Custom houses are all about the details, big and small. Our jury—which included Jeffrey Day of Omaha, Neb.– and San Francisco–based Min|Day; Drew Lang of New York–based Lang Architecture; and Ray Varela of San Diego–based Carrier Johnson—responded most to the projects that took a thoughtful approach to those details. The winners of this year's Builder's Choice & Custom Home Design Awards, featured on the following pages, get them all right. Whether it's using custom milled siding to minimize visible hardware on a hillside site in Austin, Texas, navigating difficult view lines in a retreat on Penobscot Bay, Maine, or filtering daylight to brighten a formerly dark interior in a renovation in San Francisco, the architects and builders represented here share a commitment to craft that is worth celebrating. It's what makes these projects not only simple exercises in design, but also perfectly tailored homes for their clients.
