An Architect Couple Built Their Washington Home "With the Lightest Carbon Footprint Possible"

A chapter from the new book "New Northwest: Residential Architecture in the Evergreen State" shows how they did it.

"Two years after starting our design practice, we got the itch to build," Annelise Aldrich recalls of the origins of this prototype house that she and Mark Keller designed, built, and live in. Having just returned to Aldrich’s home state of Washington after staying in house shares while they traveled across the country, the duo—who are partners in work and life—were eager to create a home of their own and settle down.

Their chosen 7,000-square-foot lot in Roslyn, a former coal-mining town east of Snoqualmie Pass, proved to be a convergence point in more ways than one. Besides sitting in a wildland urban interface area—with the Roslyn Urban Forest to the north and the town to the south—the site is also subject to National Historic District preservation guidelines. Aldrich and Keller approached the house as a template for a different kind of future. "The house is a transition from an extractivist, industrial past that caused a lot of environmental degradation to something with the lightest carbon footprint possible," says Aldrich.

The house was designed and largely built by the architect-owners.

Photo by Todd Rotkis

The duo started with the standard four-foot width of a plywood panel to rough out the house’s dimensions, organizing the building as a tall and narrow three-story volume to minimize its footprint and site disturbance. Elongating the structure east to west maximized solar exposure for the south-facing living area on the top floor, while a gabled roof nods to Roslyn’s historical buildings and creates voluminous interiors. To minimize materials and construction time, Keller and Aldrich developed a "tight-frame" timber structure that is elegant in its simplicity. Friends from Colorado-based Treecraft Design-Build prefabricated the structure and installed, sheathed, and waterproofed it in under two weeks. Exposed on the inside, the structure is protected by an envelope system called PERSIST which stands for "pressure equalized rain screen insulated structure technique"—a Canadian method that the duo came across early on. "We were doing a ton of building science research and wanted to try out what we were researching," explains Aldrich.

Solar panels help power the home.

Photo by Mark Keller

"We believe in wood and asked, ‘What if we used this material to the best of our ability?’" says Keller, who, together with Aldrich, constructed much of the remainder of the building. The result is a home that reflects the full spectrum of Keller and Aldrich’s interests. The kitchen is anchored by a 20-foot-long wooden counter/work table, where they spread out architectural drafting paper, roll out pasta, and host friends for dinners and game nights. "In the end, we wanted to build to effect our own ethos, both as ourselves personally and as our architect selves," says Aldrich. "It’s a demonstration of how we want to be in the world."

Post-Coal by Trace Design

Location: Roslyn, Washington
Completed: 2024
Principal Residence: 2,400 square feet
Greenhouse: 100 square feet

The house is situated at the edge of the Roslyn Urban Forest.

Photo by Mark Keller

See the full story on Dwell.com: An Architect Couple Built Their Washington Home "With the Lightest Carbon Footprint Possible"
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A Magical Bathing Retreat Hides on Top of This Tiny Cabin in the U.K.

A tall parapet creates privacy for the rooftop sanctuary, which holds a shower, sauna, and garden.

Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. Have one to share? Post it here.

Project Details:

Location: East Sussex, United Kingdom

Architect: Built Works / @built.works

Footprint: 376 square feet

Structural Engineer: The Structure Studio

Photographer: Connor Duffy Photography / @connorduffyphotography

From the Architect: "Designed and built by hand by founders Will Gowland and Harry Kay, Bathers Cabin is a study in considered making. The cabin takes its cue from the traditional grain stores of Southeast England: modest, square structures, often raised on saddle stones, with operable louvres to draw air through the building. The cabin reinterprets this vernacular as a single beguiling, monolithic volume, lifted clear of the forest floor on screw piles so that it appears to touch the landscape only lightly. Angled larch shingles give the facade a quiet dynamism, softening the building’s silhouette and casting shadows that let it dissolve into the woodland.

"The larch was sourced from a nearby mill and installed green and rough-sawn, then finished in situ with Scandinavian pine tar to achieve its rich, blackened tone. The reference points reach beyond the agricultural: a pilgrimage to Peter Zumthor’s Therme Vals informs the building’s restraint, its sense of mass, and the way a dark, earthy interior turns the eye outward toward the landscape.

"Inside, the cabin is organized on a precise cross plan. Four full-height, off-center pivot windows face true north, south, east, and west, each framing a different view and curating a distinct quality of light. With an entirely open-plan layout, the architecture allows bathing to sit at its very center, the bathroom opening directly onto the bedroom and living space so the act of washing merges with the rhythm of the day.

"At the heart of this project is the volume of bespoke and handmade work. The bathroom floor and walls are laid with unglazed tiles made by Harry Kay and his family, including one-off specials pressed with wildflowers gathered with his children, sitting subtly amongst the bathtub waiting to be discovered; left unglazed to avoid a second firing and sealed with linseed oil, they carry their making in every imperfection. The living-room floor is English end-grain oak, cut to size on-site to align exactly with the setting-out of the tiles, with a central inlay of natural cork. The walls are finished in Detale CPH Kabric plaster, and the shower and kitchen are clad in stainless steel.

"Several pieces of furniture have been made from rough-sawn cedar blocks left over from the build, among them the dining table, coffee table, and bathroom island. The dining table inlays a small oak support into the cedar to carry a smoked-glass top. Hand-block-printed calico curtains, made by Harry and his mother-in-law, carry a custom print depicting the floor plan of the cabin itself. The cabin’s doors and windows were made by hand from Scottish Douglas fir, and, beyond a pair of Ferm Living chairs in the living room, almost everything in the cabin was made by Will and Harry themselves: the timber frame, cladding, flooring, joinery, soaking tub, furniture, textiles, and the rooftop garden alike.

"A concealed staircase leads from the bathroom to the cabin’s rooftop bathing terrace, set beneath the canopy of ancient oaks and wrapped in an oversize parapet that ensures complete privacy, offering a secluded forest-bathing experience in the open air. Conceived as a contemporary take on the Japanese karesansui garden, the terrace is landscaped with floating islands of ferns and native woodland planting set within a sea of dark gray pebbles, navigated by an elevated boardwalk that creates the sensation of drifting through the treetops. Handmade by Harry, a square larch bathtub sits at its focal point and is used as both a warm soak and a cold plunge, with a cedar stepping stone alongside. A freestanding shower stands between the bath and the sauna, whose exterior is thatched with branches foraged from the surrounding woodland."

Photo by Connor Duffy

Photo by Connor Duffy

Photo by Connor Duffy

See the full story on Dwell.com: A Magical Bathing Retreat Hides on Top of This Tiny Cabin in the U.K.

My Big Adventure to Paul Reubens’s "Big Auction"

Seeing some of the late comedian’s kitschy collections alongside other fans—some of whom bid thousands—felt like getting a deeper picture of the real man behind Pee-wee Herman.

A series of murmurs and gasps went up on a late October afternoon at an auction of some of the late Paul Reubens’s things. It wasn’t because of the heated back and forth between bidders on a Pee-wee’s Big Adventure replica bike, which Reubens rode at a 2011 awards show and ultimately fetched $19,200, making it the auction’s most expensive item. Instead it was because Reubens’s longtime assistant Allison Berry mumbled, "That was in Paul’s living room," when auctioneer Kody Frederick began to solicit bids on a relatively standard Atomic Era sofa to a crowd of 25 or so people at the Groundlings theater in Los Angeles. (Hundreds more were bidding on the auction online across the world.)

A midcentury Atomic-style sofa from Paul Reubens’s home sold for $7,680 in the Julien’s auction.

Photo courtesy Julien’s Auctions

It’s a fact that was noted in the listing for what Julien’s Auctions called a "vintage multicolored upholstered sofa," but it caused a buzz all the same. (The item’s presale estimate was between $400 and $600 but it ultimately ended up going for $7,680 including buyer’s premium.) The same can be said for other objects from Reubens’s home and garden, like a Brown-Saltman magazine coffee table sold for $4,480 or a cascading outdoor fountain that went for $6,400. One online buyer spent $3,520 on the four wrought-iron address numbers once screwed to a wall outside Reubens’s semifamous three-bedroom, midcentury home in Los Feliz while another paid $2,240 for two relatively small and crudely cast concrete animal sculptures that previously sat in Reubens’s yard.

For fans of Reubens, it seems nothing was too much to pay for the chance to own something beloved by the actor/comedian, who died in 2023 after a private, years-long cancer battle. Several audience members came in Pee-wee Herman costumes, paying tribute to Reubens’s most famous and long-running persona. Others drifted in hours after the auction started, clutching newly obtained bidder numbers but often choosing to mostly watch the sale roll on in person.

Other items from Reubens’s home that sold for thousands of dollars include a Brown-Saltman coffee table (left) and a decorative garden fountain (right). 

Photos courtesy Julien’s Auctions

The 438-item auction spanned items from Reubens’s life and career. There were books autographed by his famous friends and costumes from his movies, bits of claymation from the "Penny" cartoons on Pee-wee’s Playhouse and a klatch of kitschy salt and pepper shakers. It seemed to represent the man as much as his work; part memorabilia sale, part personal estate auction. Much of what was featured in the auction wasn’t actually on-site, save for a few items significant to Reubens’s time at the Groundlings, where he first launched the Pee-wee character, and a signature Pee-wee Herman suit from the 2016 movie Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, but that didn’t stop fans from oohing and aahing over each item that hit the block. (In a tribute to the secret words from Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Frederick also asked in-person attendees to "scream real loud" every time they heard the word "sold," a charming gimmick that only lasted for the first 10 or so items.)

The original address numbers from Reubens’s home (left) and two painted concrete garden sculptures (right) also sold for prices far above their pre-auction estimates.

Photos courtesy Julien’s Auctions

See the full story on Dwell.com: My Big Adventure to Paul Reubens’s "Big Auction"

Budget Breakdown: With $691K, a Seattle Couple Turned Their Garage Into a Backyard House

The laneway ADU by Tokul Design balances custom and cost-effective finishes and indoor/outdoor space for a family that grew out of their Craftsman home.

Designing and building on a budget isn’t just a matter of choosing cost-effective materials and dialing in square footage. It’s also about relationships: working with people you trust—people you have mountain biked through the dirt with.

Seattle homeowners Steven and Libby Kady had previously remodeled their 1947 Craftsman, but after having a second child they were short on space. Steven, who frequently works from home, gave up his office (which doubled as a guest room for visiting family from their native Indiana) for the baby’s room.

This ADU by Tokul Design was constructed along a laneway in the Magnolia neighborhood, which meant the construction team had to be mindful of neighbors’ movement in and out.

Andrew Pogue

The Kadys didn’t want to move. They loved living in the Magnolia neighborhood, near Discovery Park along Puget Sound. But adding an additional floor would be expensive (requiring new structural support) and would mean vacating the premises for months, which they’d already done for the remodel.

Instead, Steven and Libby decided to replace their detached garage (which was in poor condition anyway) with a new two-story, 906-square-foot structure that included an upper-level dwelling with a guest quarters and home office. For the design, the couple turned to friends of over 12 years: architects Dawn McConaghy and her husband, Kozo Nozawa, of Seattle firm Tokul Design. The quartet and their kids had already gone on journeys together as part of a cyclocross team and family bike group.

When Steven and Libby Kady set out to build an ADU behind their Seattle home, they soon found out that they’d need to rebuild the sloping site’s retaining wall. The sitework added expense, but it allowed the construction of a level outdoor gathering area beside the yard.

Andrew Pogue

McConaghy and Nozawa had never designed a detached accessory dwelling unit (or DADU, as they’re known in Seattle) before. But in addition to Tokul’s portfolio of single-family homes (one of which was recently featured in the New York Times), both architects had previously worked at one of America’s top firms, Olson Kundig, collaborating directly with renowned partner Tom Kundig.

Custom oak cabinetry added $15,600 to the budget. The high-performance sintered stone countertops are by Neolith, and the backsplash is mosaic tile by Inax.

Andrew Pogue

See the full story on Dwell.com: Budget Breakdown: With $691K, a Seattle Couple Turned Their Garage Into a Backyard House
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Ikea Hacks Helped My Sister, Partner, and I Transform a Service Station Into a Cozy Shop

After two years of DIY projects, Storyboard opened in June as a place where we can share our love of books, skateboards, and coffee with our community.

In 2023, I left New York City for Midway, Utah with my partner Galen DeKemper. We bought a beloved local ice cream shop and bakery whose owners were retiring. Our goal was to transform the space into a hybrid bookstore (my first novel The Responsible Party came out in August), skate shop (Galen taught me to skate at age 30 and now we hit the pump track or cruise with our dog Mars), and coffee shop (we’re addicted to the stuff). Over two years later, our goal has now been achieved, and it’s called Storyboard.

The space was originally an automotive service station, designed with a small greeting vestibule and two rooms with concrete floors and commercial overhead garage doors. It’s an old building and rehabbing it was a lot of work. We didn’t have a big crew of people helping us transform the space—most of the interior was created by myself, Galen, and steered by my sister, Julia Carusillo. Julia is a multi-hyphenate set designer, artist, doll house-maker, collector, and now, the creative mastermind of Storyboard, her first large-scale retail project.

Storyboard is located in Midway, Utah, a small town with a population of 6,000 located about an hour from Salt Lake City. 

Photo by John Keating

The former owners of the Storyboard space laid the kitsch on a little thick. 

Image courtesy of Claire Carusillo

We were faced with the project of stripping away the roadside Americana kitsch that we inherited along with the old building while still making the space feel totally analog and lived-in. The other design challenge is that our town of Midway, Utah, is somewhat bizarrely modeled after a Swiss Alps village. Most new commercial design on Main Street has to fit within certain Alpine-inspired parameters. Because our building is about 80 years old, we didn’t have to adhere to those guidelines, but we certainly wanted some nods to the surrounding architecture. We wanted the place to feel warm with wood (one wall of the book room is constructed entirely from ammo-box insulation, a holdover from the town’s early mining days), but we also wanted a lot of color. We live in a world where good design in retail unfortunately means sterile, Scandi, and blonde. To us, good design means colors and textures that bring us joy and subtle repeating patterns to tie each room together. 

Julia and I haven’t lived in the same place for a long time, and working on this project together and apart felt like the culmination of decades of all our screenshotting, doodling, and memeing efforts. I’ve always gone to my older sister with vague ideas about how I want something to look and wait for her to design it for me on paper or via Adobe or AutoCAD. I’m always floored by how her brain works. 

Claire Carusillo (center) asked her sister Julia Carusillo (left) to design the shop she opened with her partner, Galen DeKemper (right). 

Photo by John Keating

See the full story on Dwell.com: Ikea Hacks Helped My Sister, Partner, and I Transform a Service Station Into a Cozy Shop
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Designers Are Proving Spec Houses Don’t Have to Be Boring

Homes built without a confirmed buyer have a reputation for being bland and unimaginative, but some developers have found approaches that allow for more creativity without alienating their clientele.

The first thing to know about spec houses—homes that were built without a confirmed buyer—is that the people creating the most interesting ones may not even realize they’re building them at all.

"Spec houses, ew," quipped one source I reached out to. But then they thought about it some more: "I guess that is what we’re doing." The hesitation is understandable: For many, the phrase "spec home" conjures up a particular image of bland, conformist design—something created to appeal to the largest number of leads in order to move inventory quickly. Call it 50 shades of greige, homebuilder edition.

A new crop of developers, architects, and general contractors is starting to think differently. Instead of trying to net as many potential buyers as possible by appealing to the mean, these professionals instead are taking an approach more akin to spearfishing: designing spec homes with high specificity. In some cases, that means embracing interiors or massing with more derring-do than your average build; in others, it’s cultivating a property that embodies a strong set of values. Either way, these efforts are laser-focused on creating something that will appeal to a particular type of prospect, whether it’s a first-time homebuyer or a sustainability advocate. To figure out the smartest approaches, we talked to a handful about how they approach building thoughtful spec homes that still make business sense.

El Bosque’s home collection includes structures by many notable architecture firms, including Gensler’s Ceibo House (left). The interior of the Jobo House (right) displays the development’s emphasis on a sense of place.

Photos courtesy Harmony Projects

Zoom in on lifestyle

"People designing spec homes like to say they’re designing something that will appeal to everyone," says John Johnson, a developer of the El Bosque residential community in Nosara, Costa Rica, but "what actually happens is they design a home that will offend no one." For El Bosque, Johnson—alongside his wife and codeveloper, Susan—has commissioned a neighborhood populated with houses designed to tread lightly on the earth, by firms including Olson Kundig, Chip Webster, Gensler, and Years Studio. Structures employ locally harvested timber, use deep overhangs for solar protection and rain mitigation, and "float" over the forest floor so as not to impede the wildlife below.

In planning the development, the Johnsons are applying a lesson they gleaned through operating the Harmony Hotel, a neighboring eco-resort. "Sense of place deepens your market," says John, who notes that the return guest rate at the hotel hovers around 50 percent. Their logic is that taking a similar tack will work in a residential community, too.

Pursuing this deep-not-wide strategy meant that the typical developer formula of maximizing buildable area went out the window, says Roberto Meza, managing partner of El Bosque. "We built less and kept more of the site intact, and that restraint is where the value comes from," he says. So far, it’s also proven to be a sound financial model: "Buyers have shown they are willing to pay for what we chose not to build," says Meza, adding that half of the properties have sold in the first 24 months. The development is walkable and oriented around community—amenities that are increasingly recognized by developers as selling points. Whether it’s a tree house in the rainforest or an adobe dwelling in the desert, spec-house developers are wise to appeal to a sense of place, and the priorities that come with it.

Embrace the potential of the odd lot

Brian Wickersham, founding partner of AUX Architecture in Los Angeles, similarly sees value in bucking the conventional spec-house rules. After designing for a number of developers, his firm started looking at the numbers and saw that a bolder design could be just as financially compelling as a "safe" alternative. "We started to talk to developers so we could say, ‘Hey, look, if we start to do it this way, the economics are actually going to support you,’" he says. Eventually, his firm put their money where their mouth was.

At the moment, AUX is breaking ground on their first three-house development in Northeast Los Angeles, at a site Wickersham discovered while walking his dog. Another developer had purchased the property with a residential build in mind—but the project didn’t pan out, Wickersham says, because the previous owner had planned to level the steep grade and put in large retaining walls. The property went back on the market, and AUX swooped in, with a plan for homes that will follow the site’s natural sloping topography—a trio of homes, running down the hill.

Hillside developments like these can be challenging: "You have to be creative out of the gate," Wickersham notes. "The market thinks that they’re complicated, [so] that’s an opportunity for us." Because of the complexities involved with developing the land, Wickersham was able to acquire the property for a figure that would make the build of a spec home profitable. The homes they’re making are expected to match the area’s average of around $800 per square foot, and the sizes will be between 1,200 and 1,400 square feet. Wickersham explains that they are targeting first-time homebuyers interested in the eclectic feel of the Highland Park neighborhood—and, one can assume, also appreciate a bit of architectural audacity.

Having now sat on both sides of the spec-house table, Wickersham empathizes with developers seeking safe returns through cookie-cutter design, but ultimately stands by his approach, and advocates for other architects to similarly put skin in the game. To achieve profitability as well as a compelling design, spec-house developers must be willing to embrace an out-of-the-box solution—and have faith in the power of this thinking.

Erica Keberle of Major Jacks has collaborated with Thaddeus Stephens of design/build firm Wishbone on multiple projects, including Heute Haus in Glen Spey, New York (left), and Bear Run in Narrowsburg, New York (right).

Photos by Gabriel Zimmer (left) and Clay Banks (right), courtesy Anatole House

Use unique details to help your property stick out

For those who subscribe to Wickersham’s thinking, there’s a freedom in designing these projects. "I think not having the client is what makes this more fun and gives it creative freedom," says Erica Keberle, the interior stylist behind Major Jacks and a realtor based in the Catskills region of New York. Across three projects, she has partnered with Thaddeus Stephens of Wishbone, a design/build firm, on developing spec homes that are chock-full of personality—think tabasco-red cabinets, hearths made from handmade local tile, and a sunken living room. Since Keberle and Stephens are both the decision-makers and the executors, projects move quickly, and ideas resist the "watering-down" that can result from micronegotiations with clients over the course of a project. "It’s hard to tell a client, ‘Hey, I found two hundred square feet of old tile in a barn somewhere. It’s all dirty, but they’re going to clean up great!’" says Stephens. "But we can see it."

When it comes time to sell, Keberle represents the properties as the real-estate agent through Anatole House, a design-forward brokerage focused on the Hudson Valley and Catskills regions. The first spec-home collaboration between Keberle and Stephens—who together bill themselves as Beyond the Black Box—listed for $895,000 and sold for $865,000. "That property started a new comp for that not only that specific area, but then that became a new comp for the next projects for other people in the area," says Keberle. Their current project, Timber Lake in Eldred, New York, is on the market for $1,050,000, and boasts tactile details like tile by local maker Jessie Lazar and bullnose-rounded corners.

The latest collaboration between Major Jacks and Wishbone, Timber Lake, is currently on the market for $1,050,000. 

Photo by Zach Hyman, courtesy Anatole House

See the full story on Dwell.com: Designers Are Proving Spec Houses Don’t Have to Be Boring

How to Build a Spec House That Feels Personal—And Financially Sound

Homes built without a confirmed buyer have a reputation for being bland and unimaginative, but some developers have found approaches that allow for more creativity without alienating their clientele.

The first thing to know about spec houses—homes that were built without a confirmed buyer—is that the people creating the most interesting ones may not even realize they’re building them at all.

"Spec houses, ew," quipped one source I reached out to. But then they thought about it some more: "I guess that is what we’re doing." The hesitation is understandable: For many, the phrase "spec home" conjures up a particular image of bland, conformist design—something created to appeal to the largest number of leads in order to move inventory quickly. Call it 50 shades of greige, homebuilder edition.

A new crop of developers, architects, and general contractors is starting to think differently. Instead of trying to net as many potential buyers as possible by appealing to the mean, these professionals instead are taking an approach more akin to spearfishing: designing spec homes with high specificity. In some cases, that means embracing interiors or massing with more derring-do than your average build; in others, it’s cultivating a property that embodies a strong set of values. Either way, these efforts are laser-focused on creating something that will appeal to a particular type of prospect, whether it’s a first-time homebuyer or a sustainability advocate. To figure out the smartest approaches, we talked to a handful about how they approach building thoughtful spec homes that still make business sense.

El Bosque’s home collection includes structures by many notable architecture firms, including Gensler’s Ceibo House (left). The interior of the Jobo House (right) displays the development’s emphasis on a sense of place.

Photos courtesy Harmony Projects

Zoom in on lifestyle

"People designing spec homes like to say they’re designing something that will appeal to everyone," says John Johnson, a developer of the El Bosque residential community in Nosara, Costa Rica, but "what actually happens is they design a home that will offend no one." For El Bosque, Johnson—alongside his wife and codeveloper, Susan—has commissioned a neighborhood populated with houses designed to tread lightly on the earth, by firms including Olson Kundig, Chip Webster, Gensler, and Years Studio. Structures employ locally harvested timber, use deep overhangs for solar protection and rain mitigation, and "float" over the forest floor so as not to impede the wildlife below.

In planning the development, the Johnsons are applying a lesson they gleaned through operating the Harmony Hotel, a neighboring eco-resort. "Sense of place deepens your market," says John, who notes that the return guest rate at the hotel hovers around 50 percent. Their logic is that taking a similar tack will work in a residential community, too.

Pursuing this deep-not-wide strategy meant that the typical developer formula of maximizing buildable area went out the window, says Roberto Meza, managing partner of El Bosque. "We built less and kept more of the site intact, and that restraint is where the value comes from," he says. So far, it’s also proven to be a sound financial model: "Buyers have shown they are willing to pay for what we chose not to build," says Meza, adding that half of the properties have sold in the first 24 months. The development is walkable and oriented around community—amenities that are increasingly recognized by developers as selling points. Whether it’s a tree house in the rainforest or an adobe dwelling in the desert, spec-house developers are wise to appeal to a sense of place, and the priorities that come with it.

Embrace the potential of the odd lot

Brian Wickersham, founding partner of AUX Architecture in Los Angeles, similarly sees value in bucking the conventional spec-house rules. After designing for a number of developers, his firm started looking at the numbers and saw that a bolder design could be just as financially compelling as a "safe" alternative. "We started to talk to developers so we could say, ‘Hey, look, if we start to do it this way, the economics are actually going to support you,’" he says. Eventually, his firm put their money where their mouth was.

At the moment, AUX is breaking ground on their first three-house development in Northeast Los Angeles, at a site Wickersham discovered while walking his dog. Another developer had purchased the property with a residential build in mind—but the project didn’t pan out, Wickersham says, because the previous owner had planned to level the steep grade and put in large retaining walls. The property went back on the market, and AUX swooped in, with a plan for homes that will follow the site’s natural sloping topography—a trio of homes, running down the hill.

Hillside developments like these can be challenging: "You have to be creative out of the gate," Wickersham notes. "The market thinks that they’re complicated, [so] that’s an opportunity for us." Because of the complexities involved with developing the land, Wickersham was able to acquire the property for a figure that would make the build of a spec home profitable. The homes they’re making are expected to match the area’s average of around $800 per square foot, and the sizes will be between 1,200 and 1,400 square feet. Wickersham explains that they are targeting first-time homebuyers interested in the eclectic feel of the Highland Park neighborhood—and, one can assume, also appreciate a bit of architectural audacity.

Having now sat on both sides of the spec-house table, Wickersham empathizes with developers seeking safe returns through cookie-cutter design, but ultimately stands by his approach, and advocates for other architects to similarly put skin in the game. To achieve profitability as well as a compelling design, spec-house developers must be willing to embrace an out-of-the-box solution—and have faith in the power of this thinking.

Erica Keberle of Major Jacks has collaborated with Thaddeus Stevens of design/build firm Wishbone on multiple projects, including Heute Haus in Glen Spey, New York (left), and Bear Run in Narrowsburg, New York (right).

Photos by Gabriel Zimmer (left) and Clay Banks (right), courtesy Anatole House

Use unique details to help your property stick out

For those who subscribe to Wickersham’s thinking, there’s a freedom in designing these projects. "I think not having the client is what makes this more fun and gives it creative freedom," says Erica Keberle, the interior stylist behind Major Jacks and a realtor based in the Catskills region of New York. Across three projects, she has partnered with Thaddeus Stevens of Wishbone, a design/build firm, on developing spec homes that are chock-full of personality—think tabasco-red cabinets, hearths made from handmade local tile, and a sunken living room. Since Keberle and Stevens are both the decision-makers and the executors, projects move quickly, and ideas resist the "watering-down" that can result from micronegotiations with clients over the course of a project. "It’s hard to tell a client, ‘Hey, I found two hundred square feet of old tile in a barn somewhere. It’s all dirty, but they’re going to clean up great!’" says Stevens. "But we can see it."

When it comes time to sell, Keberle represents the properties as the real-estate agent through Anatole House, a design-forward brokerage focused on the Hudson Valley and Catskills regions. The first spec-home collaboration between Keberle and Stevens—who together bill themselves as Beyond the Black Box—listed for $895,000 and sold for $865,000. "That property started a new comp for that not only that specific area, but then that became a new comp for the next projects for other people in the area," says Keberle. Their current project, Timber Lake in Eldred, New York, is on the market for $1,050,000, and boasts tactile details like tile by local maker Jessie Lazar and bullnose-rounded corners.

The latest collaboration between Major Jacks and Wishbone, Timber Lake, is currently on the market for $1,050,000. 

Photo by Zach Hyman, courtesy Anatole House

See the full story on Dwell.com: Designers Are Proving Spec Houses Don’t Have to Be Boring