New Yorkers often need to look beyond the city limits to find a place that’s suitable for a growing family. For architect Julian King and his wife, this meant plotting a circle around Manhattan and searching for properties within a 30-to-40-minute distance — a reasonable commute. What they ultimately stumbled upon was a compact 1926-built Dutch Colonial home in dire need of tender loving care. “The roof was leaking, and the rear deck was illegally held up by just a few nails,” King recalls. “But despite the house’s decrepit state and banal appearance, its orientation to the sun was just right, and standing under the beautiful pines beside the garage, I envisioned a space sitting not just under but within the canopy.” Seizing on the...