Matt Arnold, center, hangs out with roommates Jason, left, and Lisa in the upstairs office space of their home, a converted auto-body shop in San Francisco's Mission District. Ramin Rahimian for The Wall Street Journal …  Unlike warehouses that have been turned into lofts by property developers, these dwellings are often renovated by the residents themselves, who build in rooms and other features. Trucy Phan, left, and Lisa worked in the upstairs office space, built by residents of the space. Ramin Rahimian for The Wall Street Journal …  Brendan, a resident, washes dishes in the kitchen. The properties are the latest in a decades-long -- and at times fraught -- history of "live-work" spaces for San Francisco's creative class. Ramin Rahimian for The Wall Street Journal …  The properties at times house a dozen or more people and tend to be organized around a common gathering space or workshop. This is one of two kitchens in the converted auto-body shop. Ramin Rahimian for The Wall Street Journal …  The common area features a swinging couch. Ramin Rahimian for The Wall Street Journal …  Downstairs, kitschy art hangs in a hallway outside several bedrooms built by residents. Such spaces originated in the 1970s, prompting San Francisco to draft a live-work ordinance to allow quasi-residential units to be developed in commercial areas, with artist collectives in mind. Ramin Rahimian for The Wall Street Journal …  Peretz Partensky does a pull-up on an indoor jungle gym at a converted warehouse in the South of Market neighborhood. Mr. Partensky and nine acquaintances found the shuttered sign factory on Craigslist in 2007. Ramin Rahimian for The Wall Street Journal …  When they moved in, the roughly 7,000-square-foot building housed a small apartment, office and dust-caked factory floor -- along with an industrial vacuum the size of a small room that once was used to remove paint fumes from drying signs. This is a second-story deck above the common space. Ramin Rahimian for The Wall Street Journal …  The group now numbers around 17 residents, who have expanded into a former photography studio across the street, where resident Megan Klimen recently worked. Ramin Rahimian for The Wall Street Journal …  Residents pay a total monthly rent of $10,900 for both spaces. Residents Katy Pelton and Todd Huffman hung out in a common space. Ramin Rahimian for The Wall Street Journal …  Today, the shuttered sign factory holds nine bedrooms and a recording studio, disk-jockey station and central gathering space, with a second-story deck and jungle gym. The common space is constantly evolving as the collective regularly hosts different kinds of events. Ramin Rahimian for The Wall Street Journal …  One of the bathrooms in the former sign factory. Ramin Rahimian for The Wall Street Journal …  "It requires a certain character to live here," says Mr. Partensky, 29 years old. He adds that the collective's mantra is "controlled chaos." Ramin Rahimian for The Wall Street Journal …
In neighborhoods such as South of Market and the Mission District, a cadre of San Franciscans are converting former factories, auto-body shops and other warehouses into group residences that house a dozen or more.