Our first ground-up build in the portfolio, The Fairfax House began the way the hardest projects do — on paper. Working with John Simenic of Sutro Architects, we resolved the constraints before committing to the design: a tight lot with demanding setbacks, an architectural layout that had to work within them, and a raw site with no existing utilities. Once those were solved, the build moved forward with a clear path.

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The three-bed, two-bath home makes the most of a small footprint, extending into a garage and an upper terrace that opens it to its wooded surroundings — a clean, modern build finding its place in one of Marin's most characterful towns. Material and envelope decisions were made for the long term: a new rice-hull siding that's fire-rated and cost-effective, and ZIP System sheathing for an airtight envelope that guards against moisture and mold down the road. Solar rounds out a home built to perform as well as it looks.

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The Fairfax House is proof of the process at full scale — the questions answered first, so the house that got built is the one that was drawn.