She Designed It. He Built It. And Together They Beat L.A.’s Brutal Housing Market

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Project Details:

Location: Los Angeles, California

Architect: Lindsay Sheron

Builder: XX BLDG Workshop

Footprint: 1,790 square feet

Structural Engineer: SK Structural Engineering

Photographer: Ye Rin Mok / @yerinmok

From the Architect: "In 2021, an architect and her husband purchased a small patch of raw hillside north of Dodger Stadium. The plan was to use her skillset to bypass the brutal L.A. housing market and create a place where they could start a family. For the next four years, they worked together to design, permit, and build it.

"She imagined her personal home as an opportunity to integrate design with the dynamic natural topography of Northeast Los Angeles. Her entry sequence invites guests to descend into the hill under a vaulted double-height ceiling of Western Hemlock. Large north-facing windows bathe the space in warm sunlight, framing the woodlands and snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains beyond.

"It is a house without hallways; circulation to private areas is borrowed from the open communal space. Playful use of color and texture serve as a counterpoint to gentle natural materials and introduce wonder and unexpected joy into the everyday.

"As general contractor, they subbed out major trades and filled in the gaps themselves after hours. They slept in the unfinished house and showered at work. By the end of the process, her husband, formerly a touring musician, was working to rebuild homes lost in the Altadena and Pacific Palisades fires."