Brookman ADU

The 626 Brookman ADU project started with a client who wanted to add a meaningful living space to her property and create more affordable housing for her community. While the property had enough physical space for a detached ADU, the path to approval was much more complicated than it first appeared. DSC was brought in to guide both the design and build process, helping the client work through code requirements, site constraints, design revisions, and budget adjustments to find a path forward.

One of the biggest challenges was the existing detached garage. It had been built in the early 1950s on the property line, which meant it could not realistically be modified without triggering setback issues. Removing that structure made the most sense, but doing so created a new problem: the project still had to satisfy Boise’s off-street parking requirements for an ADU. At the same time, the size of the existing primary residence created another major limitation. Because Boise code limited a detached ADU to 900 square feet or 70 percent of the size of the primary residence, whichever was less, the client’s 800-square-foot home only allowed for a 560-square-foot ADU. That was far short of what was needed to make the project functional.

DSC and the client worked through multiple design rounds trying to solve these issues. Different approaches were explored, including revisions to the ADU layout, attempts to reduce the program to fit within the smaller detached size limit, and alternate configurations intended to satisfy the code requirements. Each option helped clarify the path, but none fully solved the problem on its own. This project required persistence, careful reading of the municipal code, and ongoing communication with the City of Boise Planning Department.

The breakthrough came when DSC identified a better strategy: add an attached garage to the primary residence in a way that would satisfy off-street parking needs while also increasing the square footage of the main home. DSC brought that interpretation forward to the City and worked directly through the approval process until the approach was confirmed. That single decision changed the project. It allowed the client to move forward with a design that met her full needs list rather than settling for an undersized compromise.

As the design evolved, the budget also had to be revisited. The revised solution increased the scope beyond the original early ballpark, so DSC worked through value-engineering adjustments to keep the project aligned as closely as possible with the client’s comfort range while still preserving the features that mattered most. In the end, the