Construction Diary: How a Tucson Couple Built a $100K ADU—and How You Can, Too

In the summer of 2023, Logan Havens and Gustavo Silva restored a historic adobe in Tucson’s Barrio Kroeger Lane neighborhood. They learned by doing, developing an understanding of the structure and its materials, and how to update the modest home to meet their needs. But before the couple even finished the remodel, they were already plotting their next project. When the City of Tucson introduced a competition for an ADU model plan library, Gustavo, a designer, and Logan, a photographer, developed a design that adapts the adobe vernacular of the Sonoran Desert. Then, at the rear of their plant-filled lot, they built an example where Logan’s niece, an undergraduate at the University of Arizona, is currently living.