Budget Breakdown: They Built an $830K ADU With Attitude on a Steep Silver Lake Hillside
After years of hosting loved ones in their 1,450-square-foot home, a couple call on architect Warren Techentin to build a bold backyard house with vacation vibes.
After years of hosting loved ones in their 1,450-square-foot home, a couple call on architect Warren Techentin to build a bold backyard house with vacation vibes.
When physician Vivian Mo first bought this hillside Silver Lake property back in 2010, she dreamed of the potential of its enviable site, which stretched from the top of one street at the peak, to the bottom of another at the base.
About a decade later, Vivian and her husband, fitness instructor Michael Trobisch, decided to finally do something with the slope behind their primary residence. Besides a rickety deck that had long seen better days, there was nothing there to stop them.
This hillside ADU in Silver Lake has its own entrance from the lower street, while the primary residence can be accessed from the street above. Blue Lapis tiles by Senio clad one side of the exterior.
Photo by Eric Staudenmaier
"Our home is about 1,450 square feet, and we have a lot of friends and family who come to visit," Vivian says. "They either had to stay in a hotel, or we were all cramped together. Additionally, I wanted our daughter, Sophie-Inez, to have a safe space behind the house to play."
"We can entertain so much more easily," says homeowner Vivian Mo. "We host a lot of barbecues." The deck is made of ipe boards by BMC Hardwood.
Photo by Eric Staudenmaier
A deck and stone pathway separate the ADU from the primary residence. It cost $10,000 to excavate the hillside to make way for the new dwelling.
Photo by Eric Staudenmaier
See the full story on Dwell.com: Budget Breakdown: They Built an $830K ADU With Attitude on a Steep Silver Lake Hillside
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