Mercedes Backhouse

Client Challenge: Expand garage and livable square footage on their lot while meeting the requirements of the conservation district zoning.

A back house with large windows and a closed wooden garage door. One of the upper windows is open with a child peeking out.
Two-story back house with off-white exterior walls and a modern door with glass panels. Shadows of tree leaves are cast across the building facade. There is a small pool in the foreground and a person walking near the house. The sky is blue.
A person walking out of a doorway of a back house with a brick wall, wooden garage door, and large windows on the upper level.
A person holding a child standing by a large window with an open window pane showing pink flowering trees outside, in a room with wooden floors, white walls, and ceiling downlights.
A blurred child standing on a small hardwood platform near a window in a brightly lit staircase area with white walls and trim.
A young child climbing onto a windowsill inside a house, looking outside through an open window, in a bright and clean hallway with wooden stairs and white walls.

At 1,450 square feet, the design for this M Streets back house maximized the allowable square footage allowed for an accessory structure on the lot. Our client was seeking a larger garage, expanded living space above, and a pool-adjacent toilet. While many homes in this neighborhood are one to one-and-a-half stories, the client wanted 10’ clear height in their garage for storage above cars and 9’ ceilings in the second story. Since these constraints made the back house substantial in height and size, the design sought to mimic the existing main home in its materiality, blending in from the street as an extension of the main home.

While the exterior of the backhouse was carefully tuned to meet the requirements of the conservation district, the interior space was crafted to provide a flexible space that could host guests or serve as an overflow playroom. Including one large living space with a kitchenette, the second floor also has one bathroom and bedroom. Sculpting a space that felt light and airy, windows were strategically placed in sight as you ascended the stairs to the unit and in the open living space facing north to the neighborhood street. 

This project showcases our expertise in maximizing space within constraints and crafting interiors that are both functional and inviting.