several homes that Steely built on the recently active lava field.

Designed by Peter Bohlin of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the 3,000-square-foot house "incorporates the natural world by allowing one to experience the temperature, sights, and smells of the island as you travel through the house," Kasper says. He calls it "the house that Nirvana built," from his time as a producer for the world-famous band, along with their Seattle grunge brethren Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, and the Foo Fighters.

Warm light emitted through the expansive windows lets the home glow warmly against the mountain and forested setting.

Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects' created both public and private outdoor spaces in Chechaquo Cabin. A second-floor rear deck is propped up on the graded slope to host a secluded spot for a hot tub.

A custom 1,527-square-foot FabCab with an attached garage built in Cle Elum, Washington.

Clustered around a sunny courtyard, Three Piece House’s three volumes—a main house, comprising two volumes (one for living and the other for sleeping) connected via a sun-soaked reading corridor, and a free-standing guest studio—are oriented for optimal passive solar conditions, including access to cooling ocean breezes. Recycled brick paving ties the volumes together. Located in the garden, the studio accommodates visiting friends, family, and guests.

Completed in 10 months on a flat meadow atop a wooded bluff near the Cousins River estuary, the energy-efficient residence emphasizes indoor/outdoor living for a pair of nature lovers.

Set back from the road at an angle to minimize views from the road and to maximize connection with nature, the home is a quiet and private sanctuary. The photovoltaic panels on the garage can feed excess solar energy back to the grid.