This Texas home isn’t your typical ranch house. One afternoon, about three years ago, architect Ryan Bollom of lowdesignoffice was walking around a plot of land, trying to find the ideal site for his clients’ house. The couple, Julie and Chris, had recently purchased the 23 acres on which they planned to build a home for their retirement years. The topography was beautiful but harsh, with rolling hills, limestone outcroppings, hearty brush, and abundant cedar trees. Julie and Chris hired Bollom partly because they liked his firm’s pared-back style, and partly because they wanted someone involved in both the design and build process. “Basically, all architecture is invasive,” Bollom says about his design process. “It’s going to disrupt the landscape. And so, we’re always trying to think about how we can have as minimal of an impact on the landscape as possible.” To minimize site disturbance, Bollom designed a simple two-level residence that uses a steel pier and beam foundation, allowin...