Introduction

the story of the Urban Cottage – at least thus far.   

The beginning of our venture into small and green living spaces probably started in 2002.  I took an early retirement from architecture after 35 years in the commercial/industrial field and Bernie wrangled a leave of absence from her job as an architectural drafter.  We left our 2,200 square foot, 1927 home in the Kenilworth neighborhood of Asheville, North Carolina to spend the summer months pulling a 22-foot travel trailer across western United States.

After laying in a supply of junior-sized kitchen utensils and coat-hangers, and a short period of adjustment we found that living in only 180 square feet wasn’t so bad.  We gained useful experience in the art of living light.  When we returned home our old home felt absolutely huge.  Soon afterward were the $400 a month winter heating bills.  Not to mention finding more of the never ending maintenance chores that older homes require.  We had to ask ourselves if we owned the house, or did the house own us?  Maybe it was time to downsize.

We did – by over 50 percent. We moved to a small townhouse in a lovely community setting in West Asheville.  Four yard sales and numerous trips to the Habitat Home Store helped us shed enough stuff to fit into our new surroundings.  It had a very sophisticated central solar hot water heating system and up to date insulation.  Our utility bills dropped and we enjoyed the walkable neighborhood.

While not really planning to build ourselves, we maintained an active interest in the “not too big” movement in residential design and sustainable construction technology. Our bookshelves groaned under the load of small house design books and green construction literature.

After six years the urge to design our own space with even more up-to-date green features finally awoke within us both.  We knew we wanted to stay within walking distance of the West Asheville business district.  So after a few false starts we found a tiny, infill lot only a mile away with good solar potential and enough fall for a walk-out basement.  Then it was time to “design” our new home.

From the very start, building it for possible LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification was one of our goals.  We knew we could live small and had learned a little about what green features were realistic and affordable in our area.  But, there was no way we could do it all ourselves.  So we started asking around about people we could ask to join our team.  Our area is fortunate in having a wealth of professionals knowledgeable about (and dedicated to) green and energy-efficient building.  We made some wonderful connections and we were on our way.