Ridge House, Kingsbridge
A single-storey house set into a north-facing slope, with a polished concrete floor that runs unbroken from the entry to the terrace. Glazing was sized to the view.
- New build, 3,400 sq ft
- $1.8M to $2.2M
- 2025
One studio designs and builds your house.
Marrow & Vale, a design and build studio in the Upper Valley. We make a few houses a year.
The studio
Most houses are designed by one firm, priced by another and built by a third. We keep the architect and the builder in one room from the first sketch, so the house that gets built is the one that was drawn, at the price that was agreed.
Three houses, recently finished.
2024 to 2025
Orchard Kitchen, Lower Vale
The original timber frame was kept and exposed. Oak cabinetry, a single stone counter and one brass tap.
- Whole-house renovation, 1890s farmhouse
- $650K to $800K
- 2024
Blackwood Cabin, Hollins Reach
Charred larch cladding, a steel roof, and a plan that fits between the existing trees. No tree was removed to build it.
- Guest house and studio, 1,100 sq ft
- $480K to $560K
- 2024
Orchard Kitchen, stair to the loft.
Design and build, under one roof.
01Design
One architect and one builder sit at the same table from the first sketch, so you see a fixed price before a drawing is finished.
02Build
Our own carpenters and a small circle of trades we have worked with for a decade. One site lead, one weekly walk-through with you, and a schedule that is written down and kept.
03Care
We return at six months and at two years to check the house is settling as it should. Doors are adjusted, timber is oiled, and anything that is ours to fix is fixed.
“We build three or four houses a year. That number is the whole business plan. It is how many we can stand behind.”
Tessa Marrow, founder and principal. Eleven people: four architects, five carpenters, two who keep the rest honest.
- Upper Valley Architecture Prize, 2025, Residential
- Dwelling Quarterly, Studio to Watch, 2024
- Regional Timber Frame Awards, Commendation, 2023
- Kingsbridge Design Week, Selected Studio, 2022 to 2025
Tell us about the site.
We take on a small number of houses each year and reply to every enquiry within two working days. A first conversation is an hour, at the site if we can.
