When physician Vivian Mo first bought this hillside Silver Lake property back in 2010, she dreamed of the potential of its enviable site, which stretched from the top of one street at the peak, to the bottom of another at the base.

About a decade later, Vivian and her husband, fitness instructor Michael Trobisch, decided to finally do something with the slope behind their primary residence. Besides a rickety deck that had long seen better days, there was nothing there to stop them.

“Our home is about 1,450 square feet, and we have a lot of friends and family who come to visit,” Vivian says. “They either had to stay in a hotel, or we were all cramped together. Additionally, I wanted our daughter, Sophie-Inez, to have a safe space behind the house to play.”

Vivian originally went to school to be an architect, and she was still close with friends who pursued careers in design. They introduced her to architect Warren Techentin, who happened to live in the same east side neighborhood of Los Angeles. Vivian liked his easy demeanor and the fact that he could visit the site often, and he gave her the sense that they could do more than create four walls under one roof.

“As with any project, you have initial conversations with the homeowner to get on the same page—and from the beginning, it seemed like we were both interested in pushing the envelope,” Techentin says. “I remember thinking how unusual the lot was, and how many possibilities were present.”

The steep site presented inherent challenges, but Techentin and the couple leaned into the landscape with plans for a 1,150-square-foot ADU. The architect designed a courtyard at the entrance that opens to a living area, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom on the ground floor, which is filled with natural light. Stairs lead up to a self-contained suite—including a kitchenette—on the similarly sunny second level. There’s even a large poolside deck where Michael can train clients.

“Vivian wanted the interior to feel like a true vacation property with lots of natural light,” Techentin says. She requested white walls and a minimalist feel, and Techentin punctuated that airy base with darker blue cabinetry in the main kitchen and living area, as well as in the separate kitchenette. Lighter blues were chosen for the bathrooms, which feature floor-to-ceiling tiles for a calm finish.

While the ADU’s interior is unassuming, the exterior has much more personality.

“This is a home of stacked forms,” Techentin says. “On one side, there’s a tiered stucco formation that follows the terrain and mirrors the steps the owners take to reach it. And on the other, there’s a protruding box that’s positioned to catch the morning light.” The two shapes complement and contrast each other—and the surrounding hardscaping, like the white cedar slats and concrete of the shared outdoor spaces, making it feel like a distinctive enclave in the neighborhood.

Vivian jokes that the foundation was the biggest splurge of the project, which is something she expected but didn’t fully realize until she had to write the check. The second biggest splurge, she says, was totally worth it. “We decided to cover the box form with Spanish tile, so that in the mornings, people passing by can notice how it shimmers,” Techentin says. “As the surrounding plants grow bigger, though, the beauty will be more selective.”

$13,024 Site Work	$199,310 Excavation & Foundation	$124,060 Structural
$48,619 Wall Finishes	$1,067 Flooring	$1,800 Roofing
$2,073 Hardware	$18,600 Electrical	$32,000 Plumbing
$15,500 HVAC Equipment	$7,581 Landscaping	$8,262 Kitchen & Bath Fixtures
$3,440 Lighting	$25,324 Cabinetry	$5,066 Appliances
$76,793 Windows & Glazing	$10,500 Doors	$550 Millwork
$9,848 Tilework	$5,250 Metalwork	$900 Labor
$100,623 General Contractor Fee	$7,200 Waste/Debris Removal	$5,505 National Construction Kit Rental
$5,200 Waterproofing	$10,300 Scaffolding	$1,300 Fire Sprinklers
$10,000 Permitting	$80,000 Architect/Design Fee
Grand Total: $829,695

Techentin notes that construction, which began in 2022, progressed smoothy, even though they were building between two major streets. The initial plan to primarily host visiting family changed ever so slightly, though, when it became clear that this ADU would also be a great place to work from home and play on a regular basis.

“Even though this project appears complicated, it’s pretty straightforward upon a closer look,” Techentin notes. “A small handful of materials appear throughout, and they’re all familiar and unfussy. The goal was to do something creative, but still comfortable. Vivian wanted her friends and family to come here and feel at home.”

Toward the end of the roughly two-year build (not including some permitting delays through the pandemic), Michael made one more request: an outdoor sauna and a pool. Techentin accommodated the request with a square pool clad in cedar and a rounded sauna that sits in the shade. With every other shape on the lot, one more fit right in. “I really enjoyed thinking about all the clever ways we could play with the details,” Techentin concludes.

More Budget Breakdown stories:

In the Catskills, an Architect Experiments With Passive Design for $515K

For $213K, a Couple Remodel a Cozy California Cabin—Without Drywall

An Oregon Designer Turns a Quonset Hut Into a Guesthouse for $345K

Project Details:

Architect of Record: Warren Techentin Architecture / @wtarch

Builder: Joseph Sharaf, Giraffe

Structural Engineer: Craig Phillips Engineering & Design

Civil Engineer: Vanik Abedian, Kartez Engineering, Inc.

Cabinetry Design: Chris Chow, Pacific Pride Cabinet

Soil Engineer: Giuseppe Cugno, Byer Geotechnical

Appears In

Budget Breakdown: They Built an $830K ADU With Attitude on a Steep Silver Lake Hillside