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Tag Archives: detached
My tiny house after 5 years: things I would have done differently
I’ve written here about how well my tiny house is working out — I converted my detached 1.5-car garage to a little “accessory dwelling unit” and have mostly rented it out to my mother in law since then, though it’s … Continue reading
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Tagged conversion, design, detached, gallerypost, garage, permitted
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A Sister-In-Law House
Walt Quade has a knack for figuring out a work-around. The design and construction of his own ADU provided several opportunities to hone this skill. When he and his wife started looking for a plot of land on which to … Continue reading
Shawn’s Live-Work Accessory Dwelling
Shawn Busse bought a 950 square foot ranch house on a long, skinny lot with the intention of building an accessory dwelling unit behind it. His plan was to live in the ADU and rent out the front house. He … Continue reading
Reflections on Six Years in “temporary housing”: a mobile detached bedroom
From 2003 to 2009, I lived in a tiny home on wheels located in Iowa City. I built the home with Jay Shafer, proprietor of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. The Mobile Hermitage, pictured at right, was constructed on a 10′ … Continue reading
Sabin Green – A community of 2 ADUs and 2 modest homes
Back in 2005, I was trying to figure out how to create affordable home ownership opportunities without public subsidies in a strong housing market.
With a background in affordable housing development and having just completed a small cohousing condominium conversion project, I was interested in models that would support affordability and community within an urban, amenity-rich neighborhood. I had learned about ADUs as a planning student and was intrigued by the possibility of using the condominium legal structure as a way to separate ownership between ADUs and primary residences.
When a property came on the market that could support two primary dwellings and two ADUs, I jumped in with an offer… Continue reading
My garage apartment — a place that redefines family
I’m pretty much an obsessive planner when it comes to big projects. I researched and penciled out a lot of scenarios before I developed my garage into a little apartment, and I’m glad to say that between good design and … Continue reading
Building a detached ADU
Building a detached ADU isn’t necessarily different than building a house. Although ADUs (usually <800 sq ft) are necessarily smaller than a normal house (avg house size is 2,382 sq ft), the same stages of building development still apply. And … Continue reading
My primary residence: profitable ADU and personal palace
Fundamentally, I was seeking a residential living situation that would pay for itself. To me, dwelling in America cost too much. I sought a less expensive way to live in a nice space in an urban area (Portland).
