An Architect Builds a Svelte Backyard Tiny Home for His Mom
Architect Peter Liang’s 265-square-foot ADU sits in his sister’s backyard in Oakland, California, balancing privacy and togetherness.
Architect Peter Liang’s 265-square-foot ADU sits in his sister’s backyard in Oakland, California, balancing privacy and togetherness.
When Irmhild Liang, 82, began planning her relocation from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to the San Francisco Bay Area, where two of her three children live, it brought up many questions. Where would she live? What sort of boundaries needed to be set? How could she be close to her children and their families, but also maintain her own privacy and independence?
The answer, it turned out, could be found in her youngest daughter’s backyard.
Irmhild Liang’s tiny house is tucked behind the main house. It has a separate entrance, which can be accessed by a path at the side of the property.
Photo: Gregg Segal
"We got the idea because there was this existing, shed-like structure with a bathroom in the backyard," says Stefanie Liang Chung, 43. Stefanie and her husband had already been contemplating how to make use of the shed, so the decision to turn it into a tiny home came naturally. Luckily, they knew just the person to consult—Stefanie’s brother, Peter Liang, principal of the architecture firm Blue Truck Studio.
Peter proposed removing the shed entirely, as well as a deck which was occupying much of the backyard, and building a proper tiny house in the unused, lower portion of the yard. While he took the lead on the design, all members of the family gave feedback and contributed ideas, including a sister who lives in New York City.
Irmhild Liang stands in front of the Murphy bed, made by Resource Furniture, in the living area of her tiny home. "Because we were designing for someone in their 80s, accessibility had to be acknowledged," Stefanie Liang Chung says. "We were worried about the Murphy bed, but she tested it out, and she can do it on her own."
Photo: Gregg Segal
The resulting 265-square-foot house sits tucked downslope behind the two-story residence that Stefanie and her husband share with their two young children, ages five and three, in Oakland. Peter, 47, lives nearby in San Francisco with his wife and two children. The family calls Irmhild’s home the Kleines Haus, which means "small house" in German, Irmhild’s first language.
Though the tiny home shares the lot with the main house, it is independent by design. "It’s intentional that you don’t really see the front house from Kleines Haus. It has an autonomy to it," Peter says. It has its own entrance, which is accessible via a path at the side of the property that meets the street.
The tiny home sits on the lower portion of the yard. This allowed Blue Truck Studio to design to the maximum allowable height and incorporate high ceilings, which make the space feel bigger.
Photo: Gregg Segal
See the full story on Dwell.com: An Architect Builds a Svelte Backyard Tiny Home for His Mom
