Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

With Three Good Reasons and $400K, an L.A. Couple Build the ADU of Their Dreams

With Three Good Reasons and $400K, an L.A. Couple Build the ADU of Their Dreams

In housing-strapped Los Angeles, a designer couple take on their own backyard build-and create a new rental in the process.

When Paul and Yuki Gasiorkiewicz bought a nondescript 1930s bungalow in Echo Park, they knew right away that a redesign would be in order. But when they took a closer look at the detached garage in the rear, they discovered a surprisingly stunning view that made them scrap ideas of a renovation in favor of building a brand new accessory dwelling unit.



"Designing a new house in place of the garage had three significant advantages," say Paul and Yuki, who are both designers at architecture firms. "One, it offered us a clean slate to build a brand new house that suited our lifestyle better. Second, the garage had a significantly better location than the main house, with better access to the garden, western-facing sunlight, and an expansive view of the neighborhood hills.

"Third, from both the financial and housing point of view, it made more sense to build a second house. Once complete, it allowed us to rent out the main house, which helps us pay off the mortgage. And, it adds one new dwelling to L.A.’s housing stock, which is currently experiencing a huge shortage."

    

The couple spent six months designing their 1,178-square-foot, two-story home. Its compact size was informed by the existing garage’s 20-foot-by-30-foot footprint and L.A.’s ADU size limit of 1,200 square feet. Then followed two months of permitting and a ten-month construction period that wrapped up in March 2018. The project cost approximately $400,000 in total.

"We had always planned on designing a compact house, however, having a hard limit to its size was definitely a challenge," explain Paul and Yuki, whose key design goals were to include a small home office, and to ensure a sense of flow within well-proportioned spaces. "It simply meant that we had to work harder on the plan and fine tune it to make it as simple and efficient as possible, which in the end suited us well-we are very happy with it."



To make the most of the garden and sweeping valley views, the couple crafted an airy, loft-like interior. An open-plan double-height living space on the ground floor is surrounded by sliding glass doors on three sides. A long and narrow Japanese-style engawa deck wraps around the exterior to extend the living spaces outdoors. The deck, which is built of four-inch-thick reclaimed wood, is positioned at the perfect sitting height.

The couple tore out the concrete driveway and replaced it with a lush courtyard. They still park their car in the original driveway; the former garage had only been used for storage.



The top-heavy, minimalist structure comprises a white volume stacked above a smaller black block replete with glazing. The black-and-white color scheme continues to the interior with black IKEA cabinetry that wraps around the open kitchen, and white walls on the second floor. Timber surfaces in the kitchen, stairway, and around the windows and doors add warmth to the space.

On the second floor, two bedrooms bookend a "bridge" overlooking the living space below and panoramic city views beyond. Operable timber partitions in the bedrooms enhance the home’s loft-like feel, and can open to create "borrowed views" or close for privacy. The couple plan to add solar panels to the roof, as well as a raised deck to create an additional space for entertaining.

"The design is tailored to maximize the site and to suit our lifestyle, which means spending a lot of time in or around the garden," say the couple, who now live in the ADU full time. Visible through large glass sliding doors, the garden is a central feature that is ever-present. Paired with the lofty double-height main living space, the whole interior "feels like an extension of the outdoors," they say. "It’s full of light, breeziness, and a wonderful sense of being surrounded by nature both day and night."



First Floor



Second Floor



Roof

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
×