Construction Diary: In the Mojave Desert, a First-Time Builder Takes On a Tricky Prefab Home

Julie Park had a vision. After building a career in the fashion industry, which had her traveling to Paris, New York, and Hong Kong in a continuous loop, she wanted a quiet place where she could reconnect with her husband, Nathan, and their teenage daughter, Hana. They’re based in Los Angeles, so the idea of driving two hours east to the desert on weekends seemed ideal.

A trip to the Mojave Desert strengthened their resolve. "When I’m traveling, I don’t pay attention to the location as much as the architecture," Julie says. "We stayed in a beautiful rental property, and that’s how everything started." The couple dreamed of building a second home in the area, so they started saving—and by 2019, after about three years of penny-pinching, they felt comfortable enough with the size of their nest egg to start looking for land in Yucca Valley.

Julie decided to design the home herself using the prefabricated Blue Sky Building System, and the company connected her with architect Andrew Goodwin to help bring the project to life.