Published January 2002

Cottage developments: ‘better rather than bigger’

By John Wolcott
Herald Business Journal Editor

A recent trend in housing — what might literally be called a “cottage” industry — is attracting the attention of people interested in “less” rather than “more” in their home purchase. It’s a lifestyle thing, and it’s catching on.

In Washington state, new urban developments have been attracting attention since 1998, when Jim Soules of The Cottage Co. LLC in Seattle and partner Ross Chapin of Ross Chapin Architect in Langley, on Whidbey Island, created a minimalist development in Langley dubbed the Third Street Cottages.

Chapin already has picked up two American Institute of Architects’ Western Home Awards, one for each of the two developments in Langley. Both of them have sold out quickly.

“We started with this project (Third Street Cottages) with the idea of building cottage housing in a city. Instead of talking density (of living), we were thinking intensity of living. Instead of four homes on 7,200-square-foot lots, we said let’s build eight 850-square-foot detached houses on smaller lots with front porches and quality rather than quantity of space,” said Soules, who terms his development “an alternative to conventional planning.”

The cluster of eight homes surrounding a common garden “is an exciting alternative for one- and two-person households,” Chapin said.

Others obviously agreed.

Soules said he and Chapin were surprised at “the avalanche of inquiries from planning agencies, developers and architects from all over the country.”

Third Street Cottages even garnered 10 pages in Sarah Susanka’s book, “Creating the Not-So-Big House,” and the neighborhood project received the highest honor in the 1999-2000 AIA/Sunset Magazine Western Home Awards.

The October issue of Sunset featured pictures of Soules and Chapin’s second small-home development in Langley, known as the Backyard Neighborhood project, which has just been chosen for another AIA/Sunset Western Home Award.

This latest project features somewhat larger homes, but small cottages are still part of the mix. Backyard Neighborhood consists of three adjacent 1,200-square-foot houses that are separated from their 425-square-foot detached cottages at the back of their three lots by a shared alleyway.

The AIA jury called it “a flexible, high-density in-fill project that accommodates changing lifestyles,” applauding the presence of the cottages because they can “serve as home offices, separate family rooms, master bedrooms, starter homes for grown children, in-law quarters, guest cottages, studios or even long-term rentals.”

“The larger houses combine kitchen, dining and living rooms in a single multifunctional space. Peaked ceilings, windows placed for maximum daylight and side-yard privacy, and light colors keep these great rooms open and bright,” the magazine article said. “The largest of the three, which is designed for wheelchair accessibility, also features an elevator and third-story view tower.”

Spurred by success, Soules and Chapin are finishing a new development near Shoreline Community College north of Seattle at Greenwood Avenue North and NE 160th Street, with eight cottages grouped around a landscaped courtyard, similar in character to the Third Street Cottages in Langley. The creative design uses a common garden area to foster a cohesive community and provide a sense of place.

Each cottage has a private yard, arranged around a commons with perennial flower borders, lawn and fruit trees. On the west side of the courtyard is a Commons Building with a multi-purpose workshop for fixing bikes, planting seedlings or having a neighborhood party.

All of the cottages include a large covered porch, flower boxes, gas fireplaces, wood floors, vaulted ceilings, great lighting and unique interior detailing. Each home has a single-car garage.

The units — selling for around $269,900 — are sold as condominiums, with an association providing insurance, landscaping maintenance and cottage upkeep.

Soules is also involved in a joint venture with property owners on Bainbridge Island and local architect Charles Wenzlau, building 1,050-square-foot homes in a small development known as the Ericksen Cottages.

Always looking for new sites in the Puget Sound area for more small-home projects, from two-thirds-of-an-acre to two acres, Soules also wants to develop larger communities that would include shops, offices, homes and cottages. Further, in collaboration with Chapin, Soules is offering cottage development consulting services to landowners, prospective residents, developers and city planning departments.

“I think it’s a significant trend,” Soules said. “Better rather than bigger, quality over quantity; it’s something people have been waiting for. It takes more work, details and supervision but — like the old pre-1940s Craftsman homes with mantels and casings — they are homes that get a premium price.”

When people ask him what the cost per square foot is on his cottage projects, he said he knows they’re not “my kind of customer.”

“I like to ask them, ‘Do you buy a BMW by the pound?’ ” Soules said.

For more information about trends in developing smaller-home neighborhoods, call Soules at 206-525-0835, send e-mail to prusou@man.com or visit his Web site, www.cottagecompany.com. Ross Chapin Architect can be reached by sending e-mail to inquiry@rosschapin.com or by visiting www.rosschapin.com on the Web. Charles Wenzlau Architect on Bainbridge Island can be reached by calling 206-780-6882 or by sending e-mail to charlie@wenzlau-architects.com. Susanka’s book, “Creating the Not-So-Big House,” can be ordered through www.notsobighouse.com on the Web.

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