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610 Sq. Ft. Small House in California by New Avenue Homes


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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

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Images © New Avenue Homes

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Images © New Avenue Homes

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Alex

Alex is a contributor and editor for TinyHouseTalk.com and the always free Tiny House Newsletter. He has a passion for exploring and sharing tiny homes (from yurts and RVs to tiny cabins and cottages) and inspiring simple living stories. We invite you to send in your story and tiny home photos too so we can re-share and inspire others towards a simple life too. Thank you!
{ 11 comments… add one }
  • Otessa Regina Compton
    December 10, 2014, 3:47 pm

    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!!!

  • Cahow
    December 10, 2014, 6:29 pm

    Stunning! And I adore the butterfly motif! Thanks for all the interior shots, Alex! 😉

  • Gene Lueg
    December 11, 2014, 1:15 am

    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.

    • Laura
      October 9, 2024, 11:52 am

      I noticed the same thing

      • James D.
        October 10, 2024, 7:04 pm

        The floor plan actually does represent the structure. It’s just something to understand that more than just the placement of the furniture is actually up to the builder/owner.

        Floor plans are often created to start a project but they are really just a starting point. Many variables can come into play during the actual construction.

        For example, few people can accurately envision the final home from just the 2D floor plan drawing. So, opinions can change drastically once they see the actual structure being built and realize what details should stay the same and what should change.

        Location also plays a role as climate, layout of the property, etc. can require changes, like changing where the entrance is placed, changing the closet to a window and moving the couch over to better take in the view and natural light, etc.

        So it’s pretty common to see changes from the floor plan for most houses, especially custom projects.

        It’s mainly mass produced homes and the occasional project where no changes are required that you’d see the floor plans match up to the final build. Though, even then, the floor plan can be a more simplified view of the structure and missing some details of the final build.

  • Mariano
    December 11, 2014, 6:04 am

    I agree with Gene Lueg.

  • Kelly Libert
    April 22, 2015, 7:28 pm

    Agree with the lay out and the photos not meshing. It feels like an awkward space to me.

  • April 22, 2015, 11:36 pm

    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?

  • vickie medrano
    April 23, 2015, 7:41 pm

    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.

  • Sherry in Alaska
    April 24, 2015, 5:27 am

    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.

  • Susanne
    April 26, 2015, 6:44 pm

    Yes I too would like to know the cost since it IS California! And within walking distance of what they need? $$$$

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