ADU
Architect Chris Fein designed and built a 10-by-12-foot shed in his backyard originally as an office for his architecture firm, which has since outgrown the space. He now retreats to it to prepare for classes he teaches at Kansas State University’s architecture school. “People love the idea of escaping their house to work while still being at home,” he says. “That’s exactly why I like it.” The shed’s design was a study in economy. “It was generally an exercise in how cheaply we could build that space,” Fein says. Codes dictated that the shed be no larger than 10 by 12 feet, and Fein kept the roof slope as slight as possible. Choosing a simple rectangular shape and locating the door and window on the same wall also kept costs down. “The overall form and shape were really dictated by budget,” Fein says. The shed sits in the rear corner of the yard, with its own entrance from the street. It’s close to the fence, 2 feet from the property line, which is the closest permitted by local building regulations. A 15-foot-long, 6-foot-tall wall projects off the front of the shed, screening the entrance from the next-door neighbors’ backyard.
To keep the small space from feeling overwhelmed, Mitchell included extensive storage and stuck with a mainly monochromatic color palette. “You can only choose so many focal points in a room,” she says. “You have to choose where things blend and recede.” The white bookcases match the white walls behind them, and storage bins and cabinets keep clutter at bay. Mitchell even painted the cork wall she installed behind her worktable the same white as the walls so it wouldn’t draw attention to itself. “I’ve been using it for six months now and haven’t had any trouble with chipping,” she says.
The den, adjacent to the office, is where Mennes’ husband sometimes works and where guests stay when they visit. Designed to be a warm and cozy space, it has wood-paneled walls and soft textiles that contrast with Mennes’ starker office. The wall paneling is a mixture of purchased reclaimed planks and wood pieces salvaged from the demolished barn. The vaulted ceiling uses the same reclaimed beams seen throughout the barn. Other amenities, including a cushy sofa that folds out, a plush Moroccan rug and a wall-mounted TV, make the den an inviting space to work and for guests to relax. Two-inch-thick hemlock pieces left over from the barn form the built-in floating wall shelf. Spacers a little more than an inch thick create mini cubbies for a record collection, a mini fridge and other decor. Instead of a table, this built-in unit stays tight against the wall. “It’s a really efficient use of space,” Mennes says.
Mennes’ office sits off the entry vestibule and next to the work den of her husband. The office walls and ceiling are white paneled wood. Exposed reclaimed-oak beams provide some structural support, but they’re mostly decorative. Mennes looked to East Coast farmhouses and Scandinavian style for inspiration. “The office is simple and utilitarian,” she says. Built-ins and organized storage contribute to the clean, functional look. A local builder designed and installed the 12-foot-long floating pine desk. Floating shelves are made from MDF painted to match the room. Plain white binders and boxes store materials and office supplies for the firm. A pegboard wall holds architectural tools, and white filing cabinets offer additional storage. “The idea was to hide everything in the white storage wall,” Mennes says. A leaning ladder with wire trays holds the materials and paperwork for the firm’s current project. The flooring is bleached oak and does not have radiant heating. “We do have a little Panasonic heat and AC unit in the main office. We tend to not need it,” Mennes says. The new shed’s tight envelope and the radiant heating in the other rooms keep the whole space comfortable.
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 offic
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For the exterior finishing, Fein used budget-friendly Hardie cement board siding and added vertical cedar battens to create the illusion of wooden board and batten. The shed’s bright orange front is another impactful, budget-friendly detail that guides visitors to the entry. Inside the main house, all the doors are painted the same orange as a way to tie the two structures together. But Fein also “tried to contrast [the shed] with the house so that you understand it’s a distinct, freestanding folly.” The structure has a mini split for heating and cooling. Though these upgrades have put the shed’s overall cost at about $18,000, roughly twice Fein’s estimate for the conversion, the studio is inviting and remains at a comfortable temperature year round. It
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