Stacey Fong waters the plants in her greenhouse. Santa Monica, Calif.

Dream Design (306)
How does a dream become a dream home? Learn from a Dallas couple — they couldn't fine precisely what they wanted so they drew up a unique design and built it from the ground up. In Southern California, another family made their dream come true with a place made almost entirely from Syndecrete.

A third take on the dream theme: Boye Akinola, one of Atlanta's top architects, built his own 6,400 square-foot Colonial home, complete with an art collection imported from Nigeria and a lavish screened-in porch.