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Jennifer and Kenard Bunkley braved resident wildlife and the soaring cost of plywood as they demolished and rbuilt their vacation home in upstate New York.

"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."

The 1969 summer house needed a gut remodel—so Carisa Salerno and Aaron Levin rebuilt it piece by piece: “In the end, we feel like we built a sculpture, not a house.”

The Haystack Haus

An elevated deck from the driveway guides you to the front entryway.

The first floor bedroom features it's own sitting area.

The first floor master bedroom with private deck.

Black granite counters top fir cabinets, and are accented by walnut open shelving in the new kitchen. The pendants are by Visual Comfort.

With its driveway to the north, the home faces west toward the Pacific, with its courtyard breaking up the house's mass.

The lower floor houses a spa, gym, and office. A built-in bathroom by Espace Cuisine includes a sauna.

The timber joinery in the bathroom conceals storage that allows the family home to remain uncluttered. The large windows frame green views that belie the urban context and complement the refined material palette.

The serene wood-clad sauna.