An Architect Revives a Dreary, Prefab A-Frame Cabin in the Hamptons for $300K

Architect Edgar Papazian and his wife, Michelle, weren’t immediately sure how to make the dilapidated A-frame cabin they’d purchased in Sag Harbor, Long Island, more comfortable for their family of four.  “When we purchased the cheapest house in the zip code, it was simply shelter after a tumultuous period,” says Edgar. “As we lived in it over the next year, I was able to examine the carcass of the thing we had bought and gradually figure out how it could work better for us.”

“The ease in having yourself as a client is offset by the limitations you impose on yourself financially and emotionally,” says Edgar. “Your own home is a place created as an extension of your identity, but it also has to fulfill practical functions—and I found I had to edit myself mercilessly. We also happen to live in a place where construction is very expensive, which made this build incredibly challenging and nerve-wracking.”