wenatchee proposes cottage housing

The Wenatchee City Council recently hear a presentation of proposed changes that will make it easier to build cottage housing among other projects. The council will vote on these changes in October.

Wenatchee is hoping that allowing cottage housing will encourage the infill of new homes. Infill developments utilize less municipal resources than construction in previously undeveloped areas. They also save forest and farm land and lend themselves to walkable communities. Cottage housing units are typically smaller than traditional houses usually under 1,200 sq. ft.  They make up for some of the lost square footage by creating inviting shared spaces and common amenities.  While cottage housing isn't for everyone. Those who do live in cottage housing developments enjoy the camaraderie of their neighbors.

One of the hurdles to cottage housing development is providing parking required by zoning codes.  The common areas on small lots can quickly become dominated by parking areas reducing the amount of land left over for landscaping and common areas. At the same time, Cottage housing developments because of their size and in city locations, tend to appeal to single occupant households, seniors, and those who use public transportation.  Wenatchee's proposed changes would also reduce the number of required parking spaces making cottage housing developments more viable.

Wenatchee Councilwoman Karen Rutherford said, “I would love to see one of these developments go in....I see this is as so important with the tight space we have in the city.”

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fremont kitchen featured

Our fremont kitchen is the kitchen of the week on Houzz.com check it out.  The project embodies many of the philosophies that we at Microhouse incorporate into our small house designs.

kitchen of the week

Our goal with this project was to come up with a design that would bridge the gap between the needs of a contemporary living and our 1920’s craftsman house.  The commonality that served as a departure point for me was the utilitarian nature inherent in both craftsman kitchens and modern design. For this reason I designed cabinets that emphasized clean lines, simple detailing and richness of reclaimed old growth fir.  I found the kitchen cabinet designs of famed famous architects Green and Green inspirational.

It is hard to describe the quality of sunlight in the Pacific Northwest but it is often muted, filtered by layers of clouds, and always precious.  For this reason the quantity and placement of windows was crucial. We concentrated the windows to the east and north enabling us to capture morning light and open out onto our patio and garden.  The small size of our house made the connection to the outside that much more important giving our kitchen an added expanse.  Rather than using above counter cabinets that would have limited the amount of windows, we created a “pantry wall” on the interior West wall.  This efficiently provides storage for bulk goods/ books and dishes.  We created another small group of open shelves adjacent to the refrigerator and adjacent to the dining room for every day plates and dishes. 

Using reclaimed materials was really important to us for many reasons not the least of which was sustainability.  The timeless quality of the old growth fir we used is apparent in its rich color and slight imperfections.  For the window construction we again used reclaimed fir for its straightness and durability.  The top sashes were obtained from local architectural salvage store. The bottom sashes built from fir and we went to great lengths to use reclaimed wavy glass which is particularly nice on the interior cabinet doors.  We also used reclaimed top nail oak flooring which enabled us to seamlessly match the new flooring areas with those of the existing house.  Where we didn’t use reclaimed materials like the granite counter tops we opted for durability. 

The kitchen table was created from a ships hatch that my father found on the beach way back in the 1960’s. It was fun to be able to incorporate this family relic into the design. The table frame was made from the fir studs taken from the wall that separated the original kitchen from the kitchen dining area.

The table is the focus of the kitchen.  It is a great place to idle away a rainy weekend morning with a cup of coffee watching the raindrops travel down the rain-chain just outside. Well at least it would be if we ever had idle mornings.  We built it to cabinet height so that it readily becomes an extra work surface. The person cooking usually sits on the stove side where it is easy to swivel between the stove and table.  

small house community - pine grove cottage housing

One of the most exciting things about cottage houses is that they embrace simplicity and connection to place and community.   By necessity, the focus is on the most important functions and qualities of a dwelling.  Clustered cottage housing developments provide us with the opportunity to re-imagine some of the best qualities of traditional villages.  As people seek to live more simple purposeful lives cottage houses and cottage housing developments have been enjoying increasing popularity.


At microhouse we are excited to begin the design of the nine-unit pine grove cottage housing project. These 550 sq. ft. mini houses will incorporate the all of the functions of a larger house including one bedroom, one bath, a kitchen/dining room, living room, formal entry, and large front porch.  Here the front porch will provide its traditional role as a nice place where people can interact with their neighbors.  While the clustering of these cottages around shared common spaces, including gardens and natural open space, will create opportunities for informal social interactions and chance meetings.


The pine grove cottages provide affordable model for future development. Efficiently meeting the needs of the residents will literally and figuratively reduce the developments footprint.  Clustering  development reduces building cost and infrastructure costs, reduces environmental impact and leaves more open space for natural plantings or gardens.  

backyard cottages spotlight on Spokane Washington

Spokane like many cities has developed a comprehensive plan to develop strategies and policies to sustain and enhance those attributes that currently make it a desirable place to live. 

The City identified accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as one viable strategy to help meet the dual goals of increasing housing options and density while maintaining and enhancing the quality of the community.  

An abreviated summary of requirements for a backyard cottages in the City of Spokane are as follows. Contact for more specific information:

Allowable Lots: RA, RSF, RTF, RMF and RHD zones if the lot is 10,000 square feet and larger.  If the lot is located on an alley the minimum lot size is 5,000 sq. ft.

Size:              600 sq. ft.  maximum.
Style:              to match primary residence
Parking:         1 additional space.
Occupancy:   owner occupancy required in one of the two units.

space saving ideas for tiny houses

Under Eave Closet - by Bruce Parker

An under eave closet is a great space saving idea for small houses.  This closet utilizes the otherwise wasted space located under the eaves and livens up the room. In many small houses the roof rafters rest directly on the top plate of the first floor simplifying construction and lowering costs. The trade off  is partial height under eave space. The closet illustrates one way this space can be utilized. Nooks for beds are another popular use for under eave space.  

Seattle Multifamily Zoning Code Updates

Seattle has recently updated it's multi-family zoning code and released the details to the public.  What does it mean for residents? Are you a landowner who wants to know what these changes mean to you? Read on. For lot specific information contact us for a free or low cost analysis for property owners.


microhouse contact


The Seattle Multi-Family code has been updated for the first time since the late 1980's.  The new code offers carrots and sticks to builders.  Some of the carrots are; reduced building setbacks, increased height limits and finally a retooling of the allowable building width depth requirements in favor of a more flexible floor area ratio limit.  The sticks are; reduced allowable unit densities and for many projects design review and increased landscaping and green building requirements.  Will design review result in better projects? Only time will tell. It is hard to legislate good design but perhaps with more flexibility granted in the design review process better projects will get built. It will come at a price though. I estimate that design review will tack on a minimum of $30,000 in cost and six months to a year in permit time.  This aside from creating a scramble amongst builders for previously permitted projects, will ultimately result in increased prices for buyers.


Townhouses


Since the 1980's Seattle has undergone tremendous growth. Particularly in later years, townhouses have become the affordable housing option of choice. In part because of their popularity and often times because of their scale and apparent lack of addressing the street in a neighborly way, the new code takes townhouses head on.

Perhaps the biggest change will be a requirement for design review for two or more townhouse units. One hopes that this will result in townhouses that have units that have primary entrances and glazing that face the street at the ground level. This will now be regulated in a manner similar the way in which it is currently is in commercial zones.  Ever wonder why so many townhouse projects have veil fattening pen like fenced yards? It is the old zoning code. The new code will relax the requirements for the separation of open space which combined with the new landscaping requirements should contribute to nicer street-scapes.


Rowhouses


Rowhouses will be the big winners under the new code. Requiring no side yard setback and no design review we will be seeing more of these.  


Cottage Housing


Cottage housing will continue to be a popular housing choice for both buyers and builders. Cottage housing  offers an affordable housing choice for those who don't need a lot of space and like connection to the earth. Sadly, despite a great number of  highly successful old and new cottage housing projects the new multi-family code doesn't make any real concessions to cottage housing.  Congregate housing will continue to be allowed in both single family and multi-family zones is becoming a viable option for students, senior citizens and others who don't need or want to pay for a full kitchen.  


Seattle Multi-Family Zoning


Here are some highlights of the revised code from the Seattle DPD web page.
:

• Reduce the number of zones from five to three (LR1, LR2, LR3) for code simplicity;
• Encourage a diversity of housing types among townhomes, rowhouses, cottages, apartments, and auto-court townhomes;
• Require new design features. For example: At least 20 percent of street facing façades must be windows and doors, building materials must be varied, townhouse parking garages must be designed to fit large cars;
• Provide incentives for "green building" and hiding parking underground or at the back of the lot;
• Use the City's "Green Factor" landscaping requirement, which promotes keeping trees or planting new ones;
• Change the lowrise height limits to match the height limit for single-family zones in most cases;
• Allow for shared open space, for larger usable common areas;
• Waive parking requirements for projects in growth areas and within .25 mile of frequent transit service (15 minute headways), allowing the market to dictate the level of parking to provide;
• Waive density limits for certain housing types when good design features are achieved;
• Use a new flexible standard of measuring floor space, "Floor Area Ratio," rather than previously restrictive setback and lot coverage requirements; and
• Streamlined Design Review will be required for townhouses with three or more units, but not for rowhouses, cottages or apartments in multifamily zones