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Favoring natural and low-maintenance materials, the dwelling’s exterior is clad in Corten steel, Shou Sugi Ban charred siding from Nakamoto Forestry in Portland, and stucco. A natural-edge wood garden bench draws attention to the angled glass windows of the facade.

Wedged with precision between the existing garage and pool, the narrow new structure is only 13 feet wide.

Jennifer sits at a vintage Bruno Mathsson Maria dining table in the kitchen.

Inside, rustic elements (like wood beams and whitewashed wood) nod to the structure’s former life, while walls of glass, black metal accents, and sleek furnishings give it a fresh, new look. After the renovation, the couple loved the guesthouse so much they decided to make it their full-time dwelling.

Timber beams are evident throughout. “The original post-and-beam structure was taken down, numbered, and reused within the new shell,” says Béliveau.

Top 9 Gardens of 2020: The verdant spaces nominated for the Dwell Design Awards help enliven their biophilic homes.

A cedar fence, porch, and chimney and a Minerit panel driveway syncs with the materials inside the courtyard.

The interior glows like a lantern at night, as does the new backyard pool.

Focusing primarily on the view, the residents decorated the master bedroom with succulents, books, ceramics, and little else. A blanket from The Citizenry lies across an Onto bed by Bensen.

Jennifer requested the Japanese-style outdoor soaking tub, but it’s enjoyed by the whole family. It was built by J&K Cedar Works for around $6,500.

In 2013, Jennifer Warner and Cara Frey fell in love with a modest but charming 1920s house within walking distance of their bungalow. The dwelling was dramatically sited, with great views of Portland’s southwest hills and downtown. But according to Michael Leckie, the Vancouver–based architect they eventually hired, "It was the dumpiest house on the block." Leckie replaced the house with a simple, modern design, using a basic square wood box that skews into a rhombus form, which he topped with a sloping roof. Their son, William, 6, swings in front of the cedar-clad house.

Timber-framed glass sliding doors open up the interior to the outdoors and natural light. Western red cedar shingles and Tasmanian oak shiplap clad the exterior.

In the front courtyard, a raised bluestone patio was built off the new kitchen for casual meals and entertaining. The Eames Molded Plastic Chairs are from Herman Miller. The dining table and benches are from Room & Board.

Along a stretch of bungalows and boxy new developments in Los Angeles’s Venice neighborhood, architect Barbara Bestor inserted a modern villa within the footprint of an old house purchased as a teardown. Preserving two walls of the previous single-story structure, Bestor designed a new, two-story wood-frame house crowned by a large skylit bathroom with its own expressive rooftop.