Rex ADU
Southeast Portland, OR
The Rex ADU is a new building in the backyard of an existing home in southeast Portland.
The building’s front door faces down the former driveway.
Rex ADU - Portland, OR
The Rex ADU packs a lot of program into a small footprint. This newly constructed ADU replaced an old single car garage that was falling down on the site and was limited to occupying the same space on the lot. The owner wanted the ADU to fulfill many requirements - to be workshop for her metalworking hobby, a hangout space for teenage son, guest quarters and capable of being rented for the short-term.
The asymmetrical shape of the roof allows for the proper headroom to have a legal sleeping loft accessed from a sloping ladder. The loft is supported on joists that run the full length of the building and are left exposed to create an open ceiling structure on the first floor. The large kitchen has an over-sized exhaust hood and a special table, both for metal-working activities. The living room is cozy with room for TV viewing and pull-out couch, so the small unit can easily sleep four guests. The bathroom saves space by combining the shower and toilet areas and fully tiling the walls to create a "European-style" wet room.
The exterior of the building was designed with durability in mind. The roof is standing seam metal and the siding is thermally-treated wood, both extremely low-maintenance materials.
Floor Area: 420 sf
Construction Budget: $200/sf
Completion Date: 2019
Photos by Lauren Allen Photography
The asymmetrical roof design allows for a sleeping loft on the second story.
The exterior materials were chosen to minimize maintenance including a standing seam metal roof and thermally-modified wood siding
First floor and sleeping loft plans
Elevation rendering
The front door enters into a spacious kitchen and has a view all the way back to the living room area.
The structural joists were left exposed and natural above the kitchen, but are open to the vaulted ceiling above.
There are large glass doors and windows all along the west side of the ADU bringing in lots of natural light and making the small space feel more spacious.
The large kitchen has natural wood counters and open shelves with painted lower cabinets.
The kitchen doubles as a workshop with a workbench and a large stainless steel hood over the work area.
The floor of the ADU is the structural concrete slab polished and sealed.
The compact bathroom is a wet room with the toilet and shower sharing space.
The compact living area is open to the sleeping loft above.
The sleeping loft has vaulted ceilings and ample natural light.
The loft area provides bedroom space within a very compact footprint.
The sleeping loft area is accessed by a custom ladder.