Proving that creative problem solving can add more gusto to a project than a large budget, these 10 houses show that cost-consciousness reaps big rewards. Slideshow 
For a house in Atlanta, architect Staffan Svenson zeroed in on three materials: steel for the cantilever and entrance bridge; local cypress for the deck; and red-painted, fiber-reinforced concrete panels for the cladding. The resulting home has a loftlike upper floor, with 11-foot-tall glass windows and a large sheltered porch, and a private lower level with three bedrooms and an office completed at $150 per square foot. The form is simple but eye-catching—a beacon of affordable modern design and a fine payoff for perseverance. Photo by Gregory Miller.
