A desert retreat for stargazers

Right from his very first visit to the Chihuahuan Desert, Spencer Millsap was hooked. “There’s a different energy here,” says the cinematographer, who grew up in northern Texas and is now based near Seattle. “It’s the sort of place where you can recharge your batteries. You can see 80 miles in every direction, and the light is really different.”

The seed of the idea to buy a plot of land and build a house in Terlingua, which is flanked by Big Bend National Park, was planted after he spent a weekend there with friends to mark his 30th birthday. So in 2017, he purchased 20 acres of untouched land with the aim of self-building a cabin out of a shipping container on a cliff edge. It took almost four years to pull it off, but the result is remarkable—not least because he had no previous architectural experience. In this solar-powered property, aptly called The Perch, guests can bathe in filtered rainwater under the stars after a day of hiking, and immerse themselves in the landscape.

What was your inspiration for the house?

My focus was to create something undisturbed with a very minimal footprint, a little bit like a spaceship had just landed there. I started with a napkin sketch, and leaned into the surrounding landscape and topography. Rather than building a small casita, I looked at Japanese summer homes from the 1960s and blended that with a modern Southwestern desert style. There’s a big sloped roof, a mix of materials and lots of shaded awnings that offer cover so that throughout the day you can rotate spaces and be in the shade. It feels like you’re on a moon base a lot of the time.

Was it intended to be a vacation rental?

No, at first I was just going to throw a container down and treat it as a little outpost that I could hop out into the wild with. But then the local market picked up after the pandemic and I realized that there wasn’t much in the way of accommodations with modern amenities. Renting it out it could help it pay for itself, but I still come and stay with my wife, who hosts yoga retreats here, for weeks at a time.

How long have you been a Vrbo host and what have you learned?

I’ve been renting out The Perch since March 2022, and leaning into guest feedback has been really good. It’s taught me how to adapt the property as people are using it, like with couples compared to big groups, and what other amenities might be enjoyed. 

What specific details did you include that help people connect with each other?

I didn’t want the kitchen to be separate, so the large open room makes it communal; people can mingle and cook, and look down from the loft bedrooms. Outside there are multiple zones to relax in, like the side patio and the front deck.

What type of people stay here and what feedback do you get?

The reaction is usually: “This place is insane!” There has been everybody from retired architect couples to 40th birthday parties made up of stargazers who want to use their telescopes. Families come too, and kids love sleeping in the loft while the parents are downstairs. Everyone is captivated by the view and they love the fact that it’s sustainable, in that it’s solar-powered and made using repurposed materials.

What do you love about the house?

The desert is a harsh environment, so if you’re hiking you have to be really well prepared. When you’re in such a barren setting, it makes you appreciate the space even more, and The Perch makes you feel protected. Here you have all the power you need, it’s very self-sustained and when a storm is coming in, you can be inside and enjoy it. It’s like a cocoon.

What makes it special as a vacation rental?

There’s not a bathroom inside, so you have to take in the views to get to the external bathhouse. Being a photographer and cinematographer, I didn’t want to cause more light pollution than was necessary, so I pursued official DarkSky certification from the nearby McDonald Observatory. That’s why all the lighting is either shielded, down-facing or cove-based; it emits a red hue and keeps your eyes adjusted to the stars. I also wanted everyone—whether a couple from New York or a crew of friends who come in all dusty from the desert—to feel catered to with everything from the amenities to the quality of the bed linen.