This compact house was designed to be a suitable size to share the backyard of a city lot. Placed perpendicular to the main house, each resident can enjoy the yard in relative privacy. A post and beam light gauge steel frame and insulated metal panels are components that can be walked through a tradesman entrance and easily assembled.
An allowed height of 16’ (now 20’) encouraged a variety of volumes. The footprint is 10’x20’ with bath, dressing, and sleeping loft on the second floor. Storage has been included throughout, from a generous kitchen, to compartments behind headboards, to a closet deep enough for shelves, hanging space, and a bureau, to a full wall of cabinets in the bath. A custom staircase, tables, and shelving unite the space in steel and maple.
Conversion of a 1908 carriage house into an apartment, with the former hayloft becoming a 380 sq ft living space. The simple, yet dynamic interior roofline is highlighted by wood siding painted bright white. Services tucked under a dormer include an etched glass shower enclosure, recycled bead board toilet cabinet, and a compact kitchen. Storage and art studio are behind barn doors below.
Originally a laundry boiler room, the brick house is now a full service guest apartment. The ground floor is 8′-2″ x 11′-6″; approximately 93sf. It hosts a full kitchen, living room with couch and coffee table or dining table, and fold out cushions for a lounge chair on the stair landing. Up the ships’ ladder is a mezzanine dressing area with built-in walnut wardrobe and drawers. a 42″ square bath has a wall mount toilet, custom stainless steel medicine cabinet, small sink supplied by a shower valve, and floor drain for showering. a sandblasted door and window keep it light and spacious. A tread and a glass landing lead to the bed loft with queen mattress, storage in hinged headboards, bookshelves, and reading lamps.