Foothill ADU in Fairfax, CA

Moises, a retired surgeon, and Kathleen, the local small business owner of gift and plant boutique The Potting Shed, are making room for family and friends in Fairfax, CA. They contacted New Avenue back in the fall of 2012 looking to create a backyard cottage. Located at the foot of a hill, their trapezium property consists of a relatively large flat lot dotted with fallen leaves, native grasses, carpet ferns, oak trees, and quaint outdoor furniture and is bordered by the woodlands on three sides. Their main home and a small existing accessory structure occupy two corners, and in another corner they will be building a little cottage for their daughter. They will also be adding a lap pool for entertaining their extended family and for Moises’s rigorous Ironman training routine.* Central landscaping features and gardening around a serene streamlet will top off the project to create an active and enchanting yard that the main home and cottage will look towards.

The design of the cottage, at 440 square feet, will feature a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room in an L-shaped configuration. In the interior of the L will be a wood deck with a small hole accommodating an existing tree. It hasn’t been decided yet, but a trellis and a green roof may also be incorporated in the design. Salvaged materials and nontoxic materials will go into the construction of the cottage.

Presently, the project is in phase 2, which involves designing floor plans and permitting. We submitted a request for a paper street – a road that was laid out by city planning but never developed – to be removed from record and are awaiting the planning department’s approval. A soils report will likely be also required for the hilly lot before further development occurs.

If you are interested in starting your own small house project, create a design book on our website and contact us to discuss your ideas.

*Actual Ironman training is TBD, he may just swim a few laps every now and then.