How a struggling single mom built an ADU, without killing a 60-year-old tree

When Chantal Arnoult moved with her family to France in 2008, she had no idea she would return to Los Angeles four years later, divorced and unable to afford the home that she and her then-husband had purchased for $395,000 in 2002. “We are losing our tree canopy due to development,” said Duvivier who serves on the city’s Community Forest Advisory Committee. ADUs are complicated, Duvivier said, because they are on small lots and “everyone wants a roof deck and two bathrooms in a tiny space.” They are also complicated by things that people often don’t consider, like the fact that new homes must sit five to six horizontal feet from power lines. “I pay attention to the orientation of the sun to make sure buildings are maximizing the free energy they get from the sun and stay cool from windows that face south.” Because Arnoult was concerned with her neighbors’ privacy, Duvivier designed the building with raised windows that look out on the Chinese elm and other trees and offer light and privacy. “I don’t know if I could have held on to my house if I didn’t have the supplemental income from my ADU,” she said.