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In the living room, a Malm fireplace sits on a yellow powder-coated steel table that matches the bookshelf ladder leading to the loft. Jagoda designed the table with space underneath to store firewood.

Pam and Frank recently remodeled this loft in New York City to get better natural light throughout, working with firm Light and Air Architetcure. “That's exactly what we were looking for, is light and air,” says Frank. The views out the living room windows were a strong selling point for the home, despite its original 1980s-era finishes before the remodel. The view from the media room/extra bedroom shows the accordion door that opens to the main living areas.

Now, a walk-in shower and soaking tub are tucked under the roof line.

The current homeowner loves the mahogany panel walls that connect the living room and kitchen. “The warm tone of the wood nicely offsets the concrete floors and block walls,” says Joe. “The expansive panels facing the living room are like built-in art to me.”

Concrete floors flow from the primary living spaces throughout the residence.

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

A rear deck equipped with Adirondack chairs flows seamlessly from the bedroom's bay windows.

The desk and bedroom are complete with dark wood paneling that distinguishes it from the brighter living area.

"Architects that have experience with old structures have a thorough understanding of how to deal with—and take advantage of—archaic materials and express them in the design. Allowing the existing building structure and integral elements to be revealed lets the building tell its story, and is what makes timeless and intriguing architecture," adds Nardella.

"A steep or unstable site can make it difficult and costly to seismically retrofit a structure, or stabilize the site,” says Thomas Schaer at SHED Architecture and Design, a Seattle-based firm with extensive experience in adaptive reuse, as well as midcentury remodel. “There also may be land-use code provisions that limit or prevent development on the lot."

Very few things are as rewarding as transforming a fixer-upper into the home of your dreams. Yet, anyone who has traveled down the path of renovation knows how windy that road can be. To help combat unforeseen challenges, we asked expert renovators what all they would consider before investing in a fixer-upper.

The Hideout is currently available for rent on Airbnb. “Obviously you can get off the grid and go to a more traditional cabin or camping, but to have a space that’s also designed very internationally brings it to the next level of that experience,” says Castillero.

“I envision people writing their books, music, refuelling their creative flow,” says Castillero. He should know about its energizing power more than anyone, really: it brought him back to his love of architecture, after all. “It’s truly my new happy place.”

The wood-fired store is from local company Homestead Stove.

Durable VCT tiles were used for the floor. Though this material is typically used in a checkered pattern (you’ll find them in grocery stores, for instance) but all in one finish, it makes for a sophisticated, lightly flecked look.

The bathroom is decked out entirely in a material called Coosa, a plywood alternative that’s becoming popular in the boating and marine construction world. “The material can live underwater,” says Castillero.

Castillero and Reed took inspiration from Norwegian design, keeping things cozy but minimalist with OSB cladding and a monochromatic palette.

Floyd Home provided furniture for the compact space, including the bed, the table legs and the cozy rug.