Construction Diary: They Lived in a Yurt for Six Years as They DIYed Their $708K Home

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After living in a boat and a tree house over the years, Peter and Jan Hackett were yearning for something more permanent. Ready to retire and itching to move from Washington State back to Oregon, where they had raised their two kids, the Hacketts decided to build a new house from the ground up. After tackling a series of renovation projects in their various homes over the years, the couple knew they could handle the build—especially with Peter’s decades of experience in construction.

First they selected a parcel of high desert land near Bend, then the couple asked architect Brandon Dean, who had gone to college with their son and recently launched his own firm, to design a fire-resistant, energy-efficient home that felt like a natural fit for the property. Eventually, Dean and the Hacketts landed on concrete for their material of choice. Here, the trio recount how they pulled off the project and what they learned along the way.

Land Ho!

Jan: Peter and I had been living on our boat in Tacoma, Washington, for four and a half years and we wanted to move back to the land, get some property, and retire. We picked Bend because we raised our kids in Corvallis [a three-hour drive to the west, in the Willamette Valley] and would come here to play—skiing, backpacking, and rock climbing at Smith Rock.

Peter: We looked at a bunch of properties in this development, which is called Crooked River Ranch, but when our agent showed us this one, Jan said, "This is it."

Jan: I wanted water, and we can see the river from up here. Plus, I can’t believe we get to look right at Smith Rock.