This "local prefab" home on the Isle of Skye is made mostly from materials sourced in northern Scotland. The timber-framed model, meant to evoke the simple agrarian barns of the area, can be constructed on-site in as little as a day and is designed for affordability.

"Fish Tales: Between Earth and Ice," Peregrine Design/Build Where water and land meet along the rocky shores of Lake Champlain, the winds and currents wash up sharpened slabs of ice, a phenomenon this shanty by Peregrine Design/Build recreates with its jagged, glistening roof.

Black and white kitchen cabinets painted with a triangular pattern add a whimsical touch to this funky kitchen.

The bunkhouse and path beyond.

Leroy with his menagerie and the highway-spanning bridge beyond.

When Abbie and Bill Burton hired Marmol Radziner to design their prefab weekend home, their two requests were “simple-simple, replaceable materials,” says Abbie—such as concrete floors (poured offsite in Marmol Radziner's factory) and metal panel siding—and “the ability to be indoors or outdoors with ease.” Deep overhangs provide shade and protection from rain, so the Burtons can leave their doors open year-round and hang out on their 70-foot-long deck even in inclement weather. They visit the house once a month, usually for a week at a time, with Vinnie and Stella, their rescue Bernese Mountain dogs. Their two adult children occasionally join them. The couple hopes to one day retire here.

A native of Portugal, Fernanda Fragateiro produced this lacquered-iron chair frame from a design by the Mexican husband-and-wife artists Clara Porset and Xavier Guerreiro. Porset and Guerreiro's design is now part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art. Image courtesy of the artist and Galeria Elba Benitez, Madrid.

"Oscar 12a," 2012, by Mauro Restiffe. Courtesy of the artist.

Photograph from the series “Two Million Homes for Mexico” by Livia Corona. Courtesy of the artist and Galeria Agustina Ferreyra, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“Interrogating Architecture” by Felipe Dulzaides. Image courtesy of the artist.

“Opening Ceremony—Habana Libre,” 2003, by Alexandre Arrechea, from the series “Interventions.” Courtesy of the artist and Magnan Metz Gallery, New York.

"Redressed Architectures for the City of Santiago—Building # 9," collage, photograph and contact paper, by Patrick Hamilton. Image courtesy of the artist.

"Bunker Series 004," 2013, by Maria Martinez-Cañas. Courtesy of Laura Blanco and Robert F. Shainheit.

Walnut and stainless-steel installation with brass-tube netting, by Leonor Antunes, 2012. Courtesy of Marc Foxx Gallery, Los Angeles.

Windows transcend floor levels to discretely frame views of the surrounding neighborhood, offering slices of the vistas beyond.

The concrete wall mimics the slope of the hill outside as a reference to early Maori structures that were dug into the land. The simple kitchen has strandboard cabinetry and an MDF island that conceals a fireplace at one end. The ceramic works on the built-in seat at right are by Raewyn Atkinson and Robyn Lewis.

After living on and studying a woodsy acre of land in North Zealand, Denmark, architect Jesper Brask cleared a stand of pine trees and, from the timber, built a getaway open to its surroundings. The house, which Brask shares with his wife, Lene, and sons, Kristian, Jens, and Niels, is used mainly in summer, when the weather is optimal for throwing open the glass doors.

Mami and Goo the Kishu dog return from a frolic in the forest, which the couple, along with Hideaki, has thinned and trimmed back over many weekends. It’s an idyllic escape and a world away from the concrete expanse of Tokyo.

In Seattle's rapidly developing South Lake Union neighborhood, the Art Stable is a classic example of urban infill. Built on the site of a former horse stable, the seven-story mixed-use building carries its history into the future with highly adaptable live/work units.

It was a happy accident the way that the floating Fire Orb, which was designed by architect Doug Garofalo, echoes the onion-dome-inspired architecture beyond.

Japanese showers are usually set low down so the bather can sit on a stool and scrub, then pour cedar buckets of hot water over their heads for a refreshing rinse. This homeowner in Venice, California mounted a handheld shower head on the wall for added flexibility. The drain is under the removable cedar floor slats, keeping the room design uncluttered. Wood tubs are cleaned with a simple rinse and last for decades, as the antiseptic properties of cedar guard against mold and rot. This ofuro was designed by Santiago Ortiz and fabricated by Bartok Design.

Choosing a kitchen or bathroom countertop can be nerve-wracking, and we understand why—they can be one of the most expensive aspects of a renovation, with the added responsibility of impacting the aesthetics of a space. Read on as we work our way through the pros and cons of seven of the most common countertop materials.

Tanya, Chris, Jackson, and Zeke spend much of their day outside.

Because the house is narrow and long (16 by 68 feet), the design team decided to create a huge open-air space to light the interior naturally. Two retractable motor-driven canvas canopies shelter the space during Singapore’s frequent rains.

On the outskirts of Austin, Texas, author Chris Brown and his dog Katsu head to the river; the path was once a dumping ground on top of a long-defunct underground oil pipeline. The green roof was conceptualized by John Hart Asher of the Ecosystem Design Group at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin.

“Before, the house turned its back on the landscape,” said Parish. “This renovation and addition really animates the garden.” Sliding glass doors match those of the living room beyond the deck, and both can be completely open to the yard.

A loveseat and two Neo arm chairs by Niels Bendtsen in the living room offer Blauvelt a light-filled view to the courtyard beyond.

Tom Givone’s clients, Rose and Steve Smith, teach overseas and have owned their house for 26 years. They intended to fix it up slowly and retire there. As one problem led to another, they reached a point when they felt their only option, as Rose put it, was to “burn it down.”

Wooden beams extend beyond the structure to create shading trellises for the terraces at the front and the back of architect Ray Kappe's Los Angeles home.

In the photos that follow, we take a look at the product offerings inspired by the house, which Yeon designed when he was only 27 years old.

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Clad in Western red cedar siding and punctuated with floor-to-ceiling windows, this minimalist two-bedroom home boasts sunrise views over the Sonoma hills.