When Lee Reich became a widow, she had to pay $1,900 for a one-bedroom apartment she rented.
Over time, the rent became more expensive, and it no longer made sense to pay for an empty nest.
Her daughter Stacy Lince had the same problem with rental prices in Santa Rosa, California. Together, they were paying $4,000 a month, and the rent kept rising!
They decided to pool their resources and bought a modest house with a detached garage, for which they had big plans.
At first glance, you wouldn’t think the one-and-a-half car garage would be habitable – you could barely park a vehicle in it.
The garage was full of shelves and large fixtures. The 380 square feet is less than a fifth the size of the house Reich had when her husband was alive.
During the construction of the one-bedroom apartment, the costs were up to $25,000.
After a local tragedy, where over 5,000 homes in the area burned down, the city partially waived the fees for secondary dwellings. Stacy and her mother were able to save $18,000.
When you enter the property, the first thing you notice is a simple patio between Stacy’s and Lee’s houses, open to the sky.
Mother and daughter seem almost like neighbors sharing a yard where they can hang out and relax during the day.
The patio served as a common area for Stacy’s and Lee’s small houses and gave the impression that they were neighbors. Stacy works from home, and Lee occasionally hosts tea parties for friends and visitors.
The first thing you notice when entering Lee’s one-bedroom apartment is the pleasant burst of brightness coming from the skylight.
The kitchen is equipped with a large refrigerator, a microwave-convection oven, and a regular sink
Since grandmother Lee lives alone, it made no sense to have a dishwasher (but if she needs to use one, she can always drop by her daughter’s next door).
Despite the small size of the garage converted into an apartment, Lee hosts guests more often than you would expect. She calls the occasional visits “T-Tour,” meaning “Tea and Tour.”
“You come for tea and the tour. The tour takes 7 seconds, and then you stay for tea,” Lee explained.
Lee can accommodate at least four guests. The sofa seats three people, and another guest can sit on a separate chair opposite the coffee table.
If Lee expects more guests, she can always bring out the kitchen stool for extra seating.
Lee’s living room is well-designed and functional to meet her needs.
She can use her laptop at her desk, which is situated right between two tall shelves housing books, figurines, and other memorabilia. The flat-screen TV is mounted on the wall above her desk.
The living room and the bedroom of the alternative empty nest solution are separated by a sliding door. Lee used to have a king-size bed. She had to replace most of her bedroom furniture when she moved.
Like her giant closet on the bedroom wall, which almost makes up a small room. All of Lee’s shoes and clothes fit well in it, while her sheets, blankets, and covers are found under her bed.
Lee and Stacy initially thought of having a smaller bathroom, but the contractor convinced them to opt for a larger one. If Lee ever decides to continue living in the apartment, she will need the help of another person.
The untimely fire that occurred during the construction of the apartment delayed the inauguration of Lee’s new home.
But like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the new house, which only existed on a blueprint, materialized from the empty garage cave.
Lee and Stacy consider the apartment as an “embrace house.” Lee never felt trapped and felt like she was living in an embrace.
One of the reasons they undertook this project was to live in an urban family unit. It is habitable, and the person next to Lee is someone she cares about.
Watch the video below for the full tour:
