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Pamela O\u2019Brien of Pamela Hope Designs did the interior design work for this two-suite guest house for a client in Smithville.<\/p>\n
The gig economy has long served as a way to earn extra cash, keep up with rising costs<\/a>, and sometimes launch a small business while working a full-time job<\/a> in a different field. One of the most popular options revolves around lodging. Houstonians are actively renting out unused or underused spaces: guest houses, casitas, smaller barndominiums, garage apartments, or what many people now call \u201caccessory dwelling units,\u201d or ADUs\u2014offering a haven for visitors, sometimes for a fee, with a buildout that costs far less than a traditional home.<\/p>\n Roughly the size of a two-car garage, these ADUs or renovated garage apartments often include much of what people might find in a tiny house or a large studio apartment. Guests can expect a bedroom or a combined sleeping and living area, plus a bathroom and kitchen or kitchenette. It\u2019s a trend that taps into the barndominium and shipping-container-as-living-space craze, allowing people to list rooms and apartments for students or travelers, or offer a more private space for relatives.<\/p>\n Rice University saw this coming. More than 20 years ago, the Houston institution launched a hands-on, for-credit studio class for architecture students called Construct, in which professors worked with pupils to design and build compact, affordable, standalone homes that could double as income-producing dwellings in someone\u2019s backyard.<\/p>\n Rice University architecture students in the Construct studio class designed and built this accessory dwelling unit in Midtown for Avenue CDC, a nonprofit focusing on affordable housing. The 900-square-foot home has one bedroom and bathroom.<\/p>\n While designing sprawling luxury homes or modern skyscrapers might be the dream for most architecture students, this class focused on an economy of space: getting the most out of every inch of square footage and being as environmentally friendly<\/a> as possible. Building the units themselves also gave students real-world construction experience.<\/p>\n \u201cADUs are mostly illegal in other cities because of zoning laws, but here in Houston, they\u2019re workable,\u201d says Andrew Colopy, an associate professor and director of undergraduate studies in Rice\u2019s architecture school. This type of housing, which the city deems \u201csecondary units,\u201d is also an asset in the real estate market, since a potential buyer can use it as an extra space for an art studio, office, or even a man cave; to host out-of-town guests; or generate extra income. \u201cThey can be beneficial\u2026 but they don\u2019t solve the affordability problem of housing,\u201d Colopy adds. That\u2019s because ADUs tend to get built one at a time\u2014it would take an entire neighborhood\u2019s worth to meaningfully move the needle on housing supply.<\/p>\n Although there\u2019s no way to know how many secondary units exist in Houston, you can easily spot them in older neighborhoods with detached garages and alley approaches. Interior designer Pamela O\u2019Brien of Pamela Hope Designs has helped clients design guest houses and garage apartments on the same property as their main residence, as well as separate vacation homes.<\/p>\n Pamela O\u2019Brien of Pamela Hope Designs said clients want guest houses to be nice and comfortable but may opt for a simpler budget since these spaces aren\u2019t used as often.<\/p>\n Cherri Carbonara and her husband, Tom McGhie, bought a fairly new home in the Heights with a separate apartment and a detached garage. The space was wired and plumbed but otherwise had open walls<\/a> and plywood floors. The couple tapped Pamela Hope Designs to finish it for visiting guests.<\/p>\n \u201cI envisioned a lot of uses,\u201d says Carbonara, who wanted to welcome family members and her husband\u2019s relatives from Scotland. \u201cI also have nieces and nephews who are getting older and coming home from college to visit and having a space of their own,\u201d which is important to them. Because of this, she didn\u2019t skimp on hard finishes such as flooring, tile, and counters, but she kept her furniture budget in line with Wayfair, Pottery Barn, and Crate & Barrel.<\/p>\n Another client of O\u2019Brien\u2019s remodeled their garage apartment in West University, then moved into it for several months while remodeling their main home. Today, out-of-town guests use it, and it occasionally gets listed on Airbnb, which is becoming more common. \u201cMore people build [ADUs] for personal needs, and it morphs into \u2018What the heck? Let\u2019s rent it out\u2019,\u201d O\u2019Brien says. \u201cPeople are looking for extra money. It\u2019s easy to do small projects and make it profitable. You can put it online in minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n The finishes and furnishings might differ from what you see in a main or traditional home. They\u2019re functional, durable, and easy to maintain, but likely less expensive, particularly since it\u2019s not a primary dwelling, O\u2019Brien says.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Rice_ADU_exterior_vt9hvo.jpg\")
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