Teak has a weight to it that you notice before anything else. Not just physical mass, but a kind of presence. The grain runs long and close. The surface, even unfinished, holds warmth in a way that painted timber simply does not. It is a material that improves with time rather than despite it.
MasayaCo has been making teak furniture since the company's earliest years, shaping chairs and tables from wood grown through reforestation efforts in Nicaragua. Masaya Homes is the sister company that carries that same material thinking into residential construction. For those who know MasayaCo through its furniture, the H1 model will feel familiar. For those who arrive through Masaya Homes, the furniture collections are worth exploring for the same reasons.
The two companies share a supply chain, a material philosophy, and a common ethos: good design should give back more than it takes. Reforestation, regenerative land practices, and responsible sourcing are not add-ons to the work. They run through everything, from the forests in Nicaragua to the furniture, and now to a complete residence.
Rooted in Reforestation.
MasayaCo began as a reforestation project. The furniture, and the homes, followed from there. Since 2008, more than 1.3 million trees have been planted across 1,300 acres of previously deforested land in Nicaragua. The wood used in every Masaya Homes' H1 model is FSC® certified, sourced from our own managed forests as well as other FSC certified reforestation efforts in the region.
The shared materiality runs deeper than aesthetics. The teak in a Masaya Homes residence and the wood in a MasayaCo dining table come from the same forests.
Built for Los Angeles, Available Across California.
The H1 model was originally developed with Los Angeles in mind. After the 2025 wildfires, questions of rebuilding, resilience, and responsible construction became impossible to ignore.
We spent years building sustainable ADUs across California, primarily in the Bay Area, where our panelized solid teak method was developed and refined. The 2025 LA wildfires brought that thinking into sharper demand. Applying the same process to a full single-family residence produced the H1 model. The system adapts readily to different sites and climates. We currently service all of California, and for larger developments, the model can be taken beyond the state on a case by case basis.
For anyone looking for a sustainable home builder in California, several things set the H1 model apart. Our panelized system keeps onsite construction time and waste significantly lower than conventional builds. Costs per square foot come in well below the state average for a product of comparable quality. Beyond the economics, the material carries its own argument. Teak is a living carbon sink, actively pulling carbon from the atmosphere and storing it long after the wood is milled. Every purchase funds ongoing reforestation in Central America. Our supply chain runs directly from those forests to finished home, with the wood traceable at every stage.
Two Specs, One Standard.
The H1 model is a full single-family home. Two versions are available.
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H1 Two Bedroom
1,350 sq ft / 2 Bedrooms / 2 Bathrooms
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H1+ Three Bedroom
1,650 sq ft / 3 Bedrooms / 2 Bathrooms
The footprint changes between the two. The quality of the space does not.
Living areas open generously without losing intimacy. The kitchen sits at the heart of things, the kind of room that holds a morning coffee as easily as a long dinner. Bedrooms are calm, removed from the main flow. Light moves through the whole.
Inside, the wood holds a quiet that feels less like interior design and more like standing among trees.
Read about what it is like to live in one.
A Fully Managed Build.
We manage the full process in-house. That includes design and permit coordination, production of FSC® certified teak components, appliances, finishes and fixtures, spread footing foundation system, turnkey delivery and installation, and standard utility connections.
Managing each phase internally keeps the material consistent and the process coherent. There are no handoffs to subcontractors working with different standards. The same team that designs the home builds it.
Not sure which construction method is right for you? We put together a quick guide.
Teak as Architecture.
A home built entirely from teak announces itself differently from the moment you step inside.
The H1 model is teak from the outside in. Most manufactured materials, like vinyl siding, cement board, and drywall, are fixed. Teak has a vibrancy that shifts with the light, the season, and the years. The color deepens and lifts through the day, the grain catching warmth at certain hours and receding at others in a way that no conventional building material can replicate. Exterior teak will shift toward a silvery grey over time as interiors hold their warmer tone. Over years, the building develops a patina that marks it as lived-in without looking worn.
The LA fires made the need for the H1 model clear. What is less obvious is that the home itself is part of the answer to the conditions that caused them. Every Masaya Homes residence is an act of active participation in land restoration. A way of building that restores rather than extracts, cools rather than depletes, and leaves more behind than it takes. Those same qualities shape daily life inside it. Highly efficient to build, responsible in its footprint, and genuinely good to inhabit. Some residences are just places to reside. The Masaya Homes' H1 model is a way of thinking about tomorrow.
To learn more about the H1 model or to arrange a consultation, visit Masaya Homes or stop into our Berkeley showroom to see the teak in person.
Masaya Homes was also featured in Dwell.
Author: Paola Luconi G. and MasayaCo Editorial Team.