Steve, a homeowner in Berkeley, wanted to add more space to his one-bedroom, one-bathroom home. He hired New Avenue to design and build a second story with an additional bedroom and an additional bathroom. Here are the plans and costs.

At $1,500 a year, the tax increase on this project breaks down to $125 per month. The homeowner easily recoups that with the savings on housing costs. The owner’s mother would have to pay $2,000 per month for a one-bedroom home of her own. If the family rents the unit out, they’ll bring in at least $2,000 per month in rent.

From backyard cottages to ADUs and additions, New Avenue has some exciting projects in the works.

Property taxes usually increase by an amount equal to one-half of one percent of the total cost of the project. The main home is not reassessed with the addition of the ADU. Here’s what that means for this Oakland ADU.

A homeowner in Mountain View asked New Avenue to create a 640-square-foot accessory dwelling that would serve as a comfortable home for a family member. Here’s what the project cost.

Adding an accessory dwelling was a smart move for this Oakland homeowner, who plans to rent the property out. Here’s how much the annual property tax will go up.

A one-bedroom accessory dwelling like this one costs around $400,000 including design, permitting, all site work/engineering, and construction. When adding a “granny flat” or accessory dwelling of this size in Santa Cruz, you’ll a tax increase equal to about one-half of one percent of the full cost of the project. Here’s what that means for this property in Santa Cruz.

These Oakland homeowners wanted to build a detached office/studio that could also be used as a guest room. They also wanted to remodel part of the main home. The existing office would become a bedroom, and the existing half bath/laundry would be upgraded to include a shower. One of their requirements: preserve the property’s beautiful trees and tea house. Here’s the design.

The basement, which was entirely for storage, makes the perfect place to add an accessory dwelling unit. With a living/dining area, kitchen, bathroom, and patio, this will be a great home for a single person, a couple, or a pair of roommates. Plus, the homeowners don’t have to give up all of their storage. A storage room accessible from the main home is included in the plan.

With the incredible strain on California’s housing, home buyers have two key concerns: How they can afford comfortable homes in nice places? and How they can help others (parents, grandparents, adult children, even strangers) with housing…