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Although Brom’s property is only 0.13 acres, it’s large enough to accommodate two homes, a patio, a lawn and a garage. A slatted wood fence with a gate divides the space between the two houses and provides privacy.
Site plan by Chrystine Kim, NEST Architecture & Design
Evelyn Brom’s plan was to build a backyard cottage and rent it out. She would keep living in her two-bedroom home.
There’s a powder room, open kitchen and living room on the first floor, with a bedroom and bathroom upstairs.
Photo by Alex Hayden
AH-HA MOMENT: As the design developed, Brom realized that she wanted to live in the stunning wood-and-glass ADU. It was a good decision. A week before moving in, Brom was laid off from her job.
REAL LIFE: The $3,000 a month Brom receives in rent for the main house (which is occupied by a three-generation family) provides a needed income. “Being laid off has made this arrangement a lifesaver,” Brom says. If the stairs in the cottage ever become too hard to navigate, she can move back into her original one-story house and rent out the cottage instead. “Now I have options,” she says.
Design: Chrystine Kim, NEST Architecture & Design
Builder: Ian Jones, Treebird Construction
Cost to build: $250,000 in 2014
Adapted from the AARP publications Where We Live (2018 edition) and The ABCs of ADUs.
MORE ABOUT ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS
Visit AARP.org/ADU for links to more articles and to order AARP's free publications about accessory dwelling units.
