The Offset Adu is a 933 sq ft back house. This project was built instead of adding to the existing house and is placed on the existing garage location. The second level is offset because of the power lines behind the property, this offset creates a deck on the second level and a covered front entrance. The Adu divides the rear yard into 3 new spaces: a deck between the Adu and the house, a rear yard, and a side yard. Each of these spaces now creates a more diverse and usable exterior area.
Illustration – Concept
Client Brief – To create a media room and an extra bedroom/office as an addition to the house for the family. We decided on an Adu to activate the backyard. The Adu also removes the need for parking in the rear yard, so the backyard also increased in size.
Planning Constraints – The power lines in the rear of the yard needed an 8′ radius with no building, the new parts of the Adu needed to be 4′ from the Property line. These constraints were used to our advantage: the power line setback was used to create a back deck off the second-floor hallway. The 4′ side yard setback provided a space for bike storage and a new tree.
© Taiyo Watanabe
Materials & Methods of Construction – The Offset Adu relies on typical California stick frame construction with some structural steel for the front cantilever. The U window in the bedroom/office was pushed up to the height of the parapet to create an endless relationship with the sky. The siding is an Ipe rainscreen, combined with a smooth stucco finish. The Ipe siding was an intense process, all the boards were complete and the cutouts for the bathroom window needed to be perfectly calculated and cut. The Ipe rain screen is fully on 2 sides and a small portion of the 3rd side. These are the two sides that are experienced from the property, the other two sides are facing the neighbors. The windows are framed with wood shadow boxes. The U window is framed in wood along with the soffit with a mirror on the ceiling finishing the pill shape. This window’s framing along with the ceiling mirror creates an impossible space feeling when experienced in person.
Project Info:
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Architects: Byben
- Country: Los Angeles, United States
- Area: 933 ft²
- Year: 2024
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Photographs: Taiyo Watanabe
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Lead Architects: Ben Warwas
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General Construction: Manchen Construction
