Micro Living Units -- Affordable | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: VAN DEIST (vandeistmsn.com) | |
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 05:08:41 -0700 (PDT) |
Tiny House / Retirement Cottage The current Tiny House phenomenon has focused primarily on singles & young professionals seeking financial relief in high cost areas. That's a very good concept which also applies to senior singles & couples trying to maintain their life styles on moderate incomes. Downsizing appeals to many seeking to age-in-place; who have sorted through their priorities; and who have made some crucial decisions. As one of those, I decided that I want a free-standing house with a little land around it. It needs to be a wheelchair friendly home that is not located in a flood zone. I want energy efficiency, storm resilience and fire & termite resistance. I want to be safe and snug in my strong home and not have to evacuate. I want enough room for me and my stuff but not too much to keep clean easily. Working with Banyan Tree Construction in Sarasota, I have helped design what we believe to be the smallest floor plan that can still be w/c accessible. It can have any façade, but we have chosen a 1920’s style cottage with a metal roof and front & back porches. Its construction material is neither cement block nor wood but is Structural Insulated Panels (SIP’s), a strong, well-insulated building material which is also fire & termite resistant. The assembled panels create the home’s exoskeleton; don't require trusses; and provide vaulted ceilings throughout. These ceilings create a light & airy environment which belies the cottage’s small, 24’X24’ footprint. This cottage utilizes energy-efficient, space-saving appliances which lower the square footage cost but do add to the appliance allowance. To me, this trade-off is a good investment in, both, design & ambiance. The idea is to save money by downsizing the home while maintaining a high ft2 value. The cottage has 576 ft2 of a/c space; a 94 ft2 front porch; and a 128 ft2 back porch, and it costs $120K complete on a developed lot. Technically, that’s $208.33 per a/c ft2, and it reflects the value of this home’s practical amenities & lifestyle enhancements. A home is first & foremost a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable environment. For those requiring more space, there is a 2BR, 2BA model available which adds a master BR to the rear of the 1BR, 1BA cottage. We offer study plans at no charge upon request: vandeist [at] msn.com > From: elaine [at] ostroff.org > To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org > Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 08:32:49 -0500 > Subject: [C-L]_ 4. Re: Micro Living Units -- Affordable > > > Hello to this informative list. I've been an appreciative lurker since 2008 > when our "forming group in Westport, MA" just couldn't make it. > > Thanks to Sharon for the link to the Politico article (and MANY other > comments) along with her reminder about the growing phenomenon of "single > people." > I'm very interested in the potential of affordable, and some accessible, > rental micro living units in a co-housing model. This would be an urban > model, with access to public transportation. > > Is anyone out there thinking about this? Micro may not be the best > descriptive term, but it opens up a way of thinking. And, as in the general > co-housing model, individual units can be smaller given the availability of > common space. Affordable is another term that has specific definitions > depending on the context/funding sources. > > I'd like to facilitate, collaborate to organize a webinar that describes > these various models; anyone with examples/suggestions please be in touch. > > Elaine Ostroff > Westport, MA > Founding Director, Institute for Human Centered Design (retired) > Boston, MA > _________________________________________________________________ > Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at: > http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/ > >
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4. Re: Micro Living Units -- Affordable Elaine Ostroff, October 19 2014
- Re: 4. Re: Micro Living Units -- Affordable Ann Peace, October 19 2014
- Micro Living Units -- Affordable VAN DEIST, October 21 2014
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Re: Micro Living Units -- Affordable R Philip Dowds, October 22 2014
- Re: Micro Living Units -- Affordable Jerry McIntire, October 23 2014
- Re: Micro Living Units -- Affordable Sharon Villines, November 4 2014
- Re: Micro Living Units -- Affordable Ken Winter, October 23 2014
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