{"id":526966,"date":"2026-04-12T14:14:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T14:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/526966\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T14:14:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T14:14:19","slug":"ten-american-adus-that-showcase-urban-versatility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/526966\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten American ADUs that showcase urban versatility"},"content":{"rendered":"

Laws and regulations around accessory dwelling units<\/a> are opening up opportunities for infill around the US to mitigate the housing crisis and more. Here, we round up 10 from California<\/a> to Kansas<\/a> to showcase the forms they can take.<\/p>\n

California was the first state in the US to pass legislation embracing the accessory dwelling unit (ADU), formally allowing them in 2016<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The structures, which typically range between a minimum of 200 square feet (18 square metres) and a maximum of 1,500 square feet (140 square metres), are used as ancillary dwellings for ageing parents, additional living space for a primary home, studios, gyms and more.<\/p>\n

Other states such as Arizona, Kansas, Texas, Hawaii and Maine are also writing ADUs into law, although it’s often a lengthy process to gain state-wide approval.<\/p>\n

More recently, New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the launch of a WXY-designed platform<\/a> to expedite the building of ADUs in the city, calling the typology “one of the solutions to the housing crisis”.<\/p>\n

Read on for 10 ADUs across the United States:<\/p>\n

\"Ipe-clad<\/a>Photo by Taiyo Watanabe<\/p>\n

Offset ADU, California, by ByBen<\/a><\/p>\n

The Offset ADU is located in the backyard of a family home in the Mar Vista neighbourhood of Los Angeles<\/a> and was designed for a couple who desired more living space.<\/p>\n

The wood-clad volume replaces a former garage<\/a> on the same site, which the owners debated turning into an extension of the house before settling on an ADU, as it had a more predictable budget.<\/p>\n

Find out more about Offset ADU \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Cinder<\/a>Photo by Logan Havens<\/p>\n

Moon Valley Residence, Arizona, by Benjamin Hall Design<\/a><\/p>\n

Local studio Benjamin Hall Design<\/a> designed this concrete<\/a> block ADU for the homeowner’s elderly parents.<\/p>\n

It was designed to directly contrast the 1970s suburban main home on the property while taking influence from Southwestern architecture structures such as the Native American ruins at Montezuma Castle.<\/p>\n

Find out more about Moon Valley Residence\u00a0\u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Windowless<\/a>Photo by Leonid Furmansky<\/p>\n

Stealth House, Texas, by Specht Novak<\/a><\/p>\n

The Stealth House by Specht Novak<\/a> is tucked into a mid-block lot in Austin<\/a>, accessed by a gravel alley.<\/p>\n

Clad entirely in corten steel<\/a>, the ADU is designed around a central courtyard<\/a> and takes cues from ancient courtyard dwellings such as the Roman domus and Moroccan riad.<\/p>\n

Find out more about Stealth House \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Moongate<\/a>Photo by Leonid Furmansky<\/p>\n

Moongate, California, by Cover Architecture<\/a><\/p>\n

Architect Yan M Wang of Cover Architecture<\/a> designed this California<\/a> ADU for his mother.<\/p>\n

Sandwiched between the driveway and the main house, the house was divided into two parts so a pathway could cut through to the back of the lot, while a circular opening references traditional Chinese architecture.<\/p>\n

Find out more about Moongate \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Mork<\/a>Photo by Bruce Damonte<\/p>\n

Crest Guesthouse, California, by Mork-Ulnes Architects<\/a><\/p>\n

This Marin County ADU was built on the foundation of an old garage.<\/p>\n

Covered in light grey Cembrit fibre cement<\/a> panels, its angular form reflects the sharp slope of its cliffside site.<\/p>\n

Find out more about Crest Guesthouse \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Courtyard<\/a>Photo by 3R Studio<\/p>\n

Evelyn, California, by 3R Studio<\/a><\/p>\n

The founders of architecture office 3R Studio<\/a> built the Evelyn ADU in their Bay Area backyard as a live-work unit.<\/p>\n

The ADU is separated from the main house by a small yard and is organised around a courtyard<\/a> that sits in its centre.<\/p>\n

Find out more about the Evelyn ADU \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Flex<\/a>Photo by Michael Woodall<\/p>\n

The Flex Pavilion, Arizona, by Kendle Design Collaborative<\/a><\/p>\n

Kendle Design Collaborative<\/a> created this ADU as a companion to a modern-style residence built in 2016, located in the Arizona<\/a> desert.<\/p>\n

The largely glass-clad building was designed to be an office, gym, guesthouse or “however else the homeowner sees fit” and features a sculptural overhang.<\/p>\n

Find out more about The Flex Pavilion \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"diamond<\/a>Photo by Bruce Damonte<\/p>\n

Diamond ADU, California, by Schwartz and Architecture<\/a><\/p>\n

The Diamond ADU sits on a family estate in Sonoma<\/a> and takes cues from farmyard buildings around the region.<\/p>\n

Design studio Schwartz and Architecture<\/a> sought to create a building that appeared demure from one side, and “alive” on the other<\/p>\n

Find out more about The Diamond ADU \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Birdhouse<\/a>Photo by Chase Daniel<\/p>\n

Birdhouse, Texas, by North Arrow Studio<\/a><\/p>\n

The Birdhouse ADU shares a narrow lot in Austin<\/a> with a 1939 single-storey house.<\/p>\n

“There’s simplicity in the footprint, the massing, and the material palette throughout,” said North Arrow Studio<\/a> principal architect Francisco Arredondo. “But it’s also a smart little house that makes me smile.”<\/p>\n

Find out more about the Birdhouse \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Photo by Corey Gaffer Photography<\/p>\n

722 Ash Street, Kansas, by Studio 804<\/a><\/p>\n

Students in the\u00a0Studio 804<\/a>\u00a0design-build programme at the University of\u00a0Kansas<\/a> built this primary house and ADU as a speculative project, and it was sold upon completion.<\/p>\n

It encompasses an angular primary residence and a 516-square-foot (48-square-metre) ADU affixed to the back, both of which take cues from the vernacular architecture of Kansas.<\/p>\n

Find out more about 722 Ash Street \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Laws and regulations around accessory dwelling units are opening up opportunities for infill around the US to mitigate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":526967,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[92085,22518,6225,6485,6486,776,1120,96,13566,4631,40339,40340,3329,56,54,55,659],"class_list":{"0":"post-526966","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-accessory-dwelling-units","9":"tag-arizona","10":"tag-arts","11":"tag-arts-and-design","12":"tag-artsanddesign","13":"tag-california","14":"tag-design","15":"tag-entertainment","16":"tag-kansas","17":"tag-roundups","18":"tag-sectionall","19":"tag-sectionarchitecture","20":"tag-texas","21":"tag-uk","22":"tag-united-kingdom","23":"tag-unitedkingdom","24":"tag-usa"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=526966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/526967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=526966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=526966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=526966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}