In 2003, Resolution: 4 Architecture was one of 16 firms who participated in the Dwell Home Design Invitational—a competition to design a modern prefab home for $200,000. Their winning design, constructed in Pittsboro, North Carolina, is a groundbreaking case study that combines prefabricated construction with contemporary, modern design.

Overlooking the Hudson River, Allan Shope’s nearly 3,000-square-foot sustainable home features handmade furniture and an undulating floor, all crafted from the site’s felled black walnut trees.

Architect Rocio Romero designs ADUs that are conceived as studios, backyard offices, guest cottages, and short-term getaways. She’s sold over 50 prefab units in 17 different states, and recently launched a series of more modestly sized, construct-it-yourself structures dubbed the Camp series. The 456-square-foot Base Camp and 312-square-foot Fish Camp will both be priced in the $20,000 range. At just over 300 square feet, the Fish Camp is the smaller of the two Camp styles, but the prototype illustrates its utility as guesthouse or office.

At nearly 80,000 square feet, the Oslo International School is one of Jarmund/Vigsnæs’s larger projects. Situated just outside Oslo, the school was recently renovated, with some 40,000 square feet of new construction. The colored panels suggest a sunny optimism, something the architects hoped to imbue in an educational context.

Set on a 6,456-square-foot lot, the home also includes an intimate backyard pool. Thick hedges surround the space, creating an idyllic city escape.

Den's A frame house is designed with 1,000 square feet of living space.

In the backyard, the couple added a pergola, greenhouse, and outdoor dining space for $6,000.

A portion of Blauvelt’s 3,000-book library is archived in the long entry hall where the geometry of a Noguchi lamp plays off a pair of minimalist prints by Daniel Buren.

Built on a tight budget of $120,000, a retirement home in the mountains delivers unexpected contemporary design to a rural township.

The Armadillo is parked on a 1,000-square-foot lot that gives the couple ample outdoor space.

Wexler and Harrison's original plan was to create affordable vacation homes for a growing middle class. When this home first went on the market with the others in 1962, it was competitively priced between $13,000 and $17,000. Today, the kitchen has been restored following guidelines from its original configuration, and the landscaping was updated in 2001 with Wexler's oversight.

The 1,000-square-foot pavilion was completed in 2009 as a volunteer structure and tool shed--though today its used far more by the public than initially anticipated. "The garden was wiped out after the storm," McKay recalls. "There was nothing, zero. Volunteers came in and replanted everything." Photo by Frank Doering.

Kasita prefabs started at $89,000, and they were marketed as tiny houses for those who wished to live simply.

The 5,000-square-foot midcentury home sits on 2.24 acres of woodland in Armonk, New York.

Built in 18 months on a budget of $105,000, this charming A-frame saves on costs with an interior lined with exposed plywood.

At over 500 square feet, the house’s green roof may be its most powerful—and most expensive—environmental statement. It cost $8,000 to waterproof, and $7,000 to landscape. Water from the roof feeds the toilet and the garden’s watering system, and the garden itself insulates the house and keeps gas bills low in winter. Photo by Nic Granleese.

The Fung/Blatt family enjoys the backyard of their Mount Washington home. Despite its 5,000-square-foot lot, the house is just 1,640 square feet. Michael Blatt admits, “If we could add anything to this house, it would be five walk-in closets.”

Generations of family have lived on this wooded, waterfront site, where architect Will Randolph has built a weekend getaway for less than $70,000.

A 3,000-liter rainwater harvesting tank is located beneath the rear deck, which is made from spotted gum with an oiled finish.

Inspired by the surrounding landscape of chestnut trees, rocky hillside, and bubbling stream, Portuguese architecture firm 3r Ernesto Pereira chose to blend into, and take advantage of, the local geography rather than fight against it at this sleek, modern home near the coastal city of Porto. At a cost of €100,000 (approximately $125,000) and measuring about 140 square meters, this stunning, wood-and-glass retreat took about four months to construct.

Remodeled on a budget of just $35,000, this 355-square-foot apartment uses affordable birch plywood for the flooring, doors, and storage units for a warm feel.

A luxurious rural retreat that doesn’t skimp on comfort, JR’s Hut is an off-grid glamping destination with spectacular views of the 7,000-acre Kimo Estate in Australia.

The first Plant Prefab–built modular lightHouse ADU was completed earlier this spring in Sebastopol, California. This 423-square-foot lightHouse was completed for around $285,000. That figure breaks down to approximate costs of $210,000 for design, engineering and production; $60,000 for infrastructure and site work; and $15,000 for shipping and installation.

The 1,000-square-foot home was expanded to 3,000 square feet in the remodel and addition.

A sculpture at the nearby Ami Omi sculpture garden. The house was inspired by Richard Serra's sculpture 4-5-6-- a 90-ton behemouth at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.

Olson Kundig Architects' Delta Shelter, in Mazama, Washington, is a 1,000 square-foot steel box home with a 200 square-foot footprint. Photo by Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects/TASCHEN.

The newly constructed residence was built on the old home's footprint. By expanding vertically, the family was able to gain about 1,000 square feet of living space, increasing interior living area from 2,000 to 3,000 square feet.

The ever-changing, lush wooded surroundings of Minnesota, such as those experienced at this 8,000-square-foot Type Variant House outside of Minneapolis designed by Coen and Partners, are right near the small town of New Richland.

More than 6,000 pounds of green Moroccan tiles from Design Fliesen were used in their primary bathroom, which has two Falper faucets. There's a second full bathroom and two powder rooms.

Located in Springfield, Missouri, Streamline House is set on a hill just above the Jones Branch, a spring-fed stream that pumps more than 300,000 gallons of crystal-clear water through the site every day.

In the primary bedroom, built-in storage is ship-like and not particularly plentiful. “I’d rather live in 850-square-feet by the ocean and see the sunrise every morning than in 3,000-square-feet in the suburbs,” Caleb says.

Completed for an approximate cost of $2,000,000, the modern, net-zero home features 3,835 square feet and is located in the heart of Suncadia’s master-planned community.

Of the many architectural landmarks in Los Angeles, few are as iconic of Hollywood’s film industry as the Ennis House, which hit the market after a $17,000,000 renovation.

When Wexler and Harrison’s steel homes first hit the market in 1962, they were competitively priced between $13,000 and $17,000. Shown above is Steel House #2.

Commissioned as part of the popular Chinese reality television show Beautiful House, Beijing–based studio Evolution Design Architects was given a budget of 600,000 RMB (approximately $87,965 USD) for construction and interior design, as well as just two months to complete the transformation.

The original 1,000-square-foot house (where the open living, dining, and kitchen area is mostly located) abuts the new, 1,000-square-foot addition in an "T" configuration to make the best use of the site.