Budget Breakdown: An Architect Turns Her Parents’ Garage Into a Tiny Home for $2,695
Moving home to Torrance, California, to take care of her dad, Monica Chang makes clever use of 170 square feet.
With the pandemic raging and her father’s health worsening, architect Monica Chang decided to move closer to home—much closer. She and her partner, Antony Tran, left their apartment in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles for her parents’ garage in Torrance, California. Enlisting the help of friends and making creative use of materials, she converted it into a live/work space for $2,695—all in less than two months.
$570 Planting |
$165 Hardscape |
$415 Misc. Landscaping |
$45 Cabinet Paint & Stain |
$200 Birch Plywood |
$250 Cabinet Hardware |
$475 Loft Lumber |
$365 Ladder & Track |
$210 Loft Hardware |
Grand Total: $2,695 |
The move wasn’t the easiest decision, but it’s allowed Monica to accompany her father on most of his doctor’s appointments and help with cooking, cleaning, and other errands. Their daily conversations help with his memory loss, and have proved an invaluable part of living so close to home.
The initial challenge was transitioning from a 650-square-foot apartment to a 170-square-foot garage. Monica, who runs the architecture practice Antonym, and Antony, whose job is in tech, both work from home, so she lofted their bed to separate business from leisure. A sliding ladder leads to the upper level.
"At first, we thought it was the greatest thing because it would keep the cat from going upstairs," says Monica. "A few months ago, she learned how to climb it, and now she sleeps with us—it turned out to be really cute, so we actually love it now."
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