When Pei Feng began planning her retirement, her two sons decided it was time to get the family back together.
Dr. Feng, an endocrinologist, had been working at the University of Maryland and living in Baltimore with her husband, Daniel Jones, who had retired from his job at the Department of Agriculture. But one of her sons, Yan M. Wang, an architect, was living in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles with his partner and daughter, while his older brother, Steven Wang, a physician, was a short drive away in Sierra Madre, with his wife and son.
“We hadn’t technically been together as a family since my brother and I both left home after high school,” said Mr. Wang, 47, the founder of Cover Architecture. “When Pei was thinking about retirement, we thought it made sense for her to come here, because my brother has a son and I have a daughter.”
The brothers proposed that Dr. Feng, now 77, find a house in California to use as a second home while visiting her grandchildren, and that she and Dr. Jones, now 81, might consider moving there full time once they needed more help. Dr. Feng liked the idea and bought a 2,000-square-foot house in Altadena in May 2019, for $900,000.
But things didn’t work out quite as they planned.
With the help of her family, Dr. Feng began furnishing the house and stayed there for a few months at the end of 2019. She returned to Baltimore in early 2020, just before Covid-19 began spreading across the country. A couple of months later, most of the country was in lockdown, and she realized she wouldn’t be traveling for the foreseeable future.
While the house in Altadena sat vacant, Mr. Wang began to feel constrained in the 600-square-foot bungalow he had bought as a bachelor, but was now sharing with his partner, Erin Kasimow, now 42, and daughter, Libby, 7.
“At some point, a lightbulb went on,” he said. His idea was to move his family into his mother’s house, which he did in March 2021. Then he had an even better idea.
His mother’s house had a generous lot — about 8,700 square feet — so there was room for an accessory dwelling unit, or A.D.U., which would make it possible for several generations of the family to live together. His family could stay in the main house and pay rent to his mother, and after the pandemic she and Dr. Jones could move into the smaller house. His bungalow in Highland Park could be rented to recoup some of the cost.
His mother was enthusiastic. “Dan and I were very excited about the idea of getting an A.D.U.,” Dr. Feng said, because it was a chance to live close to family.
With his mother’s permission, Mr. Wang got to work. The original house and garage were at the back of the lot, so the A.D.U. would be toward the front, closer to the street. To create some privacy, he designed a 620-square-foot house with a deck in front, partially concealed by a curved wall with a round cutout. Across from the one-bedroom home is a one-room storage building, with space in between for a walkway that leads to the main house. At the center of the three buildings is a courtyard where the family can gather. The former garage — now inaccessible to cars — was converted into a movie and games room off the courtyard.
The little house is finished simply but smartly inside, with Baltic birch plywood shelves and cabinets. An upscale touch is provided by Pietra Artica marble counters in the kitchen and an onyx vanity top in the bathroom, which has grab bars that double as towel bars.
Dr. Feng’s favorite feature? All the sunlight that comes through the skylights in the kitchen and bathroom.
“Natural light comes in, which makes for very pleasant living,” she said. “Also, one night I was brushing my teeth, raised my head and saw the moon. It’s very fun.”
It took Sulgatti General Contractors less than a year to finish the project after starting in January 2023. The total cost, including furniture and appliances, was about $400,000.
Dr. Feng and Dr. Jones have spent much of 2024 in Altadena, and plan to spend even more time there as they wrap up their lives in Baltimore.
“Every morning, I can go make Libby’s braids. And we have family dinners with everyone together, seven or eight people, with kids running around,” she said. “We’re really grateful and enjoy it so much.”
Living Small is a biweekly column exploring what it takes to lead a simpler, more sustainable or more compact life.
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