Ross Chapin and Tiny House Communities
Greenwood Avenue Cottages. Photo from Ross Chapin.com.
A few years ago I was given the chance to visit the Third Street Cottages on Whidbey Island and the opening of the Greenwood Avenue Cottages in Seattle. These communities, by renowned architect Ross Chapin and developer Jim Soules, have become famous for being small, sustainable and community oriented. Chapin calls them pocket neighborhoods.
I think my first exposure to small and tiny houses was Chapin’s Third Street Cottages, which were featured in Sarah Susanka’s book, Creating the Not So Big House. They were so well designed and so space efficient and sufficient that it has not occurred to me since that I would need anything bigger. The Third Street Cottages are about 600-650 square feet and have a great room with living, cooking and dining areas, a downstairs bathroom with laundry facilities and a downstairs bedroom. Each house also has a full size loft that is accessed by a ship’s ladder. The owners personalize each cottage by naming their homes. I visited a cottage in the Third Street community named Plum Corner for the plum trees that were left behind during construction.
Third Street Cottages. Photo by Christina Nellemann.
Third Street Cottages. Photo by Christina Nellemann.
The typical cottage community by Chapin includes 8 cottages on a 2/3 acre plot that usually holds one or two larger homes. The cottages surround a “green” area that holds seating, grass and trees and a place to grow community vegetables. A parking lot is off to the side of each community, hidden from view by a fence or bushes. Each cottage has its own small garden area surrounded by a low fence and each community has a shared tool shed and meeting room. Each small house is sold as a condominium and a monthly fee helps to maintain the garden and outlying areas.
To create a balance between the public and private areas, Chapin uses the concept of “layering”. The entryway into the main garden is the first layer, moving from public to more private. Anyone who does not belong in this area is noticed right away from each of the cottages. This way, neighbors can keep an eye on each other’s homes. The layering concept continues with the main garden area leading into the more private cottage gardens through the small fences and then each house is entered by first going up several stairs to the open front porches. The porches bring to mind the charming bungalows of the Arts & Crafts movement of the early 1900’s. The porches extend the living area of the small homes as well as offering a convenient area for neighborly chats.
Greenwood Avenue Cottages. Photo from Ross Chapin.com
I was able to view the Greenwood Avenue cottages during an open house tour and I was impressed by how the little details in the homes gave them each a different personality. Each tiny home uses architectural tricks to create a larger space: built-in bookshelves, alcoves, delineated ceiling heights between living and eating areas, ample windows and skylights. Each home is personalized with special details such as trim, woodwork (the walls of the Third Street Cottages are paneled in reclaimed spruce saved from destruction by a piano company) and cubby areas holding shelves, window seats or dining nooks.
Greenwood Avenue Cottages. Photo by Christina Nellemann.
Greenwood Avenue Cottages. Photo by Christina Nellemann.
Greenwood Avenue Cottages. Photo by Christina Nellemann.
Chapin believes in not only designing and building to save space and money, but to promote sustainability. The low garden fences are recycled fencing, the cottage’s siding is cement fiber board rather than wood, and the garden pathways were laid with crushed hazelnut shells from a local nut company.
Ross Chapin Architects also sell cottage home and small home plans. The three smallest are the Blue Sky Cabin at 307 square ft. the Backyard Cottage at 449 square ft. and the Lizzie Cottage at 540 square ft.
Blue Sky Cabin. Photo from Ross Chapin.com.
Backyard Cottage. Photo from Ross Chapin.com.
Backyard Cottage Interior. Photo from Ross Chapin.com.
Living small — Some Utahns discovering the charm of cottages
Cottage Housing in Your Community (PDF)
A guide to drafting a cottage housing ordinance
Tiny House Village Concept post on Tiny House Design
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Content in a Cottage on 29 Sep 2008 at 8:21 am #
How utterly charming. I have never considered leaving the east coast until reading about this tiny house village. Is there a move in my future? I thought I already owned my dream house. Why am I still dreaming?
http://contentinacottage.blogspot.com
Questioner on 29 Sep 2008 at 1:35 pm #
Beautiful–but how much are they?
Christina on 30 Sep 2008 at 7:10 am #
Hi Questioner,
The pocket communities are pretty expensive. When I was at the Third Street Cottages, they were being sold for around $150,000-$200,000. That went up after a few years. The Greenwood Avenue cottage were selling for about $350,000 to $400,000 when I was there.
The plans for the cottages are priced between $750-$950.
Linda Pruitt on 30 Sep 2008 at 2:03 pm #
Hi all,
Thanks for your interest in our innovative new communities we’ve been pioneering here in the Pacific NW since 1998. Regarding prices - land is very expensive here in the PNW compared to any other place in the U.S. Thus, new homes (of any size, small or large) are expensive given the land values. For instance, in the Kirkland/Redmond area close in to Microsoft world headquarters and our technology employers, a single, 7200 SF lot sells for $350,000.00 That’s just the raw land before permits, utilities, improvements, or any structure is constructed. This is important to remember as you try to compare prices here vs. other parts of the U.S. The typical new home of about 2500 - 3000 SF sells for about $1M. This is nothing fancy, just a basic new house in a close in neighborhood close to jobs and transit.
Price appreciation continues in this area as there aren’t enough houses to meet our strong jobs growth in the region. Prices in our existing communities have risen since Christina visited. We built Third Street Cottages ten years ago, Greenwood Avenue Cottages six years ago. Prices have risen in that timeframe a good bit.
Christina on 01 Oct 2008 at 7:25 am #
Thanks Linda!
Yes, I remember when I first saw the Third Street Cottage prices, how affordable they were at about $150,000. That changed very quickly during the housing boom. I also think that these communities became so popular that the prices rose to meet that popularity. Have you seen a continuing and even a rising interest in smaller homes?
Christina on 01 Oct 2008 at 7:32 am #
Content in a Cottage.
Your blog is lovely!
Linda Pruitt on 02 Oct 2008 at 6:40 am #
Smaller, higher quality new homes in the context of a real community and lush gardens continue to be highly desired, in our experience, and is growing in interest. Our homes are also BuiltGreen and Energy Star Certified, which has strong interest as well.
Price appreciation of both our homes, and other homes in our region continues because of our strong economy and job growth. Folks continue to move to our area from other parts of the U.S. As our homes are well-located within employment centers, close to transit and amenities - these locations are highly desired.
Keep checking our web site for the rare resale in our completed communities as well as announcements of our next projects. http://www.cottagecompany.com
Thanks!