Budget Breakdown: An $80K ADU Gives a Growing Austin Family Space for Work—and Working Out
Expecting a child, Julia and Stevie Chavez bought their two-bed rental and added a luminous backyard structure that’s part office, part gym.
Expecting a child, Julia and Stevie Chavez bought their two-bed rental and added a luminous backyard structure that’s part office, part gym.
After almost a year of renting a nearly 100-year-old bungalow in East Austin, Stevie and Julia Chavez needed more space. The couple work from home as UX designers, but with their first child on the way, they were soon going to outgrow the two-bed home. They started looking at places to buy, but in 2021, that was no easy feat. "It seemed like any offer we put in, we were outbid by $100,000," Stevie remembers. The pair resolved to extend their lease, at least until their son was at an age where he needed his own room. Then they found out the owners of their rental were looking to sell, which ended their search.
Stevie and Julia Chavez’s two-bed Austin home wasn’t going to be big enough for them to work at home and have a child. To add more space to the property, architect Murray Legge designed them a backyard office that has a shed roof split into two parts.
Photo by Leonid Furmansky
But the expecting parents still had the same spatial hurdle. Since the second bedroom—which Julia and Stevie used for work and where he kept two pairs of monitors—would soon be the kid’s room, they approached Murray Legge Architecture to help them figure out a way to expand. "Our job as architects is to find solutions for clients that go beyond just design. It’s about thinking creatively, " explains Legge, who brought up the idea to build a stand-alone office in their backyard.
Legge liked the idea of designing a backyard space that was more like a living object rather than an office. "The roofline has ears like a critter," he says.
Photo by Leonid Furmansky
The accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is 109 square feet, which saved the couple some cash; at 200 or more, Austin requires a building permit, which comes with a fee. While the tiny footprint offset costs, its size presented another challenge. "Sometimes these little backyard offices, no matter how well designed, can feel claustrophobic," says Legge. "We didn’t want it to feel like you’re in a shoebox."
Despite its small footprint, Legge was able to incorporate a gym area with sport court flooring where Stevie can workout.
Photo by Leonid Furmansky
See the full story on Dwell.com: Budget Breakdown: An $80K ADU Gives a Growing Austin Family Space for Work—and Working Out
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