Comments

• Go Oakland ingenuity!

  Michele 05/14/2009

• Cleverly done. Where is the kitchen though?

  Anonymous 05/14/2009

• If you go to the slideshow and take a look at photo 2 and photo 8, you can see wood cabinets behind the kitchen island. That is the kitchen. The green material is acid-stained concrete and comprises the kitchen counter; there's an electric range on the left and a tiny six-inch-wide sink on the right (where the cement dips down). The couple wanted a SubZero fridge to go under the left side of the concrete counter (it's a mini-fridge), and six inches was all that was left once that was put in place--which is why the sink is so small. Hope that helps!

  Miyoko Ohtake 05/15/2009

• Gorgeous work! Modern but not stuffy. So great to see a recognition of value in the respect for materials and efficient space planning instead of the $ per square foot value system that the MLS can't seem to escape from. This place feel like twice its size. That's true sustainable design.

  Davide 05/15/2009

• What a gem of a house. Very thoughtful use of such limited space (though I can understand why the owners would like a larger kitchen sink!). Homes like this always make me want to go and sell all my possessions...

  Wendy 05/15/2009

• Very cool house! Love the siding. How are the strips of wood fastened? What's the backing?

  Caroline 05/15/2009

• did you use any reclaimed lumber, if so how did you like working with old growth material. thanks k

  keller 05/15/2009

• Wow! We have such impressive neighbors! Amazing guys!

  Dan & Sarah 05/16/2009

• I would like to build a small house. Can you tell me the measures of your beautiful house, thank´s Paul

  paul 05/17/2009

• thanks for the wonderful comments! to answer a few questions: the wood strips are fastened with stainless steel fasteners to battons behind the slats. we do work a lot with reclaimed lumber and hard wood. we love using reclaimed, but it is always takes more work and time. the stairs and windows/doors are made out of reclaimed wood. the dimensions are 12'-10" x 16'-9". feel free to email any more questions.

  tolya + otto 05/17/2009

• What material did they use for those awesome stairs? They've inspired me to to make good on my notion to knock out my shower wall tiles and replace with hardy board. No more grout cleaning! (I think they made their kitchen way too small!)

  Paul Hue 05/19/2009

• Oh, I see: you made the awesome stairs with reclaimed wood slats. Did y'all topcoat with poly-urethane? Any problem with edge-wear, or people slipping and falling down the stairs?

  Paul Hue in Detroit area 05/19/2009

• Did y'all router down the stair edges? And about the great shower walls: how did you seal the surfaces, and the seams? What's the weekly cleanup like? Did you pour the shower floor yourself, and if so, did you build it in-place and right-side up?

  Paul Hue near Detroit in subburban wasteland 05/19/2009

• very nice. is the bathroom under the stairs?

  robert 05/19/2009

• Was this done on the down low or with permits? 'Cause I can't imagine Oakland being this open minded.

  debbiesf 05/19/2009

• How are the exterior walls built up? Is is built up of maybe 1/2 exterior plywood screwed to existing studs, followed by tar paper, then steel battons, and finally the wood as seen in the pictures, 2*X strips maybe 3/4" thick? It looks so slick, I have been looking for an alternative exterior treatment for a while and this looks very nice. Thanks you for sharing this wonderful work?

  Ike 05/19/2009

• A lot of things in this house do not seem to be up to code. I am particularly concerned about the window in the child's room near the bed. Also, cribs have standards for a reason! Did you ever think about your child's head getting stuck in the laser-cut holes? The kitchen is a huge disappointment and I am wondering when the bathroom is going to get finished. That looks like regular drywall in there, so I can't imagine it's going to hold up well or for very long without some kind of protective coating.

  Richard 05/20/2009

• this is great that you can make it work in such a small space. but how do you cook with one hot pot?! do you guys do mostly take out?

  jen 05/20/2009

• Richard, I think there's a place for people to be all angry and bitter and nervous-nancy, and I think that place is not here.

  ummm.... 05/20/2009

• The exterior of the house is absolutely beautiful, however the interior is a bit of a disappointment. The kitchen is absurdly small and the steel island full of objects is untidy. The bathroom is unattractive, space saving devices like a wall hung toilet could have been incorporated, the shower area and floor could have been entirely of poured cement without the seperating ridge that further reduces the space (visually and functionally). Lots of other details lacking makes me think that you are not used to designing for small spaces! Congragulations though, for a wonderful exterior.

  Vida 05/20/2009

• "we won't live here forever..." no kidding. the big house (not mentioned here) and it's backyard cottage are up for sale--just listed today.

  pancake 05/20/2009

• Having now seen the house at an open house, I do not believe the people were necessarily living in this cottage. As Pancake says -- this is the "cottage" behind a larger 2-bed 2-bath (still compact and beautiful -- more beautiful than the cottage) -- and both are now up for sale. Were they living in the back cottage while someone else lived in the main house? Maybe... but I'd want to hear that from them directly.

  devvie 05/25/2009

• Cottage behind the actual house, you've got be kidding me? What a let down.

  Rock 05/25/2009

• Confirmed, it is a 2/2 house with a studio in the back...they don't live in it. http://www.492-58thst.com/ Lame

  Rock 05/25/2009

• Confirmed, it is a 2/2 house with a studio in the back...they don't live in it. http://www.492-58thst.com/ LAME!

  Rock 05/25/2009

• Confirmed, it is a 2/2 house with a studio in the back...they don't live in it. 492-58thst DOT com/ LAME!

  Rock 05/25/2009

• I actually think they were living in the studio while the main house was being renovated, so they did live that simply for quite a while.

  devvie 05/26/2009

• How disappointing to find out that much of this article is based on lies! What a let-down!

  Ryan 05/27/2009

• Looks like the Dwell article has become a major selling point for the owners in the marketing of their house. Free publicity for them, but it makes Dwell look gullible, or like a shill.

  Tin 05/27/2009

• Not a let-down at all. Many city people live in tiny quarters. This is a nice example of small housing. The house looks great, inside and out. So what if it's in the back of another house. It still offers lot's of inspirations for current and future owners of small places. Thank you Dwell for sharing these pictures with us.

  Caroline 05/28/2009

• the studio was the sole living space for 1 1/2 years as written and pictured.

  Anonymous 05/31/2009

• "The only way we can live in 400 square feet is because we thought out each detail and tried to make every space usable when we were designing the renovation." What is the fact checking process at DWELL?

  Anonymous 06/01/2009

• as Ralph Barbieri says way too often, 2 seemingly contrasting things can be equally true. i was likewise disappointed when i saw the real estate ad recently and realized that either the most philosophically pure thing happened, these two designers and their child living in 400sf at the rear of their property while their larger, primary, more spacious house at the street served as income property, or this whole story was full of half truths, and really cheated the premise. i've refused thus far to jump to conclusions, but the story as written does seem wholly implausible given the context we're all now aware of. so, it is true that there's a certain amount of ingenuity at work in this project, and that the details and approach this couple took to this structure are admirable. likely equally true is that the enviable idea that they managed to make the structure truly livable for a family of 3 is mostly untrue. if they simply lived there while remodeling, then it's little different than clients of mine who regularly move into a way too cramped studio apartment while their remodels/additions are completed. it's clear, from the language used in the story, that the intent was to deceive the reader into believing this was a long term solution, with room for expansion as the family grew. had they simply disclosed the true context, we could have all taken the project for the real virtues it engenders, instead of being sold the myth that a family of 3 was managing to LIVE harmoniously in 400sf. they sort of went "camping for the weekend" and checked in to a hotel after the first night.

  derezee 06/10/2009

• This was the house that my dad was born in and lived in around 100 years ago. I am sorry I didn't get to see it before the renovation. If there are any pre-renovation photos of it I would LOVE to see them.

  LeeAnn 06/11/2009

• Love that crib idea! Very creative.

  Gabriella 06/14/2009

• My wife and I live in an old woodshed on a pier foundation with about 1000 square feet of useful area, so we were quite interested in how others cope with small spaces. There are a few things that we have never resolved well. One of these is where to put the washer and dryer. Most folks that we know really want these. In looking at all the small houses in the June 09 Dwell issue, none of these seem to have space for this either. I would think you probably need about 50 square feet for a convenient laundry, maybe 25 square feet for stackable units. It seems as though the best option might be the bathroom. Have I missed something?

  Tom 06/15/2009

• Nice design. I'm a little worried about possible wood rot at the base. Maybe a solid baseboard with treated cedar or any exterior wood.

  c10design 06/16/2009

• Love it or hate it: the house and studio/office sold for $720,000 in June 2009.

  Tim Escal 07/08/2009

• where did they put the bathroom?

  kimy 07/23/2009

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