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Joe Banuelos, who lived off and on at PorchLight’s prior shelter, is training to become part of its peer mentor program.

Floor plan of Adam’s White Box Warm Up by Krysta Rodriguez

Prefabricated elements allow the cabins to be assembled on site without the use of heavy construction machinery, a key consideration when building in sensitive natural environments.

The original layout was very much of the time: a perfect midcentury modern flow, with a closed-off kitchen and a fire put in the floor. “They were cool but impractical spaces,” says Schaer.

Floor plan of 4 Sutton Square by AKB Architecture Works

The back patio and fire-pit area are central entertaining spaces. When the weather is nice, homeowner Joan and Ken wheel their dining room table outside for parties and dinners with friends. The fire pit was built using a steel cut-off from a natural gas tank.

Almo Troup repurposed nearly all of the materials from a tumbledown shack to create a dreamy, minimalist workspace in his backyard.

Horizontal glazing in front of the frame, while vertical windows are adapted from existing openings

Terracotta tiles in the kitchen lend a sense of warmth. The stools are from Blu Dot and the pendant light is Foscarini.

David built a record player nook into the corner. "We keep our record collection in the garage on the property and every week swap out 20 records," he explains. "We were so close to getting rid of our collection, but are so happy we were able to squeeze them in."

The architects made sure to step back the upper-level addition so as not to overwhelm the scale of the surrounding neighborhood. Plus, "If we build on top of it, and try to make it a new and larger box, it will falsify the identity,

“Economy was always at the forefront of all of our decision making due to the high cost of building in California,” explains Kille. But that did not stop her and the design team from selecting strong color choices, like green kitchen cabinets and a bold orange-red front door.

The ADU's painted stucco exterior is consistent with the exterior of the main house, which made getting through the local building department approval easier.

The upstairs sleeping loft is used by the couple's family and friends that frequently come to visit. It’s furnished with the Ophelia Bed purchased from Rove Concepts.

Before: The compact garage was functional for storage space, but lacked proper glazing and ventilation to make it a livable space.

The walls in the bedroom are blank, to provide Tyler with a neutral backdrop for audition tapes or content creation, but the eye-catching mirror from Urban Outfitters helps keep the room from feeling too plain.

The light-filled office presents a similar aesthetic as to the main residence, complete with exposed brick walls, polished concrete floors, and large sliding glass doors.