Downtown Columbus, Ohio
Skyline Carriage House
A three-story carriage house on a downtown Columbus alley, with a garage at grade and two floors of living space turned toward the city skyline.
The project
The Skyline Carriage House adds a complete second residence to an alley-accessed lot in downtown Columbus. The design stacks the program vertically: a garage at the alley, an open living floor above, and bedrooms at the top, with balconies aimed at the skyline.
A garage at the alley, a home above
The lot is reached from the alley, so the building starts there. The ground floor is a garage sized for roughly two and a half cars. Parking is handled at the alley, and the new home begins one level up.
The challenge was to fit a full home behind the primary house without crowding it or giving up parking. Building up instead of out keeps the footprint small. The original home keeps its place and its presence on the street. The carriage house reads as its own building from the alley, with vaulted rooflines that give it a distinct profile in an established neighborhood.
The alley holds a whole residence.
The main house stays the house on the street.
An open living floor facing the skyline
The second floor holds kitchen, dining and living in one open plan. The rooms used most through the day get the best outlook, with a balcony facing the Columbus skyline.
Putting the shared rooms on this level, rather than at the top, keeps daily life one flight from the garage while still lifting it above the alley.
Two bedrooms under vaulted ceilings
The third floor holds the primary suite and a second bedroom. Vaulted ceilings, oversized closets, heated bathroom floors and a second balcony make this level the top of a complete home, not spare rooms over a garage.
The full program comes to nearly 1,700 square feet of living space on a compact footprint, with two bedrooms, two and a half baths, and private outdoor space on both living levels. It is planned as a full-time residence, and the details are chosen to support that.
Carriage houses and ADUs in Columbus
This carriage house is one example of a building type Arcfluence has worked on from both sides: design and policy. The firm's principals presented on accessory dwelling units at the AIA Ohio conference, and Arcfluence reviewed the City's draft ADU legislation before Columbus City Council passed it in November 2025.
That background shapes how a carriage house is planned. Height, footprint, access and the relationship to the main house are tested early, while the site and the code can still guide the design instead of correcting it later.