Construction Diary: An Architect Relies on Memory to Rebuild His Childhood Home

Jes Paone had always planned to return to the quaint, gabled house in Concrete, Washington, where he grew up, but in 2016 it mysteriously burned down while no one was around. The Brooklyn architect decided to rebuild, in part to help his mother deal with the loss but also to create a retreat for his family of three that could eventually become their primary residence. Reference materials were scarce—there was only one photo, plans were nonexistent, and Jes hadn’t visited the site since leaving as a teen—so he relied solely on childhood memories to sketch out designs of the home, with a few updates.