
Posts Tagged ‘small buildings’
The Walls Have Arrived
Posted in Design Projects, tagged Berkeley, green building, small buildings, Straw Bale on January 8, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Snapshots of a favorite recent project
Posted in Design Projects, tagged ADU, Berkeley, carved post, cottage, painted beam, small buildings on January 6, 2021| Leave a Comment »
We converted the front house from a duplex to single family, then added an ADU at the back. So many fun details on this project I don’t know where to start.
First, Here is the new ADU. The landscape work is underway, so stay tuned. Note the castle post from previous blogposts.



Here are three of the kitchen




North Berkeley ADU Snapshots
Posted in Design Projects, tagged accessory dwelling unit, ADU, Berkeley, cabinets, dining nook, drain rack, fir, kitchen, small buildings on December 8, 2020| Leave a Comment »
The builder (McBride Construction) is working his way through the punch list. We are both proud of how this rental cottage is turning out. Here are a couple of his snapshots:
The first one is the kitchen with built-in dish drying rack over the drainboard and apple-ply cabinets. The second is the little dining nook with storage benches and salvaged fir built-in table.
A Simple ADU to Replace a Garage
Posted in Design Projects, tagged accessory dwelling unit, ADU, Berkeley, construction process, fibercement, green building, rainscreen, simple, small buildings on November 18, 2020| Leave a Comment »
I’ll post more about this one soon…with some interior shots. This will house the homeowners while they remodel the main house, then it will be an art studio and guest quarters. Someday it will probably house renters. It exceeds all the green building and energy efficiency codes. Construction by McBride Construction.


Meeting with the Landscape Architect
Posted in Design Projects, tagged ADU, Berkeley, garden, landscape, Martina Ladova, process, small buildings on November 16, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Rafters!
Posted in Design Projects, tagged accessory dwelling unit, ADU, Berkeley, process, roof framing, small buildings, Strawbale, wood on November 12, 2020| 1 Comment »
Painted Beam With Piranhas & Diamond Post Detail
Posted in Design Projects, tagged Berkeley, color, decoration, details, interiors, paint, painted beam, patterns, small buildings, whimsy on September 26, 2020| 1 Comment »
Foundation for a StrawBale ADU underway in Berkeley
Posted in Design Projects, tagged Berkeley, concrete, green, process, small buildings, Strawbale on September 24, 2020| Leave a Comment »
More On Our Castle Post
Posted in Design Projects, tagged Berkeley, carving, castle, cedar, construction process, curiosities, details, fun, historical styles, McBride Construction, modern, patterns, process, small buildings, whimsy, wood, zig zag on September 10, 2019| 1 Comment »
Backyard Cottage Taking Shape in North Berkeley
Posted in Design Projects, tagged accessory dwelling unit, ADU, Berkeley, cottage, framing, McBride Construction, process, small buildings on July 29, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Saturday Morning Design Meeting
Nice Garage
Posted in Design Projects, tagged Berkeley, framing, process, roof framing, small buildings, utilitarian, vaulted ceiling, wood on September 13, 2018| Leave a Comment »
Contemplating the ridge beam
Garage from down the driveway
Rafters in and half the T@G 2×6 sheathing
Art Deco Stucco Details and a Clever Floor Plan Rearrangement (If I say so myself)
Posted in Design Projects, tagged Art Deco, Berkeley, details, historical styles, indoor-outdoor, integral color stucco, parlor, small buildings, small house, small spaces, stucco, value, windows on October 30, 2017| Leave a Comment »
This very small house in South Berkeley just sold. I remodelled it and added a small additon back in 2012. The realtor, ABIO Properties, and photographer Peter Lyons generously shared their photos with me.
I was very proud of the solution I came up with on a very tight budget to add a second bedroom in existing space and a big living room at the back This way the bedrooms both were close to the bathroom and the living area at the back got a great connection to the garden.
Berkeley Craftsman managed to skillfully execute the design within the budget.

OLD FLOOR PLAN

NEW FLOOR PLAN
I didn’t invent this stucco window detail. I copied it from a few 1920s houses in Berkeley, but I was quite pleased with its enhancement of what was a very plain front façade. The window sill is clear cedar stained dark.
We did something similar at the back around the 8′ wide glass doors One simple detail goes a long way on a small house
You can see more shots and the interior on Zillow.