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While the owners really liked the idea of shou sugi ban, they opted for a more cost-effective black stain. The random-width, reverse board-and-batten siding reflects the wabi-sabi concept. “The builder said the math for the random siding was torturous,” the wife said. “We didn’t know how hard it was to make things look simple.” DeNiord planted hay-scented fern and lowbush blueberry sod around the house. “We didn't want any side of the house to feel unconsidered,” he says. As for the local boulders he placed around the house and terrace, he says, “They give the feeling that the house grew up around the outcroppings.”

Architect Ian Butcher designed a two-story addition that cantilevers off the back of Dana Ferestien and Megan Landis’s Craftsman home in Seattle, completely transforming the rear profile of the 1901 house.

When starting from seeds, Kyle Hagerty from Urban Farmstead suggests a variety of simple, DIY methods. "Some use egg cartons, some people use plastic Solo Cups, paper pots out of newspaper, or used egg shells," he says. "But at most nurseries or hardware stores—and of course online—you can order seedling germination containers or trays."

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.

The living room is warmed by a Morsø 1440 cast-iron stove and features a pair of calfskin folding seats that are original to the house.