Modern Bungalow Project
Words and Design by Gideon Gelber // www.gideongelber.com
The answer to the fall off in construction of approachable size houses has been an explosion in rental apartment construction. With “American Dream” type housing scarce the developers have answered with apartments. I am skeptical that this is entirely socially desirable as it keeps more of the the long term real estate equity in the hands of landlords. This does not allow it to build over time in the hands of home owners.
A modest size design need not be dull. Our rethinking of the cottage starter-home came out rather sculptural.
I have been thinking quite a bit recently about this problem of missing middle housing and why the dream of modest home ownership has become increasingly out of reach. Part of the problem (not all of it though) is that we simply have not built enough market rate modest size houses in the last 18 years. A generation of not building in the manner of the capes and bungalows of previous eras has left a shortage of this type of construction.
In a walkable town part of the pleasure is being able to watch your neighbors pass by, watching the local kids come home from school, etc. A deep porch provides protection for a glass fronted house. A porch is a layer of privacy, neither in the house or entirely in the yard—it is an in-between space that fosters community.
This house is set in a raised garden. It is an approach that requires less lawn and allows the street address (that is, the street-facing facade) of the house to mature over time.
This skylight tops the stairs in our modem bungalow project.
It has been suggested recently that the problem of making our housing stock more approachable might be solved with a 50 year mortgage that would lower monthly payments by prolonging the term. This may not be such a great approach as life-long mortgages turn home buyer in to money renters who would be quite elderly before they are true home owners… if they live that long at all. Could building a more approachable size and density be a better and more sustainable approach?
