9/15/2006

Small is Beautiful...

I've been thinking about small houses. Coe, Harwood and Ada Place. My own. Wondering if there is an alternative to "Vinyl Victorians" and some way to make houses more affordable, "green" and fit our unique urban landscape here in Buffalo, NY. I walked over to the corner of Ashland and Bryant Thursday evening and introduced myself to Roger Schroeder. He welcomed me in and confirmed in my mind how small houses might be the answer to some of our development issues here on the City's East side.
DSCN4623
Sort of a throw back to some of the Broadway/Fillmore style cottages, I've seen. Easily expandable. Higher quality materials - still common stuff and Roger assured me that the materials he used could easily be obtained here locally. What's way cool is that he has a radiant floor. No duct work. Like a friend in VT, who heats her house in the same way, Roger uses a regular 40 gallon hot water tank and pump contraption to warm the concrete slab that heats the house.
The image “http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y192/fixbuffalo/small.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.
When I returned home, I checked out small houses on-line. The Small House Society was the first hit. Later today I'm going to take the tape over to Coe and Ada Place. Hunch is they are about the same size as Roger's. BR did a few posts about Roger's house - last October and recently in May. My pictures to follow.

It's cool on the inside, too!
__________________________________________________________________________
Artspace ArchiveAnnals of NeglectBAVPAWhere is Perrysburg?Broken Promises...
Writing the CityWoodlawn Row HousesTour dé Neglect - 2006faqmy flickr

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Small houses are fine for small families,perhaps one or two children,in a 2 br home. perhaps even a substitute for a small "patio" style for a retired person/couple. MANY families today are larger and require more space. This concept of small cottages would only be attracting a narrow spectrum of home buyers...but if that is your goal, then that is fine

fixBuffalo said...

thanks for the input. I think the loft craze is attracting the same demo as these small houses might.

On top of everything, remember utility costs. You'd think living in a comparatively cold climate we'd already know how to design a "green house" one that's energy efficient.