Derek purchased a large parcel of land in Seattle, on which he lived in a small trailer. When he and Meredith were dating, he shared with her his plan to build a house for them on that land. After they got married, Derek had plans drawn up for the house. They broke ground the day he was named chief of surgery. When they had an interview with a social worker about adopting Zola, they brought her to the house, which was still under construction at the time. When he and Meredith had a fight, Derek spent the night at the building site.