FAQ
WHAT SIZE IS THE CURRENT HOUSE?
It is 1080 SF with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
The current residents include a mom and daughter who were living in their car.
WHO PICKED THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE NOW?
The first tenants were selected by informal recommendation from LAMP employees and others who donated time building the house. Several helped reach a consensus. Requirements include drug free and working individuals.
Around 40 people from LAMP at one time or another, worked on the house. These LAMP residents' workers were paid to work on the house and did about half the labor required.
We expect the process to be more formal going forward and are putting together a board of directors now.
New requirements are to help people intending to work and have been on a job for at least 3 months.
WILL ALL FUTURE HOMES BE THE SAME SIZE?
Our tentative design for the next house is 960 SF. This is to decrease the cost of construction so we stay focused on the goal of economical housing.
We took what we learned about frugal build in the current house and tweaked that floorplan to make the space more efficient without minimizing the practical use for those future residents. It is still 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The bedrooms are a little smaller and the kitchen and dining area is little larger.
We expect to continue refining as we build.
HAVE WE CONSIDERED BUILDING TINY HOMES
So far, all our projections on cost per resident have indicated the Tiny Homes would cost substantially more per SF and be less productive for our overall goal of low-cost housing for the working homeless. There are also zoning issues that are limiting. But we continue to revisit the discussion as new concepts arise.
The difference is significant if we compare what we did in the first house for four people to what it would look like in Tiny Homes.
There would be 4 refrigerators instead of one. There would be 4 cook stoves instead of 1. There would be 4 coffee makers and microwaves instead of 1. There would be 4 bathrooms instead of 2. There would be 4 living and dining rooms to furnish instead of 1.
There would be 4 front doors instead of 1, etc.
We are continuing to consider Tiny Homes, Zero Lot Line, attached, manufactured, and existing home renovation as well as many other things to provide affordable housing to the working homeless.
FURTHER QUESTIONS
You are encouraged to email if you have any other questions.
We value your input!