Small footprint, real style.

Curated the way a shelter magazine would run it — layouts, exteriors, and real projects worth stealing ideas from, not a builder’s stock photo folder.
Exterior view of a 480 sq ft backyard cottage and detached ADU in Wheat Ridge, Colorado set against a bright blue sky.

A 480 sq ft Wheat Ridge backyard cottage, start to finish

From an overgrown side yard to a rented-out studio in nine months — floor plan, material choices, and what the homeowners would change.

Modern dark-wood detached ADU illuminated under a vibrant aurora night sky for an Aurora, Colorado property case study.
Two sisters, one Aurora lot, two ADUs
Exterior view of a ranch-style home and driveway with a garage-top ADU in Highlands Ranch, Colorado one year after completion.
A Highlands Ranch garage-top ADU, one year later
Black wood-clad garage conversion exterior with custom doors and historic architectural styling for a Colorado ADU design guide.
Garage conversions that don’t feel like garages
Compact open-concept interior of a small ADU featuring space-saving furniture, a dining set, and integrated kitchen storage.
Making 400 sq ft feel double the size
Blending modern exterior architecture with historic brick and stone buildings for a Colorado historic district ADU compliance guide.
Modern exteriors that still fit a historic block
Close-up exterior of a residential roofline, dormer window, and white brick chimney matching main house architectural styles for an ADU build.
Matching the main house’s roofline
Interior view of skylights, light wells, and large windows bringing natural sunlight into a below-grade basement accessory dwelling unit.
Skylights and light wells for below-grade units
Modern living room interior with white egg chairs, a glass coffee table, and backlit wood shelving for a Colorado ADU design guide.
Kitchen layouts that don’t feel like a dorm
Blending modern exterior architecture with historic brick and stone buildings for a Colorado historic district ADU compliance guide.
Modern exteriors that still fit a historic block
Close-up exterior of a residential roofline, dormer window, and white brick chimney matching main house architectural styles for an ADU build.
Matching the main house’s roofline
Black wood-clad garage conversion exterior with custom doors and historic architectural styling for a Colorado ADU design guide.
Garage conversions that don’t feel like garages
Compact open-concept interior of a small ADU featuring space-saving furniture, a dining set, and integrated kitchen storage.
Making 400 sq ft feel double the size
Modern dark-wood detached ADU illuminated under a vibrant aurora night sky for an Aurora, Colorado property case study.
Two sisters, one Aurora lot, two ADUs
Exterior view of a ranch-style home and driveway with a garage-top ADU in Highlands Ranch, Colorado one year after completion.
A Highlands Ranch garage-top ADU, one year later

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