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It took less than five months for architect David Hovey Jr. to build this prefab home in Arizona's Paradise Valley, a rectangular pavilion with a shell of laminated glass, a perforated Cor-Ten steel roof, and an indoor courtyard where Hovey Jr.'s family take dips in the Olympic-size swimming pool. Polished concrete floors, Nakashima furniture, and a large black walnut bar are all found indoors.

Floor-to-ceiling glass walls on both sides of the main living room allow sweeping views straight through the house.

This massive Durand oak tree inspired the design of the house. Thanks to a wall of welded steel and tumbled limestone, the home has an abundance of privacy.

For this Long Island project, architect John Patrick Winberry rotated the back of the home ninety degrees, designing the main living spaces around an L-shaped corner. This allowed the building to follow the path of the sun and “interact with the interior,” as Winbury puts it, through an abundance of carefully placed Marvin windows.