1908 Tenth Street, Berkeley, CA, 94710

Conserve Energy - The Planet’s and Your Own With An Eco Friendly Home In Berkeley

Have you ever dreamed of modernizing a Berkeley bungalow in a great neighborhood famously known for its art, food and culture? Can you imagine building the bungalow into the dream home that grows to meet all your needs? It’s Berkeley, so you would probably want it to lean eco-friendly, too.  Sounds great, right? But who has the energy to take on such an undertaking? Welcome to your opportunity to skip to the finish line, claiming the single family, duplex, home + ADU, live/work Berkeley home of your dreams. All the heavy lifting (literally) has been done and others will envy your “green” because the rebuild on this bungalow was led by a Certified Green Building Professional and LEED Green Associate with comfort, a healthy indoor environment and beautiful light as driving factors. The original house was a charming three bedroom, two bath home built in 1910.  It featured Victorian influences such as bay windows and high ceilings. This house was the perfect candidate for lifting and adding additional rooms while replacing and updating all house systems, including entirely new electric, plumbing, high efficiency radiant heat, new windows, air sealing, insulation and more.

At the Starting Gate

Phase one of the project included lifting the original structure and pouring new foundations including 17” of concrete slab (12” structural and 5” insulated topping slab with radiant heat). The downstairs rooms were framed out, interior and exterior stairs added, and two full bathrooms added.  It now has five bedrooms, with three other bedroom sized plus spaces, and three-and-a-half baths.

A Journey not a Destination

This home was built for a marathon and given comfort for the journey. In phase two, the original kitchen and master bedroom were demolished to create the open plan kitchen and living area that are more suited to today’s needs. All the windows were replaced with new energy efficient windows. The original siding had no air barrier or insulation, so the entire upstairs received new siding (insulation in studs, as well as continuous wrap, air and vapor barriers and drain plane behind the cement board siding). After adding structural bracing of the roof to support future solar panels, deep blown-in insulation was added, which made the house much cooler on warm days and comfortable year round. A new deck was added, along with new patios and fences.

The Finish Line (Here’s where you take the baton and claim the glory)

As beautiful as it is in its current configuration, the original permits were pulled with the intention of combining the two front rooms upstairs into a Master Suite with adjoining bathroom. A drain connection was added to facilitate the potential future move of a toilet, (much as the electric and plumbing were prepared to accommodate a potential future separate in-law unit downstairs, and roof framing added for future solar). This plan can still be completed, if this suits your vision.  You can also complete the project as a duplex, adding a lower ADU, or making it a beautiful live/work space. It’s not just a great space in a vibrant Berkeley location, it also has the potential to specifically fit your exact needs.