Backyard ADU Expands Living Space Without Sacrificing Privacy

Photos by Salt Haus

House at a Glance
Who lives here: A woman
Location: Davis, California
Size: 537 square feet (50 square meters)
Design-build firm: MAK Design + Build

The new ADU is a ground-level, single-story structure that shares a wall with the garage but remains completely separate from the main house. (See plan below.) Maintaining privacy between the two buildings was important to the homeowner, and that extended to the entry sequence. A dedicated path to the ADU runs along the side yard beside the property line.

While she wanted to block direct views between the ADU and the main house, the homeowner didn’t want the ADU’s outlook limited to the fence along the property line.

In response, director of design Anthony Anderson and lead project designer Celine Havai organized the plan around an inviting entry patio. Designed like a small courtyard, the space provides both a welcoming arrival experience and pleasant views from inside the ADU.

The ADU’s siding is a durable, prestained, thermally treated sustainable product. “It’s a charcoal gray that resembles charred wood siding and it has really warm tones,” Anderson says. Engineered western red cedar beneath the exterior overhang adds another layer of warmth. To strengthen the indoor-outdoor connection, the designers repeated the cedar on the ADU’s vaulted ceilings. A bright yellow door provides a playful finishing touch.

Siding: Mojave Thermal Hemlock in Galactic Gray, Delta Millworks

Find a design-build firm on Houzz

Directly across from the entry door is the kitchen. From here, a hallway leads to the bedroom and bathroom on the left, with the living room and dining area to the right.

The designers kept the finishes simple, minimalist and refined. The kitchen cabinets — along with all the built-ins and casework in the ADU — are rift-cut white oak. “We used a stain that is mostly clear but also gives the finish a slightly pickled effect,” Anderson says. “This pickling adds a bit of creamy warmth.”

The countertop’s slim profile lends the kitchen a modern European sensibility. “We believe in the honesty of materials,” Anderson says, “so we love to show a slab’s true thickness rather than building it up. It’s also a cost-saving measure.”

The designers extended the quartz backsplash to the height of the vent hood and used that horizontal line to establish the placement of the floating shelves. Known in architecture as a datum, a continuous line like this helps organize the space visually.

Countertop quartz: Fresh Concrete, Caesarstone

Panel-front appliances reinforce the kitchen’s limited material palette and seamless look. The dishwasher, vent hood and 24-inch refrigerator (far left) blend into the cabinetry. The designers also worked with the homeowner to identify space-saving cooking solutions, settling on a two-burner induction cooktop and a built-in speed oven.

In the dining area, the kitchen cabinetry and countertop wrap the wall to meet a built-in dining bench. This eat-in space is open to the living room.

Because the homeowner wanted to maintain privacy in the backyard, the designers installed clerestory windows along this wall. They allow natural light to filter in while keeping backyard views screened.

See why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software

In such a compact home, maximizing storage was essential. The dining bench includes large drawers.

Custom cabinetry: Nickels Cabinets

The floors are poured-in-place concrete that was ground and polished. “We planned on enameling it,” Anderson says, “but our client was enamored with the look of them and wanted to keep a matte finish.” As a result, the designers applied a sealant that preserved the matte look.

On the opposite side of the room is the living area, where tall windows, open shelving and the vaulted ceiling help the space feel larger than its footprint. A built-in media cabinet anchors the TV, while open shelving creates subtle separation from the entry while maintaining an airy feel.

Find a general contractor on Houzz

Vaulted ceilings further enhance the sense of spaciousness in the small rooms. Tongue-and-groove engineered western red cedar warms the space from above and visually connects to the exterior architecture.

Painting: Ken Kirsch; ceiling wood: Nusku Terratek western red cedar fine line nickel gap tongue and groove, Weaverbird Wood

The bedroom and bathroom occupy the opposite end of the barbell-shaped plan. Because floor space was limited, the designers created an alcove with a built-in chest of drawers and open shelving. To eliminate the need for a TV stand, they added wiring for a wall-mounted television.

The tall bedroom window overlooks the entry patio.

Check out our guide to get started on your home project

Off the short hallway leading to the bedroom are a full bathroom and a laundry area with an all-in-one washer-dryer combo. Several challenges emerged during the design process, including the fact that the dryer’s lint screen could only be accessed from the top of the machine. At first this seemed to rule out installing a countertop above the appliance. “Celine came up with a hinged shelf that flips up for access to the lint filter,” Anderson says.

Anderson refers to the narrow mosaic tile in the shower as “Kit Kat tile,” because it resembles the shape of the candy bar. Its dimensional surface adds texture while the slim lines maintain the bathroom’s modern, minimalist look. Designing the home to accommodate a range of accessibility needs was also a priority, so the shower is curbless. It’s another example of how the compact ADU balances thoughtful design with everyday practicality.

Shower tile: Sahara 1-by-12-inch matte porcelain mosaic, Bedrosians

More on Houzz
See more home tours
Browse millions of photos for ideas
Find home design and construction professionals