I found a great article in the magazine “Small Homes” (a publication of Fine Homebuilding).
In the article, “A Low Budget, High Impact House,” Designer Chris Stebbins talks about the advantage of building with standard-length materials. This house, for example, is built in multiples of 8-foot increments. The overall size is 24′ x 36′. Smart design! [...]
Design Within Reach (a somewhat ironic name if you’ve ever shopped there) put together a great contest on small apartment design. Some highlights below:
Click the photo to see the video of the space in use. It’s great!
I really like the idea of translucent walls and doorways. What a great way to capitalize on natural light! Here’s some examples form the site www.modernus.com
As part of the land use review process, the applicant must demonstrate that their zoning adjustment will meet or exceed the purpose of the zone (here’s the criteria: Adjustment Approval Criteria (PDF))
As part of this process, I am citing other properties in the neighborhood that either have a similar amount of building-to-land ratio or where [...]
There are several steps to getting the city to accept designs that fall outside the zoning code. These steps are:
Review your basic idea with a city planner (free)
Determine what adjustments will be needed (free)
Work with a designer or architect to create a site plane, elevation drawings, utility plans, and landscape plans (cost TBD)
Submit an application [...]
Portland’s BDS (Bureau of Development Services) has a fantastic website full of helpful information. Here are a few online resources:
Overview of ADUs.
Overview of the development process.
Information on adjustments.
One of the challenges to building an ADU is that there may be zoning limitations that prohibit the size, shape or placement of your building. It’s important to [...]
Let’s face it - most houses have garages and most garages are UGLY. Here’s a solution to the garage door that’s both interesting and highly functional. What I especially like about these glass-panel doors is the ability to let in natural light.
Here’s some other examples of glass door installations.
A list of houses comparable to 5936 NE Mason (without the addition of an ADU)
4344 NE 64th Ave, Portland, OR 97218
SOLD: 12/08/2006 - $365,000
Year Built: 1967 Ranch
Size: 926 Sq Ft
2 Bedroom, 1 bath
Lot size: 4000 sq feet
3304 NE 75th Ave, Portland, OR 97213
SOLD: 01/02/2007 - $291,000
Year built: 1911
838 Sq Ft
2 Bed, 1 bath
Lot Size: 5000 [...]
Met with a city planner today, after some suggestions from local cohousing developer Eli Spevak.
Visiting the city planning building can be a daunting experience. It’s a very modern building and lobby, and everyone who comes in seems to know what they’re doing (except for me, of course). Fortunately, Eli gave me some good suggestions about [...]