"We didn't think anything would fit back there without losing the garden. The Goldfinch tucked in behind the house, the review went smoother than we expected, and we already know it's our rental down the road."
Daniel & Priya M.
North End, Boise
Detached ADU · North End, Boise, ID
North End Studio ADU — 280 sq ft studio
A 280 sq ft Goldfinch studio on a ~5,000 sq ft North End lot — the smallest pre-approved plan, sited behind a 1920s bungalow with alley access, built as a home office that's plumbed and metered to become a rental later.
- Plan
- The Goldfinch · Type A
- Footprint
- 280 sq ft
- Layout
- Studio · 1 bath
- Finish
- Standard
- Type
- Detached ADU
- Timeline
- ~6 months
Scope of work
Sited a detached Goldfinch behind an existing 1920s bungalow on a narrow historic lot
Coordinated City of Boise design review for the North End historic district
Alley-loaded utility runs to keep the front streetscape untouched
Full kitchen + 3/4 bath roughed and finished to a true rental standard from day one
Separate electrical metering so the unit can flip from office to rental without a retrofit
Standard-finish interior — white oak LVP, quartz counter, tile shower
The challenge
A historic lot with no margin for error
North End lots run about 5,000 sq ft with 1920s homes sitting close to the street, and the neighborhood's historic district means exterior choices go through review. The buildable envelope after side and rear setbacks left almost no slack, and the homeowner wanted to keep the garden and the mature trees. Anything larger than a studio would have crowded the lot or triggered a variance.
Our approach
Smallest pre-approved plan, alley-loaded
The 280 sq ft Goldfinch is the only pre-approved plan that fits a tight North End envelope without a variance, and because it's pre-approved it skipped the design phase that would have added weeks. We ran utilities off the alley so the historic frontage stayed intact, matched the roofline and trim to the main house for the historic review, and finished the interior to a real rental spec so the owner's day-one home office can become income later.
The outcome
An office now, a rental whenever they want
The build came in on a roughly six-month contract-to-keys timeline. The owner uses it as a backyard office today, but because it was metered and plumbed as a true dwelling, flipping it to a long-term rental is a tenant search — not a renovation. On a North End lot that's a flexible, durable addition to the property's value.
Keep exploring
City
Boise ADU builder
Zoning, plans, and local fit for Boise ADU builds.
Cost
Boise ADU cost
Real 2026 pricing by plan and finish for this market.
Plan
The Goldfinch
The smallest pre-approved Boise ADU plan — a 280 sq ft studio that fits the tightest lots and the cleanest budgets.
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