ADU Before & After Gallery in San Bernardino | Ellery ADU Studio San Bernardino

ADU Before & After in San Bernardino, CA

We’ve completed 900+ ADU projects since 2015, and every one started with a problem: a garage full of storage nobody touched in years, a backyard doing nothing but growing weeds, a grown child sleeping on a couch because San Bernardino rents priced them out. These before-and-after stories show what a single contract, one written price, and a crew that documents every visit actually produces.

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Recent Transformations

Garage Conversion ADU: From Storage Graveyard to 420-Square-Foot Rental in Del Rosa

Before: Detached garage in Del Rosa with non-functional door and interior packed with storage — Before: 2-car garage, no insulation, slab cracked at the corner, electrical fed from a single 15-amp extension cord run from the main house.

After: Finished studio ADU with separate entrance, new windows, and climate control — After: Studio ADU with kitchenette, 3/4 bath, mini-split HVAC, and dedicated 100-amp subpanel. Permitted as JADU due to owner-occupancy requirement; now rents at market rate to a CSUSB graduate student.

The homeowner bought the Del Rosa property in 2019 intending to “fix up the garage someday.” By 2023, the slab had settled 2 inches at the northwest corner, and the roof structure showed water staining from a failed valley flashing. We pulled the permit set, specified a stem-wall foundation repair with epoxy injection, and matched the existing home’s sand-finish stucco. Under Haven Standard Clause 1, the written price was $87,500 before we touched a tool. The photo record from day one shows the crack progression, the rebar we added, and the final inspection sign-off. The unit passed San Bernardino’s rental inspection on the first walkthrough.

New Detached ADU: Backyard Dirt Lot to 560-Square-Foot One-Bedroom in Verdemont

Before: Empty sloped backyard in Verdemont with no utility connections and drainage issues — Before: 25-foot slope over 60 feet of run, no sewer lateral, overhead power only, and a setback that triggered the hillside development review.

After: New detached ADU with covered entry, accessible deck, and integrated drainage — After: One-bedroom, one-bath with full kitchen, covered deck, and retained-wall grading that solved the neighbor’s drainage complaint too.

Verdemont’s hillside geography means every new detached ADU faces grading scrutiny. This lot dropped 25 feet from the main house to the rear property line, and the initial geotechnical report flagged a 4-foot fill depth requiring engineered compaction. We coordinated the retaining wall, the sewer pump system (gravity wouldn’t work), and the electrical trench in one schedule, not three contractors pointing fingers. The written price held at $214,000 including the site work, and the photo record shows each lift of compacted fill with density test results. The client now uses the unit for her mother; no nursing home, no cross-town drive.

Junior ADU & Interior Conversion: Unused Formal Living Room to 330-Square-Foot JADU in Arrowhead Farms

Before: Formal living room with fireplace, carpet, and no utility access for kitchen or bath — Before: 330 square feet of formal living space used twice yearly, with a fireplace the client didn’t want and no plumbing within 30 feet.

After: Self-contained studio with kitchenette, wet bath, Murphy bed system, and private entrance from side yard — After: JADU with wet bath, kitchenette, Murphy bed, and separate entrance. Owner occupies the main house per San Bernardino’s JADU requirement.

Arrowhead Farms properties tend toward larger lots with underused formal spaces. This 1978 ranch had a living room that saw action at Christmas and funerals. The challenge was plumbing: the nearest wet wall was 28 feet away, and the client didn’t want trenching through the slab. We ran a Saniflo macerating system for the bath and kitchenette, vented through the existing roof penetration, and created a side-yard entrance that doesn’t interfere with the main home’s circulation. Written price: $52,400. The photo record includes the before-and-after of the plumbing rough, which the inspector specifically requested to verify the macerator venting. The client hosts her sister now, rent-free, and the Murphy bed means the space still works for those two Christmas visits.

Garage Conversion ADU: Workshop to 480-Square-Foot Accessible Studio in Muscoy

Before: Partially enclosed carport with dirt floor section, no insulation, and makeshift electrical — Before: Hybrid garage/carport with a 12-foot dirt-floor section, unpermitted electrical from a prior owner’s workshop, and a roof pitch too low for standard insulation.

After: Accessible studio ADU with zero-step entry, 36-inch doors, roll-in shower, and full kitchen — After: ADA-compliant studio with zero-step entry, roll-in shower, lever hardware throughout, and reachable controls. Rents to a tenant using a wheelchair.

Muscoy’s unincorporated county pockets mean San Bernardino County building department, not city, and the rules differ on setbacks and fire separation. This property had a dirt-floor section from a 1980s carport enclosure that was never permitted. We had to decide: excavate and pour, or raise the whole structure? The written price included both scenarios, with the trigger condition stated in the contract. The soil was stable enough for a stem wall and slab, so we proceeded with that path. The zero-step entry required regrading the driveway approach, which we coordinated with a county encroachment permit for the apron. Final price matched the written quote: $96,000. The tenant moved in three days after final inspection, and the photo record shows every accessibility verification the county inspector checked.

New Detached ADU: Prefab Coordination – Abodu One Unit in North Park

Before: Flat backyard with aging shed, overhead SCE power lines, and no sewer lateral to the rear — Before: Level pad from a demolished pool, aging shed, overhead SCE service, and a sewer main that stopped 40 feet short of the buildable area.

After: Abodu One unit installed with custom deck, privacy screening, and underground utilities — After: Abodu One (500 sq ft) with full kitchen, bath, bedroom, and living area. We handled the site prep, utility extension, and finish carpentry in one contract.

Prefab ADUs in San Bernardino require a local partner who speaks the manufacturer’s language and the city’s. Abodu specifies a 6-inch compacted aggregate pad; San Bernardino wants a 4-inch concrete slab with footings per the CBC. We designed the foundation to satisfy both, specified the crane access path (the North Park alley is 12 feet wide, tight for a 40-foot module), and coordinated the SCE overhead-to-underground conversion. The client had a written estimate from another firm that didn’t include the electrical conversion or the alley protection. Our Free Second Opinion identified $18,000 in missing scope. Our written price, at $198,000 all-in, covered everything from pad to final inspection. The Abodu arrived on a Tuesday; we had certificate of occupancy by Friday of the following week.

ADU Site Prep & Utilities: Grading and Infrastructure for a Self-Build Client in University Heights

Before: Raw hillside with erosion channels, no vehicle access to buildable area, and surface drainage toward the main house foundation — Before: Raw hillside, no access, drainage threatening the main house foundation, and a client who wanted to owner-build the ADU itself.

After: Graded buildable pad, 8-foot access road, French drain system, and stubbed utilities ready for the client's owner-build — After: Build-ready pad with engineered fill, retained cut, surface drainage redirected, and sewer/water/electric stubbed to the pad edge.

Not every client wants a design-build contract for the whole project. This University Heights homeowner is a retired civil engineer who wanted to owner-build a Tuff Shed shell ADU himself. We took the site prep and utilities scope under Haven Standard Clause 1: grading, drainage, access, and utility rough. The challenge was the drainage pattern, surface water from three uphill properties converged on his main house’s crawl space. Our grading plan created a swale that protects both the existing house and the new ADU pad. Written price: $34,500 for the site work only. The photo record documented each lift of engineered fill with moisture content readings, which the client specifically requested for his own records. He has his pad; we have no liability for what he builds on it, because the contract scope stopped at the utility stub. That’s the clarity Haven Standard is designed for.

Want Results Like These?

Architect designing professional ADU floor plans with drafting tools — Want Results Like These?

Every project here started with a free estimate, written before any work began, under Haven Standard Clause 1. No call-for-pricing, no scope creep, no surprises. Call (909) 359-6463 to schedule your free estimate. We’ll bring a camera, a measuring tape, and a written price before we leave. Nadia Ellery and our team have served San Bernardino since 2015, and a live person answers that line 24 hours a day.

Written by Nadia Ellery, Owner at Ellery ADU Studio San Bernardino, serving San Bernardino since 2015.

Before & After Gallery - Ellery ADU Studio San Bernardino