Santa Monica Back-House

This small detached garage in Santa Monica was used as a laundry room and office for years until the homeowner came to Otto, hoping to turn the humble space into a rental unit. Otto came up with an ingenious design that incorporates all the amenities renters want while maintaining a shared laundry space for the main house. The new unit was designed to maximize privacy on the small lot and utilize the existing landscaping, turning an underused patio into a beautiful outdoor living room.

The Existing Conditions

The existing small garage functioned as a makeshift office and laundry room
A large but under-utilized patio sat right beside the existing garage
As is typical with small Santa Monica lots, the existing garage was already quite close to the main house

The Design Decisions

Otto got creative with the plan and managed to fit an entire rental unit and a shared laundry in the small space
Working with the homeowner, we selected a custom material palate that complemented the main house and included traditional Saltillo tiles
French doors open to the patio, creating a huge outdoor living room while maintaining privacy from main house

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