22 ADU Floor Plans That Make the Most of the Backyard

Table Of Content

• ADU Garage Conversion
• Can you put an accessory dwelling unit on your property?
• Houzz readers shared their converted garages and backyard units used for exercise, guest quarters and more
• See 9 Inspired Backyard Cottages, ADUs and Studios
• Split Level Home Designs (Types & Pros and Cons)
• Learn From the Best: Access Maxable’s Resources to Accelerate Your ADU Project
• The Dwell House Is a Modern Prefab ADU Delivered to Your Backyard
• Construction

An ADU garage conversion extends a property in order to either provide a home for relatives or to manage a small business. When converting a garage into an ADU, make sure to take your neighbor’s land boundary lines, as well as permits, fines, and additional utility expenses into consideration. The idea of adding an extra structure in your outdoor or indoor space such as constructing a gym, home office, or hangout area made ADUs very interesting and attractive to numerous homeowners. Inspired by the design of space capsules, Hello Wood’s Workstation Cabin is a timber-clad geometric pod that can fit up to six people. The uniquely shaped prefab ADU can be used as a guesthouse, office, or hangout—and it can be easily installed in a backyard.

ADU Garage Conversion

“Many of the early projects were conversions, typically garages. Because the existing footprint of these structures were grandfathered in, there was some benefit to using them, although they almost always needed to be fully rebuilt,” he says. Accessory dwelling units are small houses (typically between 350 and 1000 square feet) that are usually situated close to a primary dwelling.

Can you put an accessory dwelling unit on your property?

See our modern farmhouse backyard office with loft house plan here. This type of ADU is a standalone construction that’s separate from your main house. A detached ADU can be constructed as an entirely separate living space.

Houzz readers shared their converted garages and backyard units used for exercise, guest quarters and more

Compile all of your collected ideas and let your contractor or architect review them. Finally, you may also have to attend a local public hearing to ensure that you will properly adhere to the zoning laws. Similarly, you need to take your neighbors into consideration regarding your ADU construction plan. This financing method is recommended for homeowners who don’t have enough equity to be qualified for a loan that’s property-secured. Take note that the interest rates could be higher for this type of financing. Below are the average costs of various ADU designs or types.

See 9 Inspired Backyard Cottages, ADUs and Studios

In the roughly 170-square-foot backyard studio, exposed beams are topped with polycarbonate roof panels that allow natural light to enter the workspace. Two built-in desks with overhead shelving span the back wall near a corner bathroom. The bespoke sliding door system conceals a small storage closet accessed from the outdoor deck. Martin crafted the 350-square-foot addition and also enlarged the garage to 400 square feet for extra storage space.

Split Level Home Designs (Types & Pros and Cons)

OBY Cooperative designed affordable, turnkey prefabs for homeowners in California’s East Bay as a way to combat the housing crisis. "The idea is that OBY takes on the cost and hassle of building an ADU, and homeowners benefit from having extra room on their property available to rent," company representatives say. Built from carbon-light materials–such as wood sourced from ethically harvested forests and powered by solar panels—the homes are designed with sustainability in mind as well.

The total cost of constructing a prefab ADU can range from $30,000 to $80,000. The total cost of converting a garage into an ADU can range from $80,000 to $140,000. The overall cost of constructing an attached ADU ranges from $100,000 to $155,000.

The Living Is (Mostly) Easy for the Residents of Three California ADUs - Dwell

The Living Is (Mostly) Easy for the Residents of Three California ADUs.

Posted: Wed, 14 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

The Dwell House Is a Modern Prefab ADU Delivered to Your Backyard

Since the garage’s exterior is already built, it would be much easier for you to add an ADU without spending a lot. • If your garage already has a comfortable and pleasing ambiance, an ADU would undoubtedly make for an exceptional additional unit to your house. Every ADU is a part of the same property as the main house. Furthermore, the owner of the ADU is also essentially the owner of the main house. This terminology is a part of an architects’ professional jargon. The concept of an ADU has been around for sometime under other names such as backyard cottages, guest houses, granny flats, in-law units and others.

Expanding ADU Development and Occupancy: Solutions for Removing Local Barriers to ADU Construction - AARP

Expanding ADU Development and Occupancy: Solutions for Removing Local Barriers to ADU Construction.

Posted: Fri, 26 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

On the ground level, an open-plan, double-height living space is surrounded by sliding glass doors that open to a Japanese-style engawa deck. Upstairs, two bedrooms are connected by a bridge that overlooks the living room, and a rooftop deck creates additional space for entertaining. A tiered mahogany deck wraps around the small rectangular structure, adding additional living space and seating outdoors.

Whichever route you’re leaning toward, let these exceptional ADUs and their accompanying layouts help you come up with the perfect plan for your backyard. “Up until a few years ago, ‘ADU’ was a term used mostly by architects, as part of their professional jargon. The acronym [accessory dwelling units] has only become part of the lexicon in the last year or so. Now, it seems as if everyone is designing, building, or dreaming about an ADU,” says Mary Maydan, founder and principal of San Francisco Bay area firm Maydan Architects. If you’ve ever considered building or buying an ADU, you’re not alone—they’re adorable, practical, and potentially profitable. Accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, are flexible spaces that are perfect for large families, work-from-home hideaways, Airbnb rentals, or a combination of all three.

A window nook surrounded by built-in cabinetry helps delineate a cozy living area near a curved, open staircase that leads to the lofted bed. A 19-foot desk accommodates three workstations in the 350-square-foot backyard office, and there’s a table for meeting with clients. Toward the back of the shipping container, there’s a kitchenette with storage space and a bathroom nestled behind it.

As the name suggests, it’s small enough to fit in a backyard but proper adherence to building codes is still required. Many popular backyard units rented out on AirBnB are yurt kits that are inexpensive and can be installed within a couple of days. This is especially advisable if your house has two main entrances and you have extra interior space to spare. Wide windows frame the architect’s built-in desk, which overlooks the water. Opposite the workstation, a single bunk that doubles as a couch folds down from the wall.