A rundown house before it was remodeled, with overgrown weeds in the front yard.
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Before and after: Two architects cut a house in half to make a home and an ADU

How do you get two L.A. homes for the price of one? Cut a house in half to create an ADU.

A rundown house before it was remodeled, with overgrown weeds in the front yard.

Before: The home’s original 1923 facade was illegally erased in 2014, shown here. Melissa and Amanda Shin of Shin Shin Architecture had to restore it back to the 1923 design, which is not shown. The home was legally uninhabitable due to multiple unpermitted additions over the years.
 (Shin Shin Architecture )

A woman walks a dog in front of a house.

Architects Melissa Shin, with dog Maya, and Amanda Shin enjoy the outdoor area in front of the ADU affectionately called “Mouse House.”  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Architecture plans for a house.

Shin Shin Architecture plans for Mouse House, Level 1.
 (Shin Shin Architecture )

Architecture plans for a house.

Shin Shin Architecture plans show the second level above Mouse House.  (Shin Shin Architecture
)

Kitchen of house before it was remodeled.

The kitchen of Mouse House before it was remodeled. At right are the illegal arches that were added and cited by the city.  (Shin Shin Architecture )

A view of living room.

A view of the living room of the ADU rental, with the bedroom at left, seen from the kitchen. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

A view of a kitchen.

The kitchen of the ADU rental.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

A sunroom with plants and a washer and dryer.

In the ADU, the semi-enclosed sunroom can be used as a greenhouse, laundry room or storage space.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

An entryway, with stairs and items hanging from the wall.

Hooks installed inside the entryway of the main house serve as a coat rack. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

A bedroom and bathroom with a mirrored door.

The master bedroom and bathroom of the main house. Behind the full-length mirrors: a walk-in closet.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

A large closet with clothes and a sewing machine.

Because space was limited, the architects designed walk-in closets in both the ADU and the main house.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

A long, dark hallway with wood floors and multiple doors.

The hallway of the main house before the renovation. It is now a staircase to the second floor.  (Shin Shin Architecture )

A staircase with bookshelves.

The staircase was designed to be a room of its own. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

A bookcase with ceramics, books and other decorative objects.

The plywood bookcase installed inside the staircase was designed to play off the exposed rafters of the main house.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Two smiling women on a staircase.

Architects and sisters Melissa and Amanda Shin, on the staircase of the main house.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Two women sit in a living room.

Architects Melissa Shin and Amanda Shin, seated in the living room of Amanda’s house.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

A large, light-filled room with open rafters and windows.

The living room of the main house offers arresting views of Highland Park.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

A large kitchen, with a sliding door leading out to a patio.

The open kitchen of the main house, located on the second floor, opens to an outdoor patio. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

A light-filled house at dusk.

From the street, the second-floor unit located behind the ADU is barely apparent. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Three women and a dog on a porch and in a yard.

From left: Anne Barkley, who rents the ADU, and architects Amanda Shin and Melissa Shin.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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