"You've got to talk to Mark Becker," said a friend who had comissioned the young architect to build a house a block away. Other architects had shown the Farmers plans for 10,000-square foot trophy houses - exactly what this unpretentious couple did not want. But Mark was different.

"he showed up for our first meeting in a white t-shirt, shorts, and thongs. He was very laid back," says Jeff. The designer impressed his soon-to-be clients with rough drafts of what he could do.

-Elisa Urbanelli