No matter how busy custom home clients get, they never stop dreaming of relaxing at the beach—or on the ski slope, on the golf course, or by the pool. “A second home is obviously discretionary spending, so it's subject to changes in the economy,” says Walt Moloney of the National Association of Realtors. “But the underlying fundamental demand for vacation homes is there. Although 2001 saw a small dropoff in Nsecond home purchases from 1999, all anecdotal evidence says it's picked back up.”

Part of that resurgence could be due to increased interest in owning real estate rather than venturing into the stock market. According to the NAR, the percentage of second home buyers purchasing as an investment rose from 20 percent in 1999 to 37 percent in 2002. People are also building second houses as gathering places for extended family or as eventual retirement residences. They're looking for homes they can use year-round, rather than just in one season. And they're taking their work with them when they go on vacation, using home offices to keep up with their hectic schedules. Take a look at the following for proof: The good life is alive and well.

Rock Solid

Extensive concrete terraces outside this Scottsdale, Ariz., second home make the most of its sweeping desert views.

For a family from Germany, this striking, streamlined house in the Scottsdale, Ariz., community of Desert Mountain provides a year-round retreat. Since their main social circle is located several time zones from their vacation house, the emphasis falls less on entertaining than in many second homes. “The house is about reading, meditating, and thinking,” says architect Bing Hu of H&S International. “It's really just for the couple and their son.”

The owners envisioned a house that would last for generations, just like the mass of solid granite beneath their site. Hu's design for a cast-in-place, exposed concrete frame anchored with steel beams did the trick. Before pouring the concrete, though, builder Eric Linthicum had to blast through 20-foot slabs of rock to carve out the home's lower level. Other than that, the site remains undisturbed, down to its smooth granite boulders and blooming cacti.

For the most part, the site's massive granite boulders and cacti were left intact. Below, warm wood ceilings continue from interior to exterior spaces.

The lot's sharp incline prohibited the concrete trucks from driving all the way up to the house. “If the trucks went any farther up the slope, they'd lose their loads because of the hill's steepness,” says Linthicum. Instead, he and his crew parked 80 feet downhill and pumped concrete into on-site molds from there. The structural steel beams were unloaded at the same location and craned up to the building area.

Since months may pass between the owners' visits to Desert Mountain, the home had to require as little maintenance as possible. In addition to its concrete walls and floors, it features a zinc roof and some zinc wall panels, which will weather to a charcoal gray. The rocky point that crops up behind the house doesn't support much vegetation, so there are no leaves or other debris to fall onto the patios and roof. In addition to being low-maintenance, the house satisfies the owners' desire for an energy-efficient residence. The 18-inch-thick walls retain cool night temperatures, even during the summer. “You can keep the doors open most of the time and don't need to turn on the air conditioning, especially in the winter,” says Hu. Strategically placed roof overhangs and sunshades also help keep the house cool without using energy.

A cantilevered lap pool allows the owners to keep up with their exercise routine. Since mental health is just as important to them, the plan provides several outdoor spaces where they can enjoy the city, mountain, and desert views that initially attracted them to the site. “They asked for a seamless transition between interior and exterior,” says Linthicum, “so the concrete floors continue out to the patios.” The only difference lies in the concrete's finish: integrally colored and waxed inside, and sandblasted outside. Either way, the effect is one of sturdiness and Modernity—a simple look for a simple vacation lifestyle.

Project Credits: Builder: Linthicum Custom Builders, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Architect: H&S International, Scottsdale; Living space: 3,267 square feet; Site size: 1.4 acres; Construction cost: Withheld; Photographer: Katsuhisa Kida.

Resources: Bathroom plumbing fittings/fixtures: Duravit, Hansgrohe and Kroin; Cooktop/hood: Gaggenau; Exterior siding: Metalworks; Kitchen plumbing fittings/fixtures: Franke and KWC; Oven: Dacor; Refrigerator: Sub-Zero.

Mountain Hideaway

Architect Tom Lenchek has a particular attachment to this 1,420-square-foot cabin he designed in Washington State's Methow Valley: It's his own house. He and his wife spend weekends there, driving 200 miles from their primary home in Seattle. And now that more than half his firm's jobs are east of the Cascade Mountains, he often turns the guest bedroom into an office by folding up its Murphy bed. “I'll work there for as much as a week at a time,” he says.

The valley experiences extremes of heat and cold, and the house had to be able to function well in both. But that was just one of the obstacles facing builder Mark Rhinehart. “There's really nothing conventional about the house,” he says. “All the framing interfaces with posts and beams or something else. You really had to think ahead about how everything fit together.” A two-tiered concrete retaining wall was poured on site into rough-sawn 1x12 forms, anD the floors consist of poured concrete as well. Other elements in the smorgasbord of materials are Trex decking; peeled logs for structural support; and acid-etched, corrugated metal roofs. “You add muratic acid to water and paint it onto the roof,” he explains. “Otherwise, the metal can be too bright and reflective.”

Rhinehart has noticed a few trends in the many second houses he's built locally—including Lenchek's. “Call-in systems to turn the heat on are popular, particularly in homes with radiant heat, which takes a little more time to warm up,” he says. “People phone in and adjust their thermostats two days before they arrive.” Natural vegetation is gaining on grass as the preferred ground cover, since it requires no mowing. Timed watering systems and drain-down plumbing valves are also commonplace. Energy-efficiency, of course, takes top priority in such a severe climate. At the cabin, a custom-designed stop keeps a heat-retaining blanket of snow on the roof during winter, supplementing polyurethane foam insulation.

Vacation homes tend to interact more with their environments than full-time residences do, and the cabin is no exception. In mild weather, 8-by-8-foot lift-glide doors open almost the entire south façade to a generously sized deck. Handy storage for skis, bikes, and other sports equipment is located in a detached garage. When the couple and their guests have had enough of the great outdoors, they can warm themselves in front of the living room's woodburning stove or hop in the upstairs sauna.

Project Credits: Builder: Rhinehart Construction, Winthrop, Wash.; Architect: Balance Associates, Seattle; Landscape architect: Windy Valley Landscape, Brewster, Wash.; Structural engineer: Magnusson Klemecic Associates, Seattle; Living space: 1,420 square feet; Site size: 18 acres; Construction cost: Withheld; Photographer: Steve Keating.

Resources: Bathroom plumbing fittings/fixtures: American Standard, Americh, , Chicago Faucet, and Kohler; Dishwasher: Bosch; Entry door: Simpson; Fireplace: Rais; Hardware: Sargent; HVAC equipment: Buderus, Techmar, and Wirsbo; Kitchen plumbing fittings/fixtures: Arwa, and Kohler; Lift/glide door: Quantum; Lighting fixtures: Ikea; Oven: Dacor; Refrigerator: Sub-Zero; Windows: Window Visions.

Beach Treat

In addition to its own considerable charms, this cottage on the Gulf of Mexico possesses an illustrious neighbor—the fabled Don CeSar, one of Florida's grand historic hotels. The Pass-A-Grille, Fla., home's owners, who live full-time in Tampa, reap the benefits of their proximity to the hotel by belonging to its golf club and spa. And spillover from the Don CeSar makes a ready-made rental market for the cottage. Architect Stephen Smith estimates the home is rented out half the year and used by the clients themselves for the other half.

Luckily for the clients, Smith and builder Rick Worley created a house that caters to both situations. Its interiors feature lots of painted wood wainscoting and trim that stand up to the pounding a rental house endures. “It really helps because drywall is pretty fragile stuff,” says Smith. “The painted wood takes the abuse of suitcases, kids, et cetera.” A lockable closet on the first floor provides a spot for the owners to keep personal items when the home is occupied by renters. With four bedrooms and four baths, the 3,000-square-foot residence works for an extended family or other group. Yet the generous sizes of the bedrooms and closets, especially in the master suite, are more typical of a year-round residence. “The house is unusual in that the owners outfitted it a little more like a permanent home,” Smith adds.

Whether it's owner-occupied or rented out, the home must be able to withstand tropical storms, hurricanes, and the rigors of everyday beach weather. Worley built it atop underground pilings of wood encased in concrete.The building's lower level consists of concrete and masonry, with breakaway walls of concrete block to let storm water run right under the house. Continuous steel rods run up from the concrete base through the wood-framed main and second floors, pinning the structure to its site.

Contrary to popular belief, Worley says, mold isn't inevitable in a Florida house. “We don't have mold problems in the houses we build because they're all constructed properly, with windows that keep water out,” he explains. Not only are the windows tightly built, but they're also clad in aluminum to prevent rusting. For the same reason, all of the home's exterior hardware is stainless steel, the air conditioning coils are copper and aluminum, and the cedar siding is held up with bronze nails. Just under the standing-seam aluminum roof lies a rubberized membrane for further waterproofing.

Pass-A-Grille is one of the oldest beach communities on Florida's Gulf Coast, and the house's traditional English Caribbean style reflects that history. Smith also chose an old-fashioned way to handle the time-honored challenge of keeping sand out of the house: that beach classic, the outdoor shower.

Project Credits: Builder: Worley Contracting, St. Petersburg, Fla.; Architect: Cooper Johnson Smith, Tampa, Fla; Landscape designer: Tommy Todd Landscaping, St. Petersburg; Interior designer: Tina Todd Interior Design, St. Petersburg; Structural engineer: Miller Structural Engineering, Tampa; Living space: 3,200 square feet; Site size: .13 acre; Construction cost: Withheld; Photographer: George Cott/Chroma Inc.

Resources: Bathroom fixtures: Kohler; Dishwasher: Miele; Hardware: Baldwin, and Rocky Mountain Hardware; Light fixtures: Arroyo Craftsman, Rejuvenation, Restoration Hardware, and Shades of Light; Ovens: Thermador; Refrigerator: Sub-Zero; Windows/doors: Weathershield.

Ski Country

The owners of this second home in Snowmass, Colo., followed a pattern that's becoming more and more common among empty nesters. They sold their primary residence in suburban Chicago and moved to an apartment downtown. Then they built their Colorado home in the Roaring Fork Valley near Aspen as a country retreat.

The clients picked their site for its 360-degree views of the surrounding meadow and mountains. But architect David Warner had to be very careful about the extent to which the home took in those views. Because the sun is so strong at this 7,800-foot elevation, too much glass would turn the house into a pressure cooker. He, design partner Mark Lipkin, and project manager Aaron Hoffmans finessed the situation with judiciously placed windows. “We tried to bring in light from two sides in every room,” he says. “Otherwise one side gets too glarey.” Instead of overloading the south and west façades with glass, they wrapped porches around those sides, enabling the owners to enjoy their beautiful setting in the outdoors.

Having built custom residences in this ski-happy area for more than 20 years, contractor Shane Evans knows a thing or two about vacation homes. In many of his projects with radiant-heat floors, including this one, he has used a structural, plywood-and-aluminum subfloor called Warmboard. “It comes up to temperature more quickly than if they had a concrete subfloor,” he says.The prompt response especially helps out-of-town owners, who don't want to wait hours for their home to heat up after they've been away.

Material selections throughout the house leaned toward the natural and the elemental. “To me a vacation home is a place where you leave formality behind and get close to the materials,” says Warner. He and the clients picked out “standing dead” columns for the living room—logs that were cut down after they'd already died and weathered. Other woods used inside include vertical grain fir and reclaimed heart pine, and the roof is clad in cedar shingles and corrugated rusting metal. “These materials have proven themselves over 100 years,” he says. “They fit into the whole idea of having the house seem appropriate for the site and region.”

Project Credits: Builder: Structural Associates, Glenwood Springs, Colo.; Architect: Lipkin Warner Design & Planning, Basalt, Colo.; Landscape architect: Mt. Daly Enterprises, Basalt; Interior designer: Design Source, Chicago; Living space: 6,785 square feet; Site size: 31.5 acres; Construction cost: Withheld; Photographer: Wayne Thom.

Resources: Audio/video system: Artistic Sound; Bathroom plumbing fittings/fixtures: American China, Just, and Kohler; Dishwashers: Bosch, and Fisher & Paykel; Fireplace: Heat-N-Glo; Garage doors: Overhead Garage Door; HVAC equipment: Weil-McLain; Patio doors/windows: Lowen; Range: Viking; Refrigerator: Sub-Zero; Warming drawer: Viking.

Steel Beauty

This second home on the southern coast of Rhode Island may be the newest remodel you'll ever see. Its New Jersey-based owners wanted to tear down their old house altogether, but current environmental laws prohibit new construction on their waterside property. In order for the home to qualify as a remodel and thus pass muster with the coastal commission, they had to leave the existing foundation and steel frame in place.

Lots of decks, well-placed windows, and a widow's walk take in the long-reaching views afforded by the home's prime site on a rocky promontory.

The situation posed challenges for both builder Randy Gardner and architect Chris Schmitt. The original drawings of the house were somewhat sketchy, so Gardner and his crew had to figure out much of the teardown process as they went along. “We did a lot of exploratory work,” he says. “The hardest part was that so much was unknown. The frame had actually twisted a lot in the 20 years since it was built.” Because of the original frame's torquing, Gardner worked with an engineer to straighten out and reinforce it, using mostly steel and some LVLs.

For his part, Schmitt had to design the new house around the existing frame, and its parameters kept shifting as Gardner and his crew found more irregularities. But he managed to create a four-story, octagonal plan that satisfies the clients' social, family, and work-related requirements. “Their old house was a family house where they raised their kids,” he says. “Now they needed an empty nester house, where they could do more entertaining and spend more time in the off-season.” So he opened up the first floor, blurring the boundaries between the living and dining areas. The entry foyer contains plenty of storage for coats and other items dinner guests might bring. And extensive decks make the most of spectacular water views.

The ground floor holds bedrooms and baths for the owners' four children and numerous grandchildren. It's also home to a 10,000-bottle commercial wine cooler that had been intended as temporary storage during the 15-month construction period. The cooler worked so well that Schmitt designed a new wine cellar to accommodate it. A master suite and widow's walk take up the second and third floors.

Guest bedrooms situated at grade give overnight visitors the freedom to walk down to the water without having to go upstairs first.

Though the house is a vacation residence, it's by no means a summer-only kind of place. It's designed and built to keep out cold New England winters, giving the owners the option of eventually living there all year round. Lead-coated copper flashing and roofs and impact-resistant glass stand up to the elements. Radiant-floor heat and spray-in foam insulation justify their costs by making the home “incredibly energy efficient,” according to Gardner. And a getaway wouldn't be complete without his-and-hers offices, at least not to these clients. “They're both very active in their retirement with community and charity commitments,” says Schmitt. “Part of a vacation to them is being able to keep up with all the things they do.”

Project Credits: Builder: Gardner Woodwrights, Saunderstown, R.I.; Architect: Schmitt Sampson Walker, Westerly, R.I.; Landscape architect: Gates, Leighton & Associates, East Providence, R.I.; Living space: 6,864 square feet; Site: 1.75 acres; Construction cost: Withheld; Photographer: Warren Jagger.

Resources: Backup power system: Onan; Bathroom plumbing fittings/fixtures: California Faucets, Dornbracht, Hansa, Hansgrohe, Jado, and Kohler; Dishwasher: Fisher & Paykel; Elevator: National Wheel-ovator; Exterior siding: Maibec; Fireplace: Rumford, and Superior Clay; Hardware: Baldwin; HVAC equipment: Carrier, Stadler-Viega, and Viessmann; Insulation: Icynene; Interior doors: Select; Kitchen cabinets: Wood-Mode; Kitchen plumbing fittings/fixtures: Franke, and KWC; Light fixtures: Bega, Halo, Lightolier, and Progress; Oven: Viking; Paints: Benjamin Moore; Refrigerator: Sub-Zero; Steam generator: Steamist; Windows: Andersen.