This La Mesa project started with a video call from across the country. The homeowners’ son had just gotten a job in San Diego and needed a place to land—but the rental market was brutal, and they wanted him close. “Can you build something in our backyard before he moves in September?” It was May. We had four months.

Here’s the thing about ADU construction in La Mesa: the permitting process can be unpredictable. We got lucky with a new streamlined approval process the city had just implemented, but we still had to navigate setback requirements and that magnificent old oak tree you see shading the front. That tree wasn’t going anywhere—we designed around it.

The exterior keeps things classic California cottage: cream stucco, a pitched roofline that echoes the main house, and that warm wood door with glass panels that the homeowner picked out herself during a Saturday morning trip to the salvage yard. The lattice privacy screen on the side patio was a last-minute addition—turns out the neighbors’ kitchen window looked right into the ADU’s bedroom, so we needed a creative solution that didn’t feel like a wall.

Inside, we opened everything up. The kitchen became the heart of the space, with white shaker cabinets that maximize storage and that pop-of-color island in teal blue. The homeowner’s wife insisted on it—”He needs at least one thing with personality,” she said. Those glass-front upper cabinets with interior lighting? Her idea too, and she was right. They make the whole space feel bigger and more intentional.

The skylight was our contribution. In a compact ADU, natural light is everything, and that one feature completely transformed how the space feels during the day.

Did we finish before September? Of Course! The son moved in August with his beat-up Honda Civic and three boxes of belongings. Six months later, he’s still there, and according to his mom, he cooks dinner for the family twice a week. Mission accomplished!