Habitat 6
Small Lot Big Idea
This six-home project in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles represents our first foray into small lot development. Authorized in Los Angeles since 2005, small lot development creates the kind of urban density that city planners desire, while still providing the single-family fee-simple houses that homebuyers prefer. Each lot and unit is individually owned; there are no shared walls, no common foundations, and no homeowners’ association dues to pay each month. A small maintenance fee covers upkeep of common areas like driveways, mailboxes, and landscaping.
Small lot development allows a site developer to spread the costs of architecture and landscape architecture over multiple houses. That opens a window for firms like ours to provide design services to young homebuyers who might not ordinarily be able to afford an architect, but still covet architectural details and upgraded finishes.
Where a single six-bedroom house once stood on an oversize lot, six gleaming new three-story homes now stand, each on its own small lot. The homes range in size from 1,600 to 2,000 square feet; each features three bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, a two-car garage, a private yard, and an outdoor roof terrace. The unique orientation of each house maximizes privacy, solar insulation, and views. Pervious pavement and durable landscaping on the central driveway turns it into a common courtyard when cars aren’t coming and going.
Natural materials come together with bright whites for a fresh yet comfortable aesthetic.
