This ADU is loaded with extraordinary features including solar energy, an incredible storage loft, an accessible bathroom, and luxurious finishes.

Erin’s new attached ADU can be used as a guest suite, additional space for the homeowner, a home for family, or a rental unit. This kind of ADU rents for $2,500 or more per month, which will be enough to pay for the project and additional expenses such as helping with the mortgage on the main home, travel, education, leisure activities, or retirement.

When California passed AB 68, among other groundbreaking legislation related to ADUs, we were thrilled. The new laws gave California homeowners more rights related to adding ADUs to their property, including the right to add two accessory dwellings. So for most homeowners, the answer is yes, you can add two ADUs. Here’s a look at some plans for adding two ADUs developed for a client in Berkeley.

The homeowners’ New Avenue design professional created a home with one bedroom, a bathroom, a washer/dryer, a kitchen, and a living area with bamboo flooring. The family will be able to bring in around $3,000 per month in rental income. The ADU will pay for itself in no time, and they can also use the income to pay for the mortgage on the main home, education, travel, or anything else they may need.

New Avenue assessed the property to help the homeowners determine the best course of action. We found that the old ADU was built in 1932, at the same time as the main home. Structural damage, a weak foundation, and asbestos made the original cottage unsuitable as a home.

The family opted to build a new ADU. New Avenue’s experienced design professional created an accessory dwelling that fit beautifully on the property.

Many people replace their detached garages with ADUs, scrapping the garage entirely. Others say, “Why not both?” and add an ADU over their garage. For this project in Berkeley, the homeowners contacted New Avenue to create an entirely new two-car garage with an apartment over it. Here's the design.

A nice one-bedroom home with a study like this will pay for itself in rental income. In San Jose, this rental home would bring in $3500 or more in rent. That’s enough to make mortgage payments on both the ADU and the main home.

The home includes two bedrooms, a kitchen, a full bathroom, a washer/dryer, a living room, an attic, and plenty of storage space. A sun tunnel and plenty of windows provide natural light, making the home feel spacious and energizing.

New Avenue Architect Randolph Ruiz designed this beautiful ADU for a client in Berkeley. Living in a 70-year-old house, the homeowners decided to add an accessory dwelling that they could use for their parents, for their children, or as a rental. Another option was for the homeowners to move in themselves, allowing their family members to use the main home.

At New Avenue, our design teams are constantly looking for design inspiration so we can provide our clients with beautiful spaces that include the best design features, latest trends, beautiful materials, and respond to contemporary lifestyles.

The owner of a multi-family home in Berkeley came to New Avenue for a major remodel of a two-bedroom, two-bath rental unit. While parts of the unit were salvageable (e.g., the beautiful redwood and a few of the walls), this unit was almost entirely rebuilt. It needed a new foundation and major work in all areas.

The main art studio area is equipped with floor-mounted electrical outlets and receives tons of natural light through the unit’s clerestory windows and NanaWall, which easily folds back to open the entire front wall. The homeowners can enjoy the light and fresh air when the wall is open and will be protected from the elements when it’s closed.

When a couple in Berkeley, CA, looked at the shed in their backyard, they saw its potential to help them with their mortgage. They knew they could replace the shed with something better: an accessory dwelling that they could rent out, bringing in $3,000 or more in rental income—enough to pay for the new ADU and the mortgage on their main home. They also wanted a backyard home they could use for themselves or family as needed.

Most people choose to build a full ADU. Sometimes, though, a homeowner wants an accessory structure without a kitchen or an ADU with just a small kitchen facility. That was the case with one homeowner in Kentfield, CA, who asked us to create a detached gym with a bathroom and room for a bed.