Last fall I visited Brian Levy and the Micro Showcase in Washington, DC. Brian’s friend (a jazz musician) had some triangular shaped property in the Stronghold neighborhood next to an alley and a cemetery. The odd shaped lot is now home to the Boombox, an artist studio and music space made from two 45 foot “High Cube” shipping containers.
https://youtu.be/0aHrasrbjg0
High Cube containers are one foot taller than a standard shipping container and at 9 foot 6 inches they can fit a wide range of uses. For the Boombox, the two containers were welded together lengthwise to create a 16×45 foot space and then divided between a 20 foot garage and a 25 foot artist studio. The wall of one side of the studio rolls open (with skateboard wheels) to create a music stage. Guests can sit outside on the lawn to hear impromptu concerts.
Before the structure was built it had to comply with District of Columbia zoning regulations for a “garage/artist studio” and it was completed to DRCA building regulations with full permits. The Boombox is sometimes included on the free Micro Showcase tours.
Photos/Video by Micro Showcase/Boombox DC and Christina Nellemann
By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]
I’ve been interested in the Tiny House Movement for years and I’d really like to find a place in DC where I can have a tiny house, with or without a foundation. Do you know of good locations (besides Boneyard Studios?) or good people to contact in order to find zoning areas that are most friendly to tiny houses?
Thanks!
Hi Julie. Brian Levy, the owner of the Micro Showcase is the expert on D.C. tiny houses, ADU and the city ordinances. He would be your first stop.