Shivani Bhalla

Neilson ADU, Berkeley, CA, USA

ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT | GARAGE CONVERSION

“The Bay Area faces no challenge more vexing or vast than the need to create hundreds of thousands of new housing units, at all price levels, in ways that don’t undermine the cultural and environmental traits that make this region so desirable.” - The San Francisco Chronicle

Accessory dwelling units are a great solution to add more value to an existing property and create more housing for the area. The new California ADU laws of 2020 greatly support this concept.

This design project proposes the conversion of an existing unused garage (located in the rear yard of the existing home) into a one bedroom accessory dwelling unit. The key feature of the project is the extension of the original footprint of the garage to create a self sufficient living space. The reuse proposal adds high performance building systems  to make the project comply with Title24  for the Building permit. 

This project helped me get more familiar with the Entitlement process for residential projects in Berkeley. I was a key member of the design team from the concept stage and worked closely with the clients to create their vision into a livable space. The project is due to receive its permit shortly and construction is planned for summer 2020.  

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All photos and drawings are © Todd Jersey Architecture Inc.