This 610 sq. ft. small house in Oakland, California is a guest post by John Olmsted of New Avenue Homes
Mona teamed up with her daughter Lisa, son in law Aaron and two grandkids to create this backyard casita near the famous Berkeley Gourmet Ghetto. Nicknamed Chez Mona due to it’s proximity to Chez Panisse, it is walking distance to an abundance of coffee shops, grocery stores, restaurants and all the best that Berkeley has to offer.
The biggest surprise of the entire project came when both Mona moved out of her big home at the top of Euclid in Berkeley and Lisa and her family moved from their home in the Kensington hills and they all realized that while they loved their Golden Gate Bridge views, they had been missing out on the luxury of walking to Philz Coffee and sitting at a cafe together on their way to work. The lack of shuttling kids to every activity was another big plus of being “downtown”.
This 610 square foot backyard home with completely level surfaces throughout. This includes a flush mounted shower. The home has radiant floor heat, a whole house fan, spray foam insulation in the roof, tile throughout. The design was tucked in behind a fairly large apartment building to the south but fortunately, both morning and afternoon sun shines in the bedroom and living room windows.
610 Sq. Ft. Small House in California

Images © New Avenue Homes





Images © New Avenue Homes
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Alex
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ANOTHER FANTASTIC PLACE FULL OF LIFE. I LOVE THE DECORATIONS ON THE WALL. THIS IS REALLY SOMETHING!!! KEEP THEM COMING ALEX, AND ONCE AGAIN THANKS FOR YOUR EFFORT AND COOPERATION ON THE PHOTOGRAPHS!!!
Stunning! And I adore the butterfly motif! Thanks for all the interior shots, Alex! 😉
The floor plan shown is not the same as the pictures and it’s not just the furniture arrangement. Would like to see a plan that matches the pictures or vice versa.
I agree with Gene Lueg.
Agree with the lay out and the photos not meshing. It feels like an awkward space to me.
Love the floor plan but not the decor. The delicate Butterflies over the heavy leather chairs are way bottom heavy.
Not a fan of the bedroom photo either. Why show the box spring with the tuck-up?
the one thing u left out was how much the house costs to built. I know it might depend on where u live but n california it will cost a lot of money for so little a space. I watch a lot of Tiny House on hgtv and they don’t always say how much their house’s cost but usually the houses r not n California so price isn’t so much the big deal as it is n cali.
If the room on the left of the plan is bedroom #2 the plan seems awkward to me. Having to cross the full living space to reach the bathroom is not good if you are ill. Otherwise it seems like a decent plan. Decor is optional.
Yes I too would like to know the cost since it IS California! And within walking distance of what they need? $$$$