Guest Post by Steve Reilly
I found myself in fall of 2009 looking for a work space for my newish architecture firm, SLR Architecture. We had a baby that needed my then current office space as her bedroom so I was on the street. I was faced with the dilemma of shelling out $1,500 to $2,000 per month and commuting someplace else or somehow building my own work space.
I was always intrigued by small structures, especially well designed ones. So being an Architect, I started to draw. I thought long and hard about much space I actually needed, how I would build it, what materials I would use, where would I site it etc. And of course, what the best economic solution was for my business and family.
I liked being close to my family, hated commuting, and I liked to design and build things so the decision was made! I ended up designing a structure that was only 9’x13’ or 117 s.f. reminiscent of Henry David Thoreau’s cabin in Concord, the size was significant because anything over 120 s.f. in my town required a permit, below that nothing. More importantly both the side and rear setbacks to the property line on a structure less than 120 s.f. were 5 feet, anything over that was significantly more. This was a big issue on a postage stamp size lot like mine!