Outbuildings
ADUs That Turned Out So Well the Homeowners Moved In
These backyard buildings were so enticing they inspired homeowners to embrace a dramatic downsizing
There are many reasons to create an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, on your property. You may want a studio space, a place to work from home, a place to practice yoga, a private spot for overnight guests, living space for a loved one or a way to supplement your income with short- or long-term rentals. Whatever the reasons, these homeowners weren’t necessarily expecting to move in to the smaller digs they were building in their yards. But ultimately, they all loved the final result and the idea of smaller living so much that they moved in and rented out their main houses. Here’s a look at what made these ADUs so enticing.
Inside, the main living spaces and Coleman’s room are on the main floor, and her daughter’s teenage lair is on the second level.
In the kitchen, Coleman fulfilled a cooking dream of working in a nice, open range alcove without upper cabinets. While a 900-square-foot living space might not have been the ideal place to forgo extra inches of storage, she made it work. Open shelving, extra cabinet storage on the seating side of the peninsula and a niche with a glass door on the right make up for the lost space. She even worked a microwave drawer in on the end of the peninsula.
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In the kitchen, Coleman fulfilled a cooking dream of working in a nice, open range alcove without upper cabinets. While a 900-square-foot living space might not have been the ideal place to forgo extra inches of storage, she made it work. Open shelving, extra cabinet storage on the seating side of the peninsula and a niche with a glass door on the right make up for the lost space. She even worked a microwave drawer in on the end of the peninsula.
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The property’s flag-shaped lot allowed both houses to have private outdoor areas. Coleman set up her portion of the yard with two separate patios, one for dining, seen in the first photo, and this adjacent one for gathering around the fire pit. An existing barn and her Airstream trailer serve as flex spaces for studio work, exercise, guests and storage.
The new lifestyle afforded by the ADU has been a beautiful new start for Coleman and her daughter. Coleman has named the property Birdsong Ranch, and she had an artist make the sign on the right for the barn.
“Birdsong conveys the feeling of the property by incorporating our home and that super cool vintage barn, as well as the fact that I have many, many avian friends,” Coleman says. “I have seven feeders on the property, lots of habitats, a birdbath and a fountain. We see crows, blue jays, cedar waxwings, brown towhees, chickadees, goldfinches, house finches and more. We wake up to birdsongs every day.”
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The new lifestyle afforded by the ADU has been a beautiful new start for Coleman and her daughter. Coleman has named the property Birdsong Ranch, and she had an artist make the sign on the right for the barn.
“Birdsong conveys the feeling of the property by incorporating our home and that super cool vintage barn, as well as the fact that I have many, many avian friends,” Coleman says. “I have seven feeders on the property, lots of habitats, a birdbath and a fountain. We see crows, blue jays, cedar waxwings, brown towhees, chickadees, goldfinches, house finches and more. We wake up to birdsongs every day.”
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2. Fun With Friends on the Patio in Seattle
ADU at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Seattle
Size: 588 square feet (55 square meters)
Designer: Bruce Parker of microhouse
This Seattle homeowner had a plan: Create a modest ADU in his backyard with an entertainment and workout space for himself on the first floor and a studio apartment on the second floor that he could rent out for extra income. He hired ADU expert Bruce Parker to design and build it. But once construction was underway on the 588-square-foot cottage, he became smitten with the space. “He looked around and said, ‘Oh this is so cool — I want to live here,’ ” Parker says. The owner and his girlfriend moved in to the new back house, and he rented out the main house to friends.
The new space includes a workout area, doors that create a wide opening to the patio, space to work from home and a tap to serve chilled beer from kegs.
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ADU at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Seattle
Size: 588 square feet (55 square meters)
Designer: Bruce Parker of microhouse
This Seattle homeowner had a plan: Create a modest ADU in his backyard with an entertainment and workout space for himself on the first floor and a studio apartment on the second floor that he could rent out for extra income. He hired ADU expert Bruce Parker to design and build it. But once construction was underway on the 588-square-foot cottage, he became smitten with the space. “He looked around and said, ‘Oh this is so cool — I want to live here,’ ” Parker says. The owner and his girlfriend moved in to the new back house, and he rented out the main house to friends.
The new space includes a workout area, doors that create a wide opening to the patio, space to work from home and a tap to serve chilled beer from kegs.
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This is the view from the living area into the kitchen. The Douglas-fir-trimmed windows and doors were a splurge, but creating an indoor space that flowed seamlessly onto the patio was important to the homeowner. The couple and their friends who rent the main house enjoy gathering out there. “This group is really social,” Parker says. The patio contains a fire pit, a grill, a potting station and a small rain garden.
The kitchen island serves several purposes. A counter stool on wheels and a laptop transform it into a work-from-home desk. “And he rolls it right outside when he works on his motorcycle,” Parker says.
The homeowner keeps a lot of the living area floor space open for workouts. A wall to the right accommodates workout equipment and holds the TV and keg tap. The wall also hides the keg fridge behind it.
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The kitchen island serves several purposes. A counter stool on wheels and a laptop transform it into a work-from-home desk. “And he rolls it right outside when he works on his motorcycle,” Parker says.
The homeowner keeps a lot of the living area floor space open for workouts. A wall to the right accommodates workout equipment and holds the TV and keg tap. The wall also hides the keg fridge behind it.
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Upstairs, what had originally been planned as a studio apartment serves as the bedroom. The ceiling vaults to 11 feet at its highest point, providing a light and airy feel. On the left, the staircase wall serves as a headboard. To the right, the window seat has valuable storage space underneath. Behind the bedroom, the bathroom runs the entire width of the house and includes a spacious shower stall.
Parker notes that well-planned ADUs play a great role in allowing for flexibility and adaptation. “They allow people more flexibility as their families grow. They allow grandparents to live close and be a bigger part of their family’s lives while giving them some separation. When their children have grown, many people move into the ADU and rent out their houses, giving them some income after they retire,” he says.
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Parker notes that well-planned ADUs play a great role in allowing for flexibility and adaptation. “They allow people more flexibility as their families grow. They allow grandparents to live close and be a bigger part of their family’s lives while giving them some separation. When their children have grown, many people move into the ADU and rent out their houses, giving them some income after they retire,” he says.
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3. Reimagined Carriage House History in Portland, Oregon
ADU at a Glance
Who lives here: Artists Wayne Hughes and Danny Hills
Location: Portland, Oregon
Size: 1,538 square feet (143 square meters)
Designers: Wayne Hughes and Danny Hills
Contractor: Joe Robertson of Shelter Solutions
After decades of renovating their Queen Anne Victorian home in Portland, Oregon, homeowners Wayne Hughes and Danny Hills turned their attention to reimagining a carriage house that had existed on the property many years ago. Working from an old photograph, they drew up preliminary plans themselves, then handed them off to a structural engineer to create plans for permitting and construction. They hired contractor Joe Robertson to complete the site work, framing and roofing. “These guys are amazingly talented and did most of the interior details themselves,” Robertson says. This included making their own tiles, creating lots of custom millwork, adding stencils to the floors, salvaging vintage windows and doors and even building their own furniture.
“The original carriage house was pretty plain,” Hughes says. “Because the original building didn’t have a lot of details, we imagined what it would have looked like in a perfect world. I am not a fan of the lacier, frillier Victorian details, so we went with some heavier, more dramatic details. But the goal was to make people think that it had always been there.” The result of their years of hard work is a carriage house that has a Victorian shape with Arts and Crafts details.
ADU at a Glance
Who lives here: Artists Wayne Hughes and Danny Hills
Location: Portland, Oregon
Size: 1,538 square feet (143 square meters)
Designers: Wayne Hughes and Danny Hills
Contractor: Joe Robertson of Shelter Solutions
After decades of renovating their Queen Anne Victorian home in Portland, Oregon, homeowners Wayne Hughes and Danny Hills turned their attention to reimagining a carriage house that had existed on the property many years ago. Working from an old photograph, they drew up preliminary plans themselves, then handed them off to a structural engineer to create plans for permitting and construction. They hired contractor Joe Robertson to complete the site work, framing and roofing. “These guys are amazingly talented and did most of the interior details themselves,” Robertson says. This included making their own tiles, creating lots of custom millwork, adding stencils to the floors, salvaging vintage windows and doors and even building their own furniture.
“The original carriage house was pretty plain,” Hughes says. “Because the original building didn’t have a lot of details, we imagined what it would have looked like in a perfect world. I am not a fan of the lacier, frillier Victorian details, so we went with some heavier, more dramatic details. But the goal was to make people think that it had always been there.” The result of their years of hard work is a carriage house that has a Victorian shape with Arts and Crafts details.
The couple originally planned to use the first level for their commercial pottery business and rent out the second level. However, they fell in love with the new building with the vintage look, as well as the idea of living in a smaller space. So they flipped the script — they moved up here and rented out the gracious Victorian main house for short-term rentals.
A quick glance at the kitchen shows how the couple gave the building a sense of age. A vintage stove, retro red fridge, display of antique china and funky little sink give the teeny kitchen loads of charm. This space also includes a dining area open to the kitchen, a living room with a fireplace, a full bedroom and a bedroom that can be opened up in a loft-like way or closed via large custom barn doors for privacy.
A quick glance at the kitchen shows how the couple gave the building a sense of age. A vintage stove, retro red fridge, display of antique china and funky little sink give the teeny kitchen loads of charm. This space also includes a dining area open to the kitchen, a living room with a fireplace, a full bedroom and a bedroom that can be opened up in a loft-like way or closed via large custom barn doors for privacy.
At first the couple used the main level of the carriage house for the pottery business, but they’ve let that business go to concentrate on their home design business. In doing so, they’ve let the way the house works for them change and evolve with their lifestyle.
“I’ve always dreamt of living in a big SoHo studio loft in New York City, so we decided to create that here,” Hughes says. They ground down and buffed the concrete aggregate floors, dressed up the support posts, painted the knotty pine, added new trim around the windows, created a lounge and left plenty of room for Hughes’ furniture making and Hills’ painting projects.
Learn more about this project
These ADUs have transformed the homeowners’ lifestyles right on their own properties. Local codes regarding ADUs continue to evolve across the country. If you’d like to explore the possibilities in your area, an ADU pro can help you navigate the rules.
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“I’ve always dreamt of living in a big SoHo studio loft in New York City, so we decided to create that here,” Hughes says. They ground down and buffed the concrete aggregate floors, dressed up the support posts, painted the knotty pine, added new trim around the windows, created a lounge and left plenty of room for Hughes’ furniture making and Hills’ painting projects.
Learn more about this project
These ADUs have transformed the homeowners’ lifestyles right on their own properties. Local codes regarding ADUs continue to evolve across the country. If you’d like to explore the possibilities in your area, an ADU pro can help you navigate the rules.
More on Houzz
Tour more guesthouses
Hire a local design pro
Shop for your home
ADU at a Glance
Who lives here: Interior designer Paige Coleman and her teenage daughter
Location: San Jose, California
Size: 900 square feet (84 square meters); two bedrooms, one bathroom
Architect: Brad Cox
Landscape designer and builder: Koch & Associates
Homeowner and interior designer Paige Coleman originally had plans to tear down her San Jose, California, home and build a new one. But after she had a big life change, she came up with a new plan. “I kept staring out at my yard, excited about the potential to do something. Then the city of San Jose got excited about ADUs. So I decided to build one, move into it and rent out the front house,” she says.
With the help of architect Brad Cox, she designed a two-bedroom, 900-square-foot structure surrounded by inviting outdoor rooms for herself and her teenage daughter. She had never felt at home with the Spanish Colonial style of the front house, so she used the ADU as an opportunity to design a California board-and-batten-style house.
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