Gravels

Melanie Maher sunbathes beneath the lattice of a pool house, which is clad in Cor-Ten steel.

When the Ferguson Sauder family—parents Meg, a school counselor, and Tim, a design instructor, plus kids Cole, Olive, and Asher—wanted a multifunctional backyard addition, they decided to build it themselves. Two Liftoff chairs by Tim Miller, one of Tim’s former students, surround an oil-drum fire pit set in granite dug up on the property. On the deck, the Panamericana chair is by Industry of All Nations.

The Light Shed is wrapped in bituminous fiberglass corrugated mini profile cladding on battens with an UV open cladding membrane behind.

In the corner, framed, machine-sewn vintage fabrics serve as minimalist wall decor. The artwork is the creation of delavegacanolasso and is available for sale on the firm's website.

This shipping container office cantilevers over its concrete foundation by seven feet and draws utilities from the property’s 1930s residence.

The two new buildings create a courtyard-like feel in the small urban backyard.

The goal was to turn the space into a guest suite that “feels like an out of body experience; a Willy Wonka vacation hideaway,” says the designer, who now lives in the ADU

The 900-square-foot prefabricated backyard ADU in Los Angeles, California, that Cover designed to bring a family closer together features bright white composite exterior siding and a deck made from thermally treated ash.

Wedged with precision between the existing garage and pool, the narrow new structure is only 13 feet wide.

T+E+A+M completed Northwood ADU in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in late summer 2021.

The new, attached ADU is rented out as a passive source of income that is helping Amanda finance the project.