After living and working in Australia for six years, Argentinian architect Facundo Ochoa moved to the eastern coast of Uruguay, just outside the popular resort town of Punta del Este. He was drawn to the area’s surfable beaches—especially Playa Montoya—and the proximity to his native Buenos Aires, where he cofounded the studio nodoarquitectura. He also saw a demand for the kind of holistic work he wanted to pursue: projects where he could participate in both the intellectual aspects of architecture and the physical labor of construction. Facundo started with his own house, a minimalist, wood-clad space on a verdant plot. Not only did he design it, he built it inch by inch with his hands, aided by a knowledgeable neighbor and a couple day laborers. After seven months, he finished it in time to welcome home a baby girl with his wife, Catalina (it’s the couple’s first child, arriving any day now). “We’re contributing a new Uruguayan to the country,” he says jauntily. “We’ve put down roots...