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Custom Home of the Year Winners, 2003 - 2012

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Custom Home of the Year Winners, 2003 - 2012

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    CHDA 2012 Custom Home of the Year
    Barrio Historico House, Tucson, Ariz.
    Entrant/Architect: HK Associates, Tucson, Ariz.; Builder: Saavy, Tucson
  • The neatly composed street elevation barely hints at what lies within.

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    The neatly composed street elevation barely hints at what lies within.

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    Bill Timmerman Photography

    The neatly composed street elevation barely hints at what lies within.

  • The houses side courtyard is shielded from view by the building and a high garden wall.

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    The houses side courtyard is shielded from view by the building and a high garden wall.

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    Bill Timmerman Photography

    The house's side courtyard is shielded from view by the building and a high garden wall.

  • The main living space observes a visual boundary that includes the courtyard and pool.

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    The main living space observes a visual boundary that includes the courtyard and pool.

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    Bill Timmerman Photography

    The main living space observes a visual boundary that includes the courtyard and pool.

  • What appears to be a high window is, in fact, a periscope that projects a roof-top view of the Tucson Mountains onto a mirror mounted above the kitchen cabinets.

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    What appears to be a high window is, in fact, a periscope that projects a roof-top view of the Tucson Mountains onto a mirror mounted above the kitchen cabinets.

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    Bill Timmerman Photography

    What appears to be a high window is, in fact, a periscope that projects a roof-top view of the Tucson Mountains onto a mirror mounted above the kitchen cabinets.

  • Deep glass soffits cast watery reflections overhead.

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    Deep glass soffits cast watery reflections overhead.

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    Bill Timmerman Photography

    Deep glass soffits cast watery reflections overhead.

  • The master suite opens onto a more private rear courtyard.

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    The master suite opens onto a more private rear courtyard.

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    Bill Timmerman Photography

    The master suite opens onto a more private rear courtyard.

  • The master bath

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    The master bath

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    Bill Timmerman Photography

    The master bath

  • The rear courtyard

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    The rear courtyard

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    Bill Timmerman Photography

    The rear courtyard

  • The master bath, with its windowed shower, relies on the garden wall for privacy.

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    The master bath, with its windowed shower, relies on the garden wall for privacy.

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    Bill Timmerman Photography

    The master bath, with its windowed shower, relies on the garden wall for privacy.

  • This building section shows the profile of the periscope.

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    This building section shows the profile of the periscope.

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    Courtesy HK Associates

    This building section shows the profile of the periscope.

  • The floor plan

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    The floor plan

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    Courtesy HK Associates

    The floor plan

  • Strong geometrical forms and soft, muted colors give this new house an assertive yet respectful presence in its rural landscape.

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    Strong geometrical forms and soft, muted colors give this new house an assertive yet respectful presence in its rural landscape.

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    Elliott Kaufman

    2011 CUSTOM HOME OF THE YEAR
    House in an Olive Grove, Geyserville, Calif.
    Cooper Joseph Studio, New York

    Strong geometrical forms and soft, muted colors give this new house an assertive yet respectful presence in its rural landscape.
  • The entry elevation presents a bold composition of rectilinear forms.

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    The entry elevation presents a bold composition of rectilinear forms.

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    Elliott Kaufman

    The entry elevation presents a bold composition of rectilinear forms.

  • The house opens up on its downhill side.

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    The house opens up on its downhill side.

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    Elliott Kaufman

    The house opens up on its downhill side.

  • The building fans out in both plan and section.

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    The building fans out in both plan and section.

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    Elliott Kaufman

    The building fans out in both plan and section.

  • Interior and exterior living spaces take in long views over an olive grove.

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    Interior and exterior living spaces take in long views over an olive grove.

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    Elliott Kaufman

    Interior and exterior living spaces take in long views over an olive grove.

  • The kitchen overlooks the living area. A sliding screen beyond opens a window into the bedroom.

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    The kitchen overlooks the living area. A sliding screen beyond opens a window into the bedroom.

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    Elliott Kaufman

    The kitchen overlooks the living area. A sliding screen beyond opens a window into the bedroom.

  • A view of the living room from the kitchen.

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    A view of the living room from the kitchen.

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    Elliott Kaufman

    A view of the living room from the kitchen.

  • The concrete wall that slices through the building opens for a windowed seating nook in the living room.

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    The concrete wall that slices through the building opens for a windowed seating nook in the living room.

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    Elliott Kaufman

    The concrete wall that slices through the building opens for a windowed seating nook in the living room.

  • The interior palette follows the same grayscale theme as the exterior.

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    The interior palette follows the same grayscale theme as the exterior.

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    Elliott Kaufman

    The interior palette follows the same grayscale theme as the exterior.

  • The bedroom. All interior millwork is oak with translucent acrylic inserts.

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    The bedroom. All interior millwork is oak with translucent acrylic inserts.

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    Elliott Kaufman

    The bedroom. All interior millwork is oak with translucent acrylic inserts.

  • The master bath. The mirror reflects the view through the glass-walled shower.

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    The master bath. The mirror reflects the view through the glass-walled shower.

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    Elliott Kaufman

    The master bath. The mirror reflects the view through the glass-walled shower.

  • The site plan.

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    The site plan.

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    Courtesy Cooper Joseph Studio

    The site plan.

  • The floor plan.

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    The floor plan.

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    Courtesy Cooper Joseph Studio

    The floor plan.

  • Building sections.

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    Building sections.

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    Courtesy Cooper Joseph Studio

    Building sections.

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    Warren Jagger Photography

    2010 CHDA Custom Home of the Year
    Connors House, Westwood Mass.
    Entrant/Architect: Estes/Twombly Architects; Builder: Old Grove Partners, Needham, Mass.

    The entry courtyard of this house is sheltered by stone walls, landscaping, and the building itself.

  • Custom Home of the Year 2010: Connors House, Westwood, Mass.

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    Warren Jagger Photography

    The house occupies a ridge with a clearing and view to the south.

  • Custom Home of the Year 2010: Connors House, Westwood, Mass.

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    Warren Jagger Photography

    A granite fireplace and chimney anchors the west wall of the kitchen great room.

  • Custom Home of the Year 2010: Connors House, Westwood, Mass.

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    Warren Jagger Photography

    The kitchen cabinets, like all the millwork in the house, are mahogany. The floor and counters are limestone. Read more here.

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    Doug Edmunds

    2009 CHDA Custom Home of the Year
    The Ferrous House
    Entrant/Architect: Johnsen Schmaling Architects, Milwaukee Builder: Jorndt-Fahey Remodeling, Williams Bay, Wis.


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    Doug Edmunds

    A new system of wood-and-steel roof trusses opens the interior to a full-length clerestory.

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    Courtesy Johnsen Schmaling Architects

    Before

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    Doug Edmunds

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    Doug Edmunds

    Contrasting interior finishes delineate the circulation core, which includes the entryway, kitchen, and rooftop addition.

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    Doug Edmunds

    A rooftop-level addition contains this getaway space, aptly dubbed "The Observatory."

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    David Wakely

    2008 CHDA Custom Home of the Year
    Walden, Colo., Residence
    Entrant/Architect: Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects, San Francisco Builder: Byron Miller Construction, Arvada, Colo.

    Our Custom Home of the Year employs familiar Western forms to create something that feels completely new yet perfectly at home in its Rocky Mountain setting.

  • Custom Home of the Year 2008: Walden, Colo., Residence

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    David Wakely

    Two white-painted "cubes" at the center of the plan organize the building's interior without creating fully enclosed rooms.

  • Custom Home of the Year 2008: Walden, Colo., Residence

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    David Wakely

    The broad, sheltering roof that marks this house from a distance also defines its living spaces.

  • Custom Home of the Year 2008: Walden, Colo., Residence

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    David Wakely

    The interior deploys archetypal Western imagery in service of Modernist design principles.

  • Custom Home of the Year 2008: Walden, Colo., Residence

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    David Wakely

    With views that stretch for miles and nary a neighbor in sight, one does not need a porch railing for privacy. Read more here.

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    Kevin J. Miyazaki

    2007 CHDA Custom Home of the Year
    Green Lake, Wis., Residence
    Entrant/Architect: Johnsen Schmaling Architects, Milwaukee Builder: Gale Burg Construction, Malone, Wis.

    In an effect inspired by the forest that surrounds it, views through this new lakeside home shift with one’s perspective. Its unfinished red cedar siding will gray to blend with the tree trunks.

  • Custom Home of the Year 2007: Camouflage House, Green Lake, Wis.

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    Kevin J. Miyazaki

  • Custom Home of the Year 2007: Camouflage House, Green Lake, Wis.

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    Kevin J. Miyazaki

    Stained siding panels reflect the colors of fall foliage. The linear, open-plan interior wears a simple palette of pigmented concrete floors, clear-finish MDF wall and ceiling panels, and laminated fir structural beams.

  • Custom Home of the Year 2007: Camouflage House, Green Lake, Wis.

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    Kevin J. Miyazaki

    Read more here.

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    Maxwell Mackenzie

    2006 CHDA Custom Home of the Year
    Millbrook, N.Y., Guesthouse
    Entrant/Architect: Meditch Murphey Architects, Chevy Chase, Md.; Builder: Heitmann & Heitmann, LaGrangeville, N.Y.


  • Custom Home of the Year 2006: Millbrook, N.Y., Guesthouse

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    Maxwell Mackenzie

  • Custom Home of the Year 2006: Millbrook, N.Y., Guesthouse

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    Maxwell Mackenzie

    Simple building forms and a strictly ordered geometry heighten the drama of the hilltop site.

  • Custom Home of the Year 2006: Millbrook, N.Y., Guesthouse

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    Maxwell Mackenzie

    Read more here.

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    Meditch Murphey Architects

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    JD Peterson

    2005 CHDA Custom Home of the Year
    Sonoma County, Calif., Residence 

    Entrant/Architect: Aidlin Darling Design, San Francisco Builder: Cello & Maudru Construction Co., Napa, Calif.

    Sliding glass doors open up the corner of the master bedroom to views of the vineyard and mountains beyond. Ample terraces establish a close connection between house and site.

  • Custom Home of the Year 2005: Sonoma County, Calif., Residence

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    John Sutton

    The client's plan was to build a main house on this vineyard property and turn this rammed-earth gem into a caretaker's residence.

  • Custom Home of the Year 2005: Sonoma County, Calif., Residence

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    JD Peterson

    A clear sealer applied to the rammed-earth walls, both interior and exterior, protects them from damage.

  • Custom Home of the Year 2005: Sonoma County, Calif., Residence

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    John Sutton

    Custom blocks of cabinetry define the house's public spaces. Read more here.

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    Julia Heine

    2004 CHDA Custom Home of the Year
    McLean, Va., Residence
    Entrant/Architect: McInturff Architects, Bethesda, Md. Builder: LifeCraft, Washington, D.C.

    Masterful control of form, material, and stylistic reference made this house the prime head turner among an outstanding crop of entries.

  • Custom Home of the Year 2004: McLean, Va., Residence

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    Julia Heine

    Pinpoint siting, earthy materials, and walls that seem to disappear fully engage this suburban home in the outdoors.

  • Custom Home of the Year 2004: McLean, Va., Residence

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    Julia Heine

    Painstakingly detailed yet relying on simple forms, the interior emphasizes natural materials and natural light.

  • Custom Home of the Year 2004: McLean, Va., Residence

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    Julia Heine

  • Custom Home of the Year 2004: McLean, Va., Residence

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    Julia Heine

    Read more about this project here.

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    Warren Jagger Photography

    2003 CHDA Custom Home of the Year
    Jamestown, R.I., Residence
    Entrant/Architect: Lerner/Ladds + Bartels, Providence, R.I. Builder: Ray Construction Company, West Greenwich, R.I.

    Three traditional building forms—a gable-roofed main house, a shedlike studio, and a saltbox-style loft—come together in an unexpected fashion.

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    Warren Jagger Photography

    Three traditional building forms—a gable-roofed main house, a shedlike studio, and a saltbox-style loft—come together in an unexpected fashion.

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  • Custom Home of the Year 2003: Jamestown, R.I., Residence

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    Warren Jagger Photography

    For the client's garage and artist's studio, architect Chris Ladds fashioned a 2,000-square-foot building with a curved shed roof that sits at an angle to the 2,900-square-foot main house; the east ends of both structures almost touch.

  • Custom Home of the Year 2003: Jamestown, R.I., Residence

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    Warren Jagger Photography

    The curved south wall of the main house exactly follows the sun's path throughout the day. Read more about this project here.

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    Lerner/Ladds + Bartels

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    Frederick Phillips and Associates Architects

The Custom Home Design Awards celebrated its 20th anniversary last year! Throughout the years the numbers have grown—even during the worst of the downturn—to as many as 500 entries per year. The editors of Custom Home are trying to provide broader reach and higher exposure to the innovative projects entered into the design awards each year. Next week, we officially are announcing a more comprehensive and prestigious program in combination with our sister publication, BUILDER. The 2013 Builder’s Choice & Custom Home Design Awards will receive coverage in both print publications as well as being featured within our various digital and online venues. In addition, we will present the awards at a dinner event on Oct. 8, prior to Residential Architect’s annual Reinvention conference. 

To help launch the new program, we've collected winners from the past nine years for our Custom Home of the Year award. To select these best-of-the-best honorees, our jurors meet in person and consider each project before making tough choices on which ones should be selected to represent the best in pioneering architecture and meticulous construction. And from among those carefully curated whole-house entries, one is further elevated as the Custom Home of the Year (CHOY) award winner. 

These houses vary in style, location, and program yet they all share sensitivity to their sites and enduring details that propelled them into this elite category. Our design award juries often engage in lengthy discussions about the merits of certain projects over others or philosophical debates on housing in general, but selecting the CHOY typically is one of their speediest decisions. These projects seem to have something special that immediately catches the attention of both the custom builders and architects on our juries. CHOY winners from the past nine years are gathered in this slideshow. After viewing these projects, we hope you’re inspired to submit your own work to our bigger, better 2013 design awards program. 

Online registration and more information is available at www.bcchdesignawards.com.