Creative Ways to Make Space: Accessory Dwelling Units
Interested in an apartment above your garage, a backyard studio, or a workshop detached from your house? ADUs are fully functional living spaces that can have many uses.
1.5-Story Minneapolis Dormer Addition
A remodel is underway. Take a look inside.
Follow along as we create a dormer addition for a Southwest Minneapolis homeowner looking for an upper level bathroom, bedroom, and home office.
Remodel Details
Project Objective
After living in her Southwest Minneapolis home for 26 years, our client wanted to upgrade two of the most-used rooms in the house: the primary bedroom and a home office. While her bedroom was already upstairs, the limited footprint on the upper level prevented her from getting the bathroom and closet she wanted on that level. The owner also hoped to carve out even more space upstairs for a home office to keep her work-from-home station out of the main level living space.
Achieving the full project scope within the confines of the 1/2 story above will mean overcoming existing ceiling height limitations created by the pitch of the gabled roof. By proposing a shed dormer across the back of this house, our designers will introduce new ceiling heights that allow the team to reclaim previously unusable square footage within the existing upper level footprint.
Project Details
Project Type: A dormer addition
Style of Home: Classic 1.5-story
Year Built: 1941
Project Timeline: 15-16 weeks
“Our client has lived in her home for a long time. She loves her home and her neighborhood.” – White Crane Designer
Moving isn’t always the answer but neither is a traditional addition.
Despite the spatial challenges upstairs that left her without a fully functional bedroom suite or private home office, our client wasn’t interested in moving or building a typical addition off the back of the home. While moving may have given her the extra space, doing so would mean leaving her beloved home and Minneapolis neighborhood. She’d also have to forfeit the previously completed kitchen remodel that complimented the home’s existing architecture.
Unlike moving, a thoughtful remodel could offer more to this homeowner than just additional space. With a design:build team looking at the home holistically, remodeling provided the added benefit of gaining highly curated spaces that captured her personal style while also allowing for upgrades to the existing building envelope and HVAC systems.
Since the homeowner had recently completed an expansive landscaping project in the back, our proposal for this classic 1.5 story home would not include a traditional addition that takes up valuable yard space. By considering a shed dormer, we could stay within the existing footprint and still gain space, space that we repurposed for a proper primary suite and dedicated home office.
“Our client recently finished a BEAUTIFUL landscaping project in her backyard and has already remodeled her kitchen.” – White Crane Designer
It’s time for a refresh, and here’s how we’ll do it.
While a previous homeowner updated the existing 1/2 story decades ago, it was time for a major refresh. We’ll be gutting everything down the subfloor, removing half the roof, and adding a shed dormer along the back to gain extra ceiling height for an all-new bedroom, work-from-home space, closet, and a generous bathroom. We’ll add new windows, flooring, and exciting pops of color to make her new living area feel ultra approachable, alongside system upgrades that will keep her comfortable year round. Stay tuned to see the final design!
“Gaining a work from home location and closet is huge in this day in age! She currently works in her living space on the main floor. “ – White Crane Designer
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Related Content
Think you can’t afford that remodel? (There are more options than you think.)
So you’d love to upgrade your kitchen or add a shed dormer with a primary suite, but you’re not sure how to pay for it? Learn about three ways to finance your remodel.
How Much Does it Cost to Build an ADU?
Learn what it costs to build a garage apartment ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) in Minneapolis or St. Paul, and what drives those costs.
