Completed Carpinteria ADU with white birch kitchen and polished concrete floors

Case study · Carpinteria · 2023

Garage-to-ADU conversion.

A garage turned into a bright, vaulted living space, keeping the parts of the original structure worth keeping.

Project facts

Location: Carpinteria, CA
Completed: 2023, finished by Christmas
Project type: Garage-to-ADU conversion
Construction time: 3 months
Insulation: Icynene spray foam at the rafters, R-38
Our role: General contractor

The project

The owners wanted their garage converted into an accessory dwelling unit. Rather than tear the structure down to the slab, we kept what worked: the existing roof, the garage ridge beam and the garage door beam all stayed and became part of the new unit, giving the ADU vaulted ceilings and avoiding the cost of rebuilding what was already sound.

The challenges

Plumbing under an existing slab. The existing slab had to be cut to run the new sewer lines.
A sloped garage floor. New concrete was poured over the existing slab to level the floor.
Living-space comfort under a garage roof. With the existing roof staying in place, the rafters had to be insulated to living-space standards.
Blending in. The new exterior stucco had to match the existing stucco.

How we handled it

Keep what works, rebuild what doesn't.

Structure and slab

We demolished the interior drywall and existing flooring, cut the slab for the new sewer lines and poured new concrete over the old slab to level it. The garage door beam was reused as part of the new wall, and the ridge beam stayed for its look and the vaulted ceilings.

Envelope and utilities

Icynene spray foam at the rafters brought the roof to R-38 without replacing it. New stucco was matched to the existing, the existing roof remained, and the electrical panel and water line were upgraded.

Finishes

White birch cabinets, quartz countertops, polished concrete floors, a pocket door and a tile floor in the bathroom.

Project photos

From garage to vaulted living space.

A vaulted, well-insulated ADU with polished concrete floors and a white birch kitchen, built inside the old garage in three months and finished by Christmas.