Show Us Your In-Law Unit, Backyard Cottage or Guesthouse
Do you have an ADU, or accessory dwelling unit, on your property or have you recently installed one? We want to see!
Janet Paik
August 1, 2020
Houzz Associate Editor. Passionate about creative homes and the people behind them. Loves thoughtful design, improving her family's 1950s fixer-upper and VW buses. Former designer at the San Jose Mercury News.
Houzz Associate Editor. Passionate about creative homes and the people behind them.... More
For homeowners with extra room on their property, adding an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, can be a way to get more living space. These compact living spaces — also known as in-law units, backyard cottages or guesthouses — can be attached to a primary home or be a detached structure. An ADU can serve as a home office or studio, a homework space, a rental unit or as housing for adult children or aging parents. Now, more than ever, a structure like this can come in handy.
Homeowners: Have you installed an ADU on your property? Share your photos and tell us about them in the Comments.
Home pros: Have you helped design, install or build one for clients? We want to see photos and hear about the details.
Homeowners: Have you installed an ADU on your property? Share your photos and tell us about them in the Comments.
Home pros: Have you helped design, install or build one for clients? We want to see photos and hear about the details.
Photo by Carlos Camarena
Have You Converted Your Garage Into an ADU?
Leighann Franson and Mark Timby of Portland, Oregon, razed the dilapidated detached garage in their backyard to build a new 515-square-foot ADU. They hired designer Alan Armstrong of Strongwork Architecture and builder Joe Robertson of Shelter Solutions to build their Craftsman-style cottage. The couple’s budget for the project was $160,000. They use the multifunctional one-bedroom, one-bathroom space as a short-term vacation rental, yoga studio and home office.
Have You Converted Your Garage Into an ADU?
Leighann Franson and Mark Timby of Portland, Oregon, razed the dilapidated detached garage in their backyard to build a new 515-square-foot ADU. They hired designer Alan Armstrong of Strongwork Architecture and builder Joe Robertson of Shelter Solutions to build their Craftsman-style cottage. The couple’s budget for the project was $160,000. They use the multifunctional one-bedroom, one-bathroom space as a short-term vacation rental, yoga studio and home office.
Photo by Andrew Heiser
Architect Elaine René-Weissman of ERW Design worked with a couple in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles to convert their garage into a breezy garden getaway. The 245-square-foot space has a kitchenette, bathroom, living area and a foldaway bed. The new ADU is used by the homeowners for entertaining and gardening and provides additional rental income.
Tell us: Have you converted your garage into an ADU? Or have you converted your detached garage or built an ADU to replace it on your property? Share details and photos in the Comments.
Architect Elaine René-Weissman of ERW Design worked with a couple in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles to convert their garage into a breezy garden getaway. The 245-square-foot space has a kitchenette, bathroom, living area and a foldaway bed. The new ADU is used by the homeowners for entertaining and gardening and provides additional rental income.
Tell us: Have you converted your garage into an ADU? Or have you converted your detached garage or built an ADU to replace it on your property? Share details and photos in the Comments.
Have You Installed an ADU as a Home Office or Hobby Space?
Bookstore owners Danielle and David Hulton worked with architecture and design firm Board & Vellum and general contractor Joseph Fentress of Proform Construction to add an ADU to the backyard of their home in the Montlake neighborhood of Seattle. The couple created a dreamy 170-square-foot stand-alone structure that has a petite bathroom and serves as a sun-soaked garden getaway with multiple reading nooks and a sleeping loft.
Your turn: Share details about your or your client’s ADU and upload photos in the Comments. Or, if you’re in the process of building one, tell us about it.
More on Houzz
Is an In-Law Unit Right for Your Property?
5 Things to Think About Before Adding an In-Law Suite
Find an architect or building designer
Shop for home products
Bookstore owners Danielle and David Hulton worked with architecture and design firm Board & Vellum and general contractor Joseph Fentress of Proform Construction to add an ADU to the backyard of their home in the Montlake neighborhood of Seattle. The couple created a dreamy 170-square-foot stand-alone structure that has a petite bathroom and serves as a sun-soaked garden getaway with multiple reading nooks and a sleeping loft.
Your turn: Share details about your or your client’s ADU and upload photos in the Comments. Or, if you’re in the process of building one, tell us about it.
More on Houzz
Is an In-Law Unit Right for Your Property?
5 Things to Think About Before Adding an In-Law Suite
Find an architect or building designer
Shop for home products
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Amy - great idea - gets rid of the absentee landlord situation.
Gutted and remodeled the inside and created a front and back patio our guest house on pur 1 acre property in Phoenix, AZ
We converted the upstairs of our detached garage (480 square feet) into a sweet little apartment! We've had multiple guest stay there, and our daughter lived out there for a couple of years. The downstairs of the garage includes a washer and dryer as well as a lounge area with gigantic TV for movie and football game watching. It's a shared space for us and the apartment dwellers. *There's actually a really cool padded headboard covering the whole wall behind the bed, but I've never gotten around to taking pictures*