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A Seattle couple built their own backyard house with a city-sponsored design—and then rented out their old home on the property to friends.

"We were interested in this idea of treading lightly on the site. Using a green roof is a logical extension of that. When you introduce a building that supplants a little piece of the forest floor, it's nice to replicate that on the roof as a return gesture to continue to create habitat for birds, animals, and plants, and to help manage the flow of storm water," explains McFarlane.

This temporary accommodation for traveling professors tilts toward the water like the bow of a boat.

"We have developed a taste for Nordic style and have tried to stay true to that aesthetic, without being precious,

Completed in 2018 on a 2.6-acre site in the San Juan Islands, the two-bedroom modular home was installed in a day.

The home’s master bedroom and living room face south for optimal landscape views. A large outdoor deck emphasizes the home’s indoor/outdoor connection.

La Cantina doors slide open for a seamless connection between the living spaces and the outdoors.

The home is clad in Western Red Cedar and James Hardie cementitious siding.

The roof overhang provides shelter to the entry with an oak front door from Lyndon Doors.

The open-plan living room is housed in a 527-square-foot factory-built module.

Designed for energy efficiency, the home features insulation above code and hydronic radiant heating. Note the Morso 6148 wood-burning stove in the entry hall that’s fueled by locally felled lumber.

A timber palette emphasizes indoor/outdoor living. The outdoor cedar deck visually extends the interior white oak floors. The ceilings and soffits are made of hemlock.

A large, east-facing window in the kitchen captures morning light. The kitchen is outfitted with Caesarstone Pebble countertops, a Heath Ceramics Lichen backsplash, and Smith & Vallee Woodworks cabinetry.

The shared wet room features a Boyce freestanding tub by Signature Hardware with west-facing views of the forest.

The wet room connects to two half-baths on either side that are equipped with dual-flush toilets and WaterSense fixtures. Gray porcelain tiles from Statements Tiles line the room.

The compact row houses feature carefully angled solar panels that harness every moment of the sun.

The homes’ interiors are open and airy. The ground-floor kitchen opens to the dining room, which leads to the the living area. There, two sets of glass doors provide access to a terrace, expanding available living space.

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