Habitat Re•Imagined

Sustainable Community

Echo Hills Site Plan

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It has been a while since I posted last, as we have been hung up in bureaucracy as we pursue permitting for Echo Hills Cottages. I decided to focus on architectural design, thinking I could work on the infrastructure while the first house was being built. I was mostly right but, when I went to get the permit for the first house, I found out that I needed the sewer permit first.

What I thought would be two or three weeks has now passed two months and we are still a few weeks away. We ran into one thing after another that held things up, but it looks like we are now over the hurdles and only waiting for the final approvals and paperwork.

Although it has been frustrating, it has given me a chance to work on other things that have been delayed. We have our conceptual site plan completed for building two clusters of five house each. I also have been able to get most of the remodeling done for another phase of the common house. I am even much farther on the collaborative leadership program that I have been developing.

Hopefully we will be breaking ground for building the first house by the end of the month, which most likely will be the subject of my next post. For now, here is the drawing of the conceptual site plan – click on it to enlarge.EchoHillsSitePlan

Asheville Pocket Neighborhood

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Cottage Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Asheville pocket neighborhood has been greatly influenced by the Cottage Company in Seattle, Washington and their architect, Ross Chapin. Using quality small house design and hard won zoning changes for greater building density, they have been shakers and movers that are influencing critical changes in urban sprawl throughout the country.

Primary features of their pocket neighborhoods include small house footprints, creative design, quality green built features, and renewed neighbor relations. Take a look at The Cottage Company website for examples of their developments, and also take a look at Ross’ website on Pocket Neighborhoods.

If you are in the area, feel free to contact me to visit Echo Hills Cottages, our West Asheville pocket neighborhood.

Modular Cottage Design

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SIPSAs we move forward with our conceptual plans for the property we are developing, I am pursuing a design concept I have had for some time. We are designing a prefabricated home package using structural insulated panels (SIPs) for the walls and roof, and high quality energy efficient windows to complete the shell. The design process will be simple yet highly customizable for the completion of a small creative green built home.

b2.1Starting with a basic rectangle or square for the primary house component, we are designing add on modules for additional living space, expansion nooks and dormers, and creative entrances. The design process will be a simple procedure of choosing your primary component and add on choices. The next step is completion of architectural drawings, with any additional custom features, from which the SIPs will be fabricated complete with window and door openings for quick construction.

a1.1In addition to a turn key option, we will also be offering the house package with consultation services for an owner built home. Additionally the package will be available to construct on your lot wherever you chose to build.

Contact me for more information.

Echo Hills Cottages

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We are excited!

Baker_photo1After a long wait, it has now been several weeks since we finalized the closing of 2 pieces of property in west Asheville. It is a beautiful 3 1/4 acre site, with an existing house, that we plan to develop into a small “intentional neighborhood” with 9 more house. We have started with preliminary design parameters for small green built homes, and are enthusiastically moving forward on many fronts.

b2.1The plan includes a cluster of 5 homes on the wooded section, leaving almost an acre of rolling wooded land in it’s natural state for a shared park-like area. Another 4 smaller homes will be clustered on a sunny hill, facing an open area that is perfect for a community garden. The existing house will serve as shared space for a variety of community oriented needs and interests.

We will be developing a cooperative oriented legal structure that provides personal ownership of an individual home and building site, along with common ownership of the rest. We plan to incorporate the tools we use for communication and decision making into our home owner agreements to nurture a culture of empathy and collaboration. See our other website, A CoCreative Path, for more information.

We hope to have our conceptual plans ready in May and to break ground on the first house this summer. The plans will provide parameters for creative and environmentally responsible design, with complete flexibility for personal needs and expression. I will be posting plan updates as they are completed.

If you would like to explore joining us on this journey (or know someone who would), contact us soon – there are only 9 building sites left 🙂  Stay tuned for project development – sign up at the right to be first to receive updates and for our occasional newsletter.

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