BuildX · ADU Projects · Kingston, Massachusetts
A 515 Square Foot Kingston ADU, Built for Margaret
A real accessory dwelling unit BuildX designed and built on the Vanderels family's Kingston property: one bedroom, one bath, a vaulted ceiling close to eleven feet, full-size appliances, and an X2 plan trimmed two feet each way to fit the lot.
“You don't have to compromise even though it's a smaller house. This is everything that you need.”
Buz Artiano, on the final open house tourThe Full Story“We couldn’t be happier with our experience with BuildX. Before finding them, we spoke with a couple of other companies, but it quickly became clear that BuildX was in a completely different league.
From the first meeting, the process was clear, organized, and genuinely stress-free.
The team worked closely with us to customize every detail so the ADU matched our existing home perfectly.
The finished result looks like it has always been part of the property — from the exterior design to the landscaping and fencing, everything blends seamlessly.
They completed the project in under 100 days, and the quality of the work is outstanding.
We absolutely love how it turned out and couldn’t recommend BuildX more highly to anyone considering an ADU.”
Why did the Vanderels family build an ADU in Kingston?
The house was custom built for Margaret, on a Kingston lot that could not take a full-size plan. BuildX started from the X2, its smallest floor plan, and trimmed it two feet narrower and two feet shorter to fit. The result is 515 square feet of gross floor area, one bedroom and one bath, on a crawl space, built to sit beside the main house as if it had always been there.
How was it matched to the existing house?
The architecture was matched deliberately: overhangs on the trim, built-out rakes, PVC moldings, and siding in a custom color chosen to blend with the main house. The plan called for a second little farmer's porch, but it did not look right on the drawing, so it became a covered A-frame entry that ties into the porch on the main house instead. Buz's note on the finished house is that it looks like it was always here.
How does a 515 square foot ADU fit a full kitchen?
By refusing the compact appliance route. The kitchen has a full-size 30 inch refrigerator with an ice maker, a full-size 24 inch dishwasher beside a sink twelve inches deep, a 24 inch induction cooktop that stays cool to the touch, a stainless backsplash, and a 24 inch microwave above that doubles as a convection oven. A counter overhang seats two or three without crowding the room.
“A lot of kitchen for a small house.”
Buz Artiano, mid-build walkthroughThe laundry is a full-size 27 inch LG laundry center, one unit with the controls in the middle where you can reach them, tucked behind a partition wall in the bedroom with its own vent to the outside. The water heater sits in the corner beside it.
What is the bathroom like?
Big, for the size of the house. A five foot walk-in shower with a handheld spray and a wall spray, a large vanity with room to maneuver, and a pocket door for privacy so nothing swings into the room. The bathroom floor is heated. The primary bedroom takes a queen under the window with the headboard against the wall, and off it there is a walk-in closet, which Buz points out is not something anyone expects to find in a 515 square foot house.
How is the house heated, cooled and built underneath?
Heating and cooling come from an LG wall-mounted two-head heat pump rated to work down to fifteen below zero, with the lines piped in and tested before the plaster went on so the finished wall shows nothing. An energy recovery ventilator handles fresh air. The electrical service is 200 amps, which Buz calls overkill on purpose, so nobody ever runs out of power.
The house sits on a crawl space with a concrete floor. The Board of Health required the concrete because of the distance from the crawl space to the leaching field under Title V, and BuildX insulated over it with three-pound closed-cell foam on the floor and up the walls.
Does 515 square feet feel small?
Buz's answer on the last night of the open house was that it is a little on the small side and it is not a small house. The ceiling does that. It is vaulted to about ten foot nine, the whole main room is open, and the couch, the TV wall, the breakfast bar and the kitchen all share the height. Visitors walked in during the open house weeks expecting cramped and left talking about the ceiling.
Can a small lot take an ADU?
Yes, and this is the build that proves it. The plan was shrunk to fit, the septic and crawl space were engineered around the Board of Health's requirements, and the finished house gives up nothing a full-size ADU has except square footage. If your lot is the reason you have not asked, bring the lot to the first call. The X2 exists for it.
More from the family
Thinking about an ADU in Kingston?
This home went from first shovel to finished in the town where you are thinking of building yours. Start with Kingston ADU rules, costs and permits, then see what an ADU really costs in Massachusetts.
Read the full Vanderels family story for the long-form version, in the family's own words.
Every project starts the way this one did: a conversation about what you actually need. No pressure, either way.
Meet the builder
Buz Artiano
"My name is Buz Artiano, owner of BuildX. At BuildX we're more than a home builder. While building is what we do, the relationships that are created in the process are what drives our passion to transform your dream into a reality. That is why we strive to give a first-class experience to our clients by listening to their vision and then building their trust with a custom home design that matches their taste and lifestyle."