Adding an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) to your backyard opens up possibilities. It can provide a place for visiting family or guests to stay, generate income as a rental, or serve as a work-from-home office paces from your back door. Whichever route you’re leaning toward, let these exceptional ADUs and their accompanying layouts help you come up with the perfect plan for your backyard.

Northwood ADU by T+E+A+M

The one-bedroom, one-bathroom backyard residence marks one of the first ADUs to be built under the city’s new zoning regulations that were approved in June 2021." layout="" credit="Photo by Chris Miele" photoUserId=""/>

Stop Making Sense ADU by Bunch Design

The goal was to make the 750-square-foot ADU in Los Angeles’s Atwater Village seem larger than it actually is. The rectangular plan comprises four 12-foot-long rooms: a living room and office, a kitchen and dining room with a bathroom bump-out, and a bedroom at both ends. Dark blue sliding doors section the boldly painted rooms, allowing for privacy when needed." layout="wide" credit="Photo by Tim Lohnes" photoUserId="6800806399051214848"/>

Cronus House by AllThatIsSolid

Kuo, the cofounder of AllThatIsSolid, a practice based in both Kuala Lumpur and L.A., wanted to create a well-designed setting that would accommodate a mix of households sharing a single-family lot. With a budget of roughly $538,000, the team converted the original back house and attached garage into a white-gabled duplex with a 900-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment on the ground level and a 700-square-foot studio upstairs." layout="" credit="Photo by Brad Torchia" photoUserId=""/>Both rentals have significant natural light, clean-lined cabinetry, black fixtures, and terrazzo tile." layout="" credit="Photo by Tim Lohnes" photoUserId=""/>

Santa Monica ADU by Lewis | Schloeplein Architects

Wedged with precision between the existing garage and pool, the new structure is only 13 feet wide." layout="" credit="Photo by Ivan Feign & Kat Phillips" photoUserId=""/>

Brentwood Backyard Home by Cover

When the pandemic prevented Claudia Buchanan and her family from spending time with her mother, Alice Marozas, they all decided it was time to rethink the way they live. Their solution was to add a 900-square-foot prefab ADU by Cover to their Brentwood backyard, allowing Alice to be close by while still enjoying some privacy." layout="wide" credit="Courtesy of Cover" photoUserId=""/>The two-bedroom ADU features built-ins in every room." layout="wide" credit="Photo by Tim Lohnes" photoUserId=""/>

St. Andrews ADU

replaced their detached backyard garage and extended the rear of the old house to create a new main bedroom, with French doors that lead out to a new deck." layout="" credit="Photo by Yoshihiro Makino" photoUserId="6886015378293096448"/>The garden makes the ADU feel connected to the existing house, but it still retains a measure of privacy with a living area positioned perpendicular to the primary structure." layout="wide" credit="Photo by Yoshihiro Makino" photoUserId="6886015378293096448"/>

Ladera Heights ADU by DNA Architecture + Design

a 1940s bungalow in Ladera Heights into the ADU of their dreams. Natural light and privacy for their family and renters were among the couple’s priorities when designing the space, and since they were working with a tight budget, they needed to make cost-effective choices." layout="wide" credit="Photo by Undine Pröhl" photoUserId="6133441768479121408"/>

Suite B by Ash Dipert

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." layout="wide" credit="Photo by Benjamin Rasmussen" photoUserId="6133577038969049088"/>Ash maintained the front room as a large changing space that can be used by pool guests and layered the bedroom and living area with small-space storage solutions, each an Easter egg waiting to be discovered." layout="wide" credit="Photo by Benjamin Rasmussen" photoUserId="6133577038969049088"/>

Mouse House by Shin Shin Architects

worked together to execute a gut renovation and redesign of a 1923 bungalow in Los Angeles, transforming the structure from a single-story, single-family residence into a two-story home with a separate accessory dwelling unit that can be rented out for added income." layout="wide" credit="Photo by Eric Staudenmaier" photoUserId="6133442274358185984"/>

Five House by M Gooden Design

West Adams House by OKB Architecture

Haseman House by Willa Work

Backyard Cottage ADU by Paul and Yuki Gasiorkiewicz

Prefab ADU by OBY Cooperative

Rodgers ADU by Martin Fenlon

RBA Studio by Randy Bens Architect

Workstation Cabin by Hello Wood

Atelier Lumi by Emmanuelle Design

Emma Pereira of Emmanuelle Design needed more space for her expanding family in Miami, the Venezuela-born architect and designer built a 400-square-foot guesthouse and studio in her backyard. The stucco-clad ADU gives Emma a place to meet with clients, and she and her husband, Carlos, also rent the tiny house on Airbnb." layout="" credit="Emma Pereira" photoUserId=""/>

Tini Backyard Prefab by Delavegacanolasso

Cutler Studio/Bunkhouse by Jim Cutler

The Light Shed by Richard John Andrews

Lanesville Outbuilding by Tim and Meg Ferguson Sauder

Related Reading:

7 ADUs You Can Buy Right Now for Less Than $100,000

Why Now, More Than Ever, the ADU Is the Future of Home

29 Granny Flats That Put Guests Up in Style