About this build.
This detached accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in San Rafael, in Marin County, California, is a 420-square-foot, one-bedroom, one-bathroom backyard home built by Burton Builders in 2024. Finished in blue-gray stucco with crisp white trim to match the main house, it opens through white French doors onto a poured-concrete patio, with a garden greenhouse window and black barn-style sconces adding cottage character.
Inside, a vaulted ceiling and skylight keep the open living and kitchen area bright, and the plan makes the most of its height: a custom oak ship’s ladder climbs to a steel-railed loft that adds generous storage above the main floor. The kitchen pairs blue-gray shaker cabinetry and matte-black hardware with white quartz counters, a white subway-tile backsplash, under-cabinet lighting, and full stainless appliances, all over warm wide-plank floors. The bathroom finishes the home with a walk-in subway-tile shower behind black-framed sliding glass and a playful powder-blue geometric tile floor.
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