Decide what to share
Some families want a nearby entrance for easy visits. Others value a separate approach and a quiet outdoor corner. Sketch a typical morning for each household.
Services
/ Home types
Service 02 / Home types
Attached ADUs
An attached ADU makes room at the edge of the home you already love. The design challenge is giving each household its own rhythms along a shared wall.
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01 / Property study
Which wall makes a good neighbor?
On a rough plan, mark bedrooms on both sides of the connection. Try shifting the entry away from the quietest room.
02 / Design considerations
Plan the quiet rooms first.
Start at the shared wall
The position of a bedroom, a kitchen or a laundry room changes what a neighbor hears. Use the existing rooms on both sides to guide the layout.
Make the addition belong
Look at rooflines, window proportions and the transition into the garden. A considered connection can feel part of the original home from the street.
03 / Design study
Look back from the street.
Compare the addition with the existing house at the front walk. Roof height, the recess around a door and the spacing between windows determine how the two volumes read together.
Illustrative architectural concept04 / Homeowner questions
Attached ADUs
FAQs.
Which side of our house should we extend?
Mark the rooms touching each possible connection. An addition beside a utility room will affect the main home differently from one beside the only bright window in a family room. Compare both sides on the same drawing.
Can the entrances be close together?
Sketch someone arriving with groceries while a visitor is looking for the other front door. Clear sightlines, distinct house numbers where assigned and separate places to wait can make two nearby entrances easier to use.
How do we keep sound from traveling through the shared wall?
Put the noisy and quiet rooms on the drawing first. Ask the design team to detail the wall assembly, plumbing penetrations and outlets together, especially where a bedroom backs onto a kitchen or laundry.
Will the addition block daylight in our existing home?
Identify windows that would become internal or face a new wall. Compare views from your usual seats and ask for a shadow study at the times you use those rooms most.
Should the two homes have a connecting door?
Describe how often relatives would visit and how each household wants to control access. Have the designer compare an outdoor route with a possible interior connection and confirm the permitted separation details before choosing.
Can we stay in the house while the addition is built?
Ask the builder to mark when the exterior wall, roof and services would be opened. Review temporary weather protection, a secure route into the occupied home and any periods when a kitchen, bathroom or utility would be unavailable.
How will the new roof meet the old roof?
Ask for a section through the connection showing roof slopes, gutters and where water leaves the building. Check that the new drainage route avoids both entrances and the neighbor’s side of the fence.
What if the existing floor sits higher than the garden?
Measure the height difference at the intended connection and at the new entry. Study the indoor floor level, landing, drainage and garden route together so the final transition works for the intended resident.
Where would heating and water controls go?
List which controls each resident should reach independently, including thermostats, shutoffs and electrical panels. Have the team compare layouts and identify any equipment that would require access through the other household.
Which items are easy to miss in an addition quote?
Ask bidders to identify patching inside the main house, roof tie-ins, rerouted utilities and exterior finish matching. Have each bidder mark those items as included, allowed for or excluded on the same scope sheet.
05 / Your next step
Bring your site into focus.
Keep your notes together for the first property conversation.
Build your property brief ↗