Co ecticut
woma
desig s
ti y
cottage,
b i gs
th ee
ge e atio s
togethe Photo
c edit:
The
Picket
Fe ce
P ojects
via
Bussi es
I side
Whe
i te io
desig e
Caitli
Swa
spoke
to
Busi ess
I side
about
he
family’s
livi g
a a geme t,
she
desc ibed
it
as
“the
best”
a d
“a
blessi g”,
a d
it’s
easy
to
see
why.
I
Fai field,
Co ecticut,
Swa
a d
he
husba d
live
i
thei
mai
house
with
thei
th ee
child e ,
while
he
eti ed
pa e ts,
Patti
a d
Ga y
Ch istie,
ow
eside
i
a
custom
725-squa e-foot
cottage
just
a
few
steps
away
i
the
backya d.
What
bega
as
a
p actical
housi g
decisio
has
tu ed
i to
a
wa m
multige e atio al
setup
whe e
babysitti g
is
a
st oll
ac oss
the
law
a d
g a dpa e ts
a e
pa t
of
daily
life.
c oss oads
fo
Patti
a d
Ga y
2024,
Patti
a d
Ga y,
the
i
thei
mid-70s,
fou d
themselves
at
a
tu i g
poi t.
They
had
lived
i
thei
New
Je sey
family
home
fo
ove
40
yea s,
aisi g
thei
child e
the e
a d
buildi g
thei
outi es
a d
memo ies
i
that
space.
O ce
they
eti ed
a d
became
g a dpa e ts,
it
made
se se
to
sell
the
house,
but
decidi g
whe e
to
go
ext
was
fa
f om
simple.Thei
th ee
adult
child e
lived
ac oss
the
t i-state
a ea,
a d
while
they
we e
d aw
to
Fai field,
whe e
Caitli ,
42,
had
settled
with
he
family,
the
local
housi g
optio s
we e
u de whelmi g.
The
homes
they
could
affo d
we e ’t
i spi i g,
a d
the
t ade-off
betwee
cost
a d
quality
felt
“a
little
dep essi g,”
Caitli
ecalled,
as
pe
Bussi ess
I side .
It
was
clea
the
Ch isties
we e
eady
fo
somethi g
ew,
but
the
ight
solutio
had ’t
appea ed
yet.
Facebook
ad
spa ks
a
big
idea
a d
he
family
had
moved
i to
thei
Fai field
home
i
2023
a d
we e
al eady
deep
i to
e ovatio s,
wo ki g
to
t a sfo m
the
th ee-bed oom,
two-a d-a-half-bath
house
i to
a
space
that
t uly
eflected
them.
As
a
i te io
desig e ,
she
i vested
time
a d
ca e
i
eve y
detail;
a
p ocess
that
is
still
o goi g
as
the
home
expa ds
to
fou
bed ooms
a d
th ee-a d-a-half
baths.While
chatti g
with
he
pa e ts
about
thei
ext
move,
a
u expected
p ompt
popped
up:
a
Facebook
ad
fo
a
“g a y
pod”,
a
p e-fab icated
accesso y
dwelli g
u it
(ADU)
desig ed
fo
agi g
pa e ts
to
live
close
to
family.
Caitli
had
b iefly
thought
about
addi g
o to
he
existi g
home,
but
the
idea
of
a
completely
sepa ate
st uctu e
had ’t
eally
take
shape
u til
that
mome t.She
se t
the
ad
to
he
mothe
half-joki gly.
I stead
of
b ushi g
it
off,
Patti
emb aced
the
co cept.
He
espo se,
“That’s
b illia t”,
shifted
the
co ve satio
f om
hypothetical
to
possible.
Sudde ly,
a
clea
path
eme ged:
what
if
they
built
a
small
cottage
i
the
backya d
a d
t uly
lived
multige e atio ally,
but
with
each
household
mai tai i g
its
ow
p ivate
space?
the
“g a y
pod”
i to
a
custom
cottage
ext
step
was
p actical:
could
(a
accesso y
dwelli g
u it)
ADU
eve
be
built
o
thei
half-ac e
p ope ty
u de
local
zo i g
ules?
Caitli
dug
i to
Fai field’s
egulatio s
a d
was
delighted
to
fi d
that
addi g
a
seco d
st uctu e
was
allowed,
p ovided
they
ca efully
followed
code
a d
desig
co st ai ts.
With
that
hu dle
clea ed,
the
idea
quickly
evolved
f om
a
Facebook
ad
to
a
eal
p oject.Afte
thoughtful
discussio s
amo g
Caitli ,
he
husba d,
a d
he
pa e ts,
the
family
ag eed
that
buildi g
what
they
ow
lovi gly
call
thei
“ti y
cottage”
made
se se
fo
eve yo e,
as
pe
the
epo t.
Patti
a d
Ga y’s
lifestyle
was
i depe de t,
low-key,
a d
espectful
of
bou da ies.
A d
it
fit
well
with
the
idea
of
livi g
just
a
few
steps
away
f om
thei
daughte ’s
home.
Caitli
said
she
had
“ o
co ce s”
about
sha i g
a
p ope ty,
k owi g
he
pa e ts
we e ’t
ove bea i g.Because
this
would
be
the
Ch isties’
ew
p ima y
home,
they
fi a ced
the
build
themselves.
Caitli
a d
he
husba d,
mea while,
co t ibuted
thei
time,
expe tise,
a d
e e gy
athe
tha
thei
ow
fu ds.
Patti
a d
Ga y
co ti ued
livi g
i
New
Je sey
fo
most
of
the
co st uctio ,
late
stayi g
with
a
elative
du i g
the
fi al
phase.
f om
the
g ou d
up
po ch
that
acts
like
a
bo us
oomO e
of
the
most
impo ta t
featu es
i
the
desig
was
a
cove ed
po ch.
Patti
a d
Ga y
had
ado ed
the
la ge
po ch
i
thei
old
house
a d
spe t
cou tless
hou s
outside,
so
Caitli
k ew
this
eleme t
was
o – egotiable.O
the
cottage,
the
po ch
sits
alo g
the
side,
f amed
with
simple
colum s.
Though
smalle
tha
thei
p evious
outdoo
space,
it
fu ctio s
almost
like
a
ext a
oom,
pa ticula ly
i
sp i g,
summe ,
a d
fall.
I
a
compact
home,
this
outdoo
a ea
offe s
valuable
b eathi g
oom.
If
Ga y
is
watchi g
televisio
i
the
livi g
oom
ea ly
i
the
mo i g
a d
Patti
wa ts
quiet,
she
ca
simply
take
he
coffee
outside,
e joyi g
peace
a d
f esh
ai
without
leavi g
home.
spatial
pla i g
i side
725
squa e
feet
its
modest
footp i t
u de
1,000
squa e
feet,
Caitli
was
dete mi ed
that
the
cottage
would ’t
feel
like
a
si gle
ope
studio.
I stead,
she
ca ved
out
disti ct,
pu poseful
zo es
to
suppo t
he
pa e ts’
outi es.F om
the
po ch,
a
e t y
leads
i to
a
highly
efficie t
mud oom
packed
with
custom
sto age.
Wo ki g
with
c aftsma
Joh
Tu e
of
Tu e osa
Desig s,
she
c eated
cabi et y
that
hides
multiple
fu ctio s:
coat
closet,
li e
closet,
shoe
sto age,
a d
eve
a
tucked-away
washe -d ye .
A
built-i
be ch
with
hooks
above
offe s
a
place
to
sit
a d
ha g
jackets,
while
a
he i gbo e
b ick
floo
co ects
visually
to
the
b ick
i
Caitli ’s
mai
house
di i g
oom,
ei fo ci g
co ti uity
ac oss
the
p ope ty.I side,
the
mai
livi g
a ea
is
ope -co cept,
combi i g
kitche
a d
livi g
oom
u de
cathed al
ceili gs
li ed
with
shiplap.
Caitli
used
the
tall
ceili g
height
a d
ge e ous
wi dows
to
flood
the
space
with
atu al
light,
maki g
the
small
footp i t
feel
bigge ,
ai ie ,
a d
mo e
i viti g.
kitche
built
fo
a
bake
the
kitche ,
Caitli
opted
fo
a
la ge
ce t al
isla d
i stead
of
a
t aditio al
di i g
table.
The
isla d
se ves
double
duty
as
both
seati g
a d
sto age,
with
custom
taupe
cabi et y
that
matches
the
mud oom’s
fi ish
a d
keeps
the
i te io
palette
cohesive.
Shelvi g
built
i to
the
isla d
maximizes
eve y
i ch,
a d
the
Ch isties
actually
e ded
up
with
mo e
kitche
sto age
tha
they
had
i
thei
la ge
New
Je sey
home.High-e d
applia ces,
i cludi g
a
36-i ch
Sub-Ze o
ef ige ato
a d
a
30-i ch
Wolf
a ge,
suppo t
Patti’s
passio
fo
baki g.
This
kitche
is
he
favou ite
oom
i
the
cottage;
the
flow,
sto age,
a d
tools
a e
tailo ed
to
how
she
cooks
a d
bakes,
tu i g
the
space
i to
a
t ue
culi a y
hub.
Fo
gathe i gs,
while
seati g
six
at
a
fo mal
table
is ’t
ealistic
i
the
cottage,
the
family
simply
uses
Caitli ’s
di i g
oom
i
the
mai
house
whe eve
they
wa t
a
la ge
sit-dow
meal,
as
pe
the
epo t.
livi g
oom
a d
pe so al
touches
kitche
ope s
i to
a
livi g
oom
that
co ti ues
the
high
ceili gs,
givi g
the
compact
space
ge e ous
volume.
A
sto e
fi eplace,
built
f om
Co ecticut
fieldsto e
with
a
i te tio ally
ove -mo ta ed
fi ish,
a cho s
the
oom
a d
is
desig ed
to
look
like
it
has
always
bee
the e.
Built-i
bookshelves
fla k
the
fi eplace,
offe i g
sto age
a d
display
space
fo
books
a d
t easu ed
items.Wi dows
li e
the
fa
wall,
pulli g
i
eve
mo e
atu al
light
a d
co ecti g
the
i te io s
to
the
su ou di g
p ope ty.
Fo
the
i te io
style,
Caitli
aimed
to
ble d
he
p ofessio al
desig
se sibilities
with
he
pa e ts’
taste.
She
desc ibes
the
fi al
look
as
“thei
style,
but
my
twist
o
it.”
O ce
thei
a t
a d
familia
pieces
f om
thei
old
home
we e
moved
i ,
the
cottage
i sta tly
felt
like
Patti
a d
Ga y
—
just
eimagi ed
i
a
f esh
space.
si gle-level
home
eady
fo
agi g
i
place
cottage
has
o e
bed oom,
sized
comfo tably
fo
a
quee
bed
with
ightsta ds
o
eithe
side,
a d
wi dows
that
ove look
the
backya d.
I stead
of
a
typical
closet,
Caitli
agai
chose
built-i
cabi et y
to
maximize
sto age
a d
keep
the
oom
feeli g
ope .
Ha dwood
floo s
exte d
i to
the
bath oom,
a d
c ucially,
the
e ti e
home
is
o
a
si gle
level
with
o
i te io
stai s.With
he
pa e ts’
futu e
eeds
i
mi d,
Caitli
left
oom
to
add
featu es
like
aili gs
o
a
amp
outside
if
mobility
becomes
a
issue.
This
makes
the
cottage
a
adaptable
setti g
fo
agi g
i
place,
combi i g
safety
a d
comfo t
with
p oximity
to
family.
i to
cottage
life
a d
multige e atio al
outi e
a d
Ga y
moved
i to
thei
backya d
cottage
i
Novembe
2025,
just
weeks
befo e
Tha ksgivi g.
The
i itial
feeli g
was
o e
of
elief:
afte
the
t a sitio s
of
selli g
thei
lo gtime
home
a d
livi g
tempo a ily
i
diffe e t
places,
they
fi ally
had
a
ew
space
that
was
both
thei s
a d
closely
co ected
to
family.
A d
ove
the
mo ths,
the
cottage
has
become
home.Fo
Caitli ,
the
emotio al
payoff
of
the
p oject
is
e o mous.
She
sees
he
pa e ts
daily:
mo i g
walks
o
the
beach
with
he
mom,
sha ed
meals,
casual
d op-i s,
a d
spo ta eous
mome ts
with
the
g a dchild e .
The
Ch isties
ca
easily
step
ove
to
babysit,
offe i g
vital
suppo t
as
Caitli ’s
husba d
commutes
i to
Ma hatta
a d
leaves
home
befo e
su ise.Afte
spe di g
about
15
yea s
livi g
two
hou s
away
f om
he
pa e ts,
havi g
them
“20
steps
away”
feels
p ofou d.
I
he
wo ds,
the
eve yday
i te actio s
a d
the
cha ce
fo
he
kids
to
g ow
up
with
thei
g a dpa e ts
so
close
is
“such
a
blessi g.”
The
backya d
cottage
is
mo e
tha
a
cleve
housi g
solutio ;
it’s
a
thoughtfully
desig ed
space
that
keeps
th ee
ge e atio s
co ected,
while
still
ho ou i g
each
household’s
i depe de ce.
