Homes I like

6 Prefab Companies Ready to Build Your New Backyard Office: These prefab ADUs are the perfect solution for those in need of a separate home office.

Built entirely from teak harvested on-site, this breezy solar-powered home in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, ticks all the right boxes for a pair of avid environmentalists who love surfing.

San Francisco–based Studio PLOW brought its sleek aesthetic from the big city to the redwood forest, transforming this weekend retreat from dark and dated to bright and modern.

Corrugated Cor-Ten steel clads the entryway that connects the two cedar-clad wings.

Topped with solar panels, the gabled prefab is equipped with 12-foot-tall aluminum security gates that keep the dwelling secure when not in use.

The constraints informed the building design, and were embraced—for example, the cladding that was milled at the end was only enough to partially clad the studio.

Located in Karuizawa, a popular summer resort town in Japan’s Nagano Prefecture, Four Leaves is a weekend getaway designed to accommodate the homeowner and their guests in a lush, sylvan setting. Designed by Kentaro Ishida Architects Studio (KIAS), the highlight of the stunning, 2,400-square-foot house is its sloping, angular roof sections that are delicately assembled to resemble fallen leaves.

#Honomobo M.05

In Texas, where everything is bigger, Ryan McLaughlin is placing his bets on something small. Specifically, a simple 160-square-foot cabin that he hopes city-dwellers will book to get away, find some focus, and reconnect with nature. The result is a laidback, pitched-roof cabin in which every inch of space is thoughtfully allotted so that guests can spend the maximum amount of time outdoors.

At under 100 square feet, the 8' x 12' Site Shack includes just the essentials: a wood-burning stove, a desk, and storage.

The main entrance to the home is located opposite the door of the outbuilding.

“Stacey hopes that we can use this as a prototype for a development of artists’ studios someday—we talked about maybe siting several of them together, like an old mobile home park.” The steel sculpture is by San Antonio artist George Shroeder.