ADU Consulting

John Coveney brings a fresh and experienced eye to exploring the feasibility of developing Accessory Dwelling Units. New construction in particular is an expensive and complicated process. Once completed, recovering costs by renting the unit, in effect having to become a brand new landlord, is another challenging aspect to financial feasibility. Creating new housing in such immediate proximity to your own residence should be carefully thought through. The challenges of building an ADU should be outweighed by the benefits, so he is here to encourage the thoughtful expansion of housing. ADUs open up a whole new set of opportunities for people to manifest their own version of intentional community.

As well as being a consultant for the development of ADUs, John is also a shared housing advocate. He believes that housing is a human right, and being able to choose with whom and how people live together, especially as family circumstances change, is hampered by many current laws. He bravely hopes to help develop a frank public conversation about missed new housing opportunities, in particular ways that with much less construction costs and well founded reluctance, existing houses can be adapted for more people to have a home.

John is pleased to be a member of the Casita Coalition and looks forward to its Build the Middle National Housing Convening conference to connect with others to advance their mission

His own ADU development has provided to be quite the ongoing education. While he is pleased that changes in California state and local regulations have made things easier, it is still by no means an easy process to build an ADU.

Even once past the gauntlet of planning and building permit review the rules do not stop. The ins and outs of renting out of a property that an owner has just substantially invested in is something that should be much more fully understood before fully delving into becoming a developer of your own ADU project. As an example, exemption of ADUs from “just cause eviction” controls is limited and subject to changes by the legislature. Visions of your chosen family members being able to live in your new dwelling at a later date could require five figure tenant relocation fees or “cash for keys” settlements that could be even more expensive. What it means to become a “housing provider”, an alternate term for landlord, John finds to be an important neglected educational component in the promotion of ADUs.

Options Are Many

With his career primarily in residential remodeling, ADUs should also be remembered to be a way that an existing home can be sensibly adapted. Better utilizing an already built house, or garage when appropriate, is another avenue to creating a new separate living unit. While new construction is attractive, older homes would do well to have upgrades so that our existing housing stock remains safe and enduring.

New Opportunities

A major step forward in making the purchase of a “starter home” more affordable is the ability to convert an ADU into a condominium in more and more jurisdictions. This turns out to be something quite complicated- a condominium Home Owners Association (HOA) Agreement, even if just two units, establishes in effect the constitution of how the owners are going to share the land upon which their two homes are located. Can one or both of the units be rented? Will there be shared yardspaces? What degree of privacy, or spaces to interact are going to be wanted? This just begins to list the implications of developing an ADU, whether it is owner occupied or rented, how twice as many (or more) family units on the same lot can live in harmony.

Construction Consulting

With a career primarily in residential work, and most recently a from the ground up building of a detached 976 square foot two story Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) for his own family’s needs, John draws upon his extensive expertise to fill a need for honest and informed advice, helping clients make smart and informed choices about their projects. He would like you to see the cost of his services as not so much being an expense as an investment in how to develop smartly, to avoid expensive mistakes, to be realistic about the timeline, and the challenges even after construction is completed and an Occupancy Certificate has been issued.

Past clients have used John to advise on a variety of issues. He knows how to help clients develop design concepts, including when an architect’s services are recommended. As an owner agent he can help with permit acquisition, choosing a general or sub contractors, inspection of work in progress- or completed to make sure it was done right. One client in particular was very grateful for John’s ability to bring a way overdue project to completion- setting firm weekly goals for the contractor, sorting out the change orders and payment schedule, and bringing a positive and constructive energy to what had been a contentious process with the previous construction consultant.

John also enjoys assisting with smaller home improvement projects, helping DIYers sort out what they can, and should not, take on themselves, as well as creative art projects. While has shifted to providing expertise, he may still be available for some projects. He hasn’t sold his truck and tools and looks forward to many more years of making cool things happen.

John Coveney is a resident of Berkeley, married, a father, and is determined to remain hopeful about the world we can create.