When a team of designers and builders approached the more-than-100-year-old bungalow at 5701 Seventh St. in Los Angeles, they knew they wanted to create a place they’d want to live in themselves.
So, they built a new structure — a two-bedroom, two-bathroom accessory-dwelling unit, also known as an ADU — and reimagined the original house, incorporating remnants from author Ray Bradbury’s home. Now, the two residences are on the market together for just shy of $2 million.
Listing agent Brian Linder, who is also an architect, described the property as “a tasteful restoration of a historic 1915 bungalow in a historic neighborhood, together with an exciting new build featuring monumental structural steel, polished concrete floors, and two-story walls of glass with panoramic views of the city.”
“The architecture is truly exceptional,” he added. Linder holds the listing alongside Mark Mendez. Both agents are with Compass.
Industrial design inspired the ADU
The industrial-looking ADU was designed as the main living space, according to Jared Brunk, Shanna Yates and Mike Nesbit, the team behind the project.
Inside, cinder-block walls, concrete floors and exposed metals are offset by warm wooden ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows that offer views of Los Angeles, including the Hollywood sign and mountains.
The design team said it was inspired by their experiences in the commercial industry when building the “utilitarian” ADU.
“The use of industrial materials came from our collective history and our involvement with commercial work, which uses [cinder block] as a base to build off of, but rarely is it used as a finish product,” they said in an email. “The ADU embraces this and elevates it by using it as a finish product, combining it with wood accents (floors, ceilings, furniture) to warm the environment and make it comfortable to live in.”
The team was also intentional with the ADU’s layout, they said.
“The square footage of the ADU is maximized per city code, and was designed for modern and uncomplicated living, an open floor plan downstairs and a very utilitarian layout upstairs,” the team said.
The two bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs are lined with floor-to-ceiling windows and are "relatively small," the team said. They're also the same size, "so there's no hierarchy."
But the team also noted that the expansive windows make the spaces feel larger.
On the first floor, an open floor plan that includes a sculptural spiral staircase opens to a courtyard.
“The experience of living in the space is part of what makes it so unique,” the team said.
Restoring the historic bungalow
When it came to the existing Craftsman-style bungalow on the property, the team wanted to reimagine the home while still preserving its original character.
The team opened up the walls and ceiling, creating “an open floor plan with vaulted ceilings and exposed roof rafters,” they said in a news release.
Vintage details include the wood-burning fireplace, windows, crystal doorknobs and fir remnants from Bradbury’s home that have been incorporated throughout the design.
The bungalow backs onto the same courtyard as the ADU, creating a communal space, according to the team.
“The project sets the ADU and the bungalow in relationship to one another via a set of outdoor rooms, courtyards and communal areas,” they said in their email.
Architecture sells
Linder, the listing agent, said the property’s distinct architecture makes it a valuable product in the otherwise wonky housing market.
“For architecture like this, there is always a vibrant market, even in uncertain times,” he said in a statement. “This is the kind of unique architecture that will attract the design-centric buyer who is looking within a wide radius of their place of business, for example, but who doesn't yet know they'll be living in South Los Angeles in two months.”
Furthermore, new zoning laws allow the property to be split into two lots, so prospective buyers could sell off the bungalow, the team said in a statement.
“Architect-designed homes always sell for more than their generic counterparts, and they tend to hold their value as other properties lose value,” Linder said. “Supply and demand dictate that rare items like this special work of architectural art will command a super-premium in any market.”