by mightyhouse | Feb, 2019 | Living
The term pocket neighborhood sometimes referred to as “bungalow courts” or “cottage clusters,” was first coined by Ross Chapin of Ross Chapin Architects. Pocket neighborhoods tend to consist of about 12 homes that all face a common area that residents must walk through to access their front door.
Creating small homes on small lots allows more compact development, which uses land efficiently and can offer greater access to amenities.
Pocket communities really took off in the Pacific Northwest in collaboration with developers and builders, including The Cottage Company in Seattle, Triad Associates in Kirkland, and Artisan Fine Homebuilding. Third Street Cottages in Seattle, is a community of eight detached cottages located on four standard single-family lots. To help this vision come to life, the municipality adopted an innovative Cottage Housing Development (CHD) zoning code. The code allows for up to double the density of detached homes in all single-family zones.
Pocket communities also serve as a great solution for increasing the number of affordable units within a municipality. Creating small homes on small lots allows more compact development, which uses land efficiently and can offer greater access to amenities. Residents may also enjoy a smaller mortgage, with the option to enhance their home by selecting higher-end finishes. Then there’s the increasing value of these small homes. The Third Street Cottages, the first of the pocket neighborhoods, have resold for as much as 250 percent of their original price, proving their enduring appeal and value.
Small homes feed our recent fascination with resilience and sustainability because they meet the needs of communities that wish to increase density and reform land use patterns without losing the feel of a single-family community. Smaller homes also can reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions through the use of passive solar energy, low water-use fixtures, and the abundance of vegetation in these communities found in the interior courtyard, personal gardens and surrounding open space. Additionally, the demographic shift toward smaller households and the rise in single-person households is driving a need for a more diverse housing stock that includes small homes.
by mightyhouse | Feb, 2019 | Tips + Inspiration
Got Green’s Young Leaders in the Green Movement steering committee won a resolution in 2015 to create 100 living wage green internships for low income young workers of color in Seattle. Since then, they have expanded to nonprofit and private environmental employers through the inception of the Green Pathways Fellowship Program.
The Green Pathways Fellowship Program was created through a partnership between Got Green and Rainier Valley Corps to provide opportunities in the green sector for low-income young adults in living wage entry-level positions in the environmental justice movement. With the City Council Approval of the 2019-2020 Seattle City Budget, Green Pathways Fellowship will be receiving $100,000 in 2019 and $164,000 in 2020.
If you are a community-based organization and may be interested in hosting a fellow, please visit this page. Or if you know someone who would be a great fit for this program, please recommend an applicant here.
by Mighty House Construction | Nov, 2017 | Design + Architecture, Featured Projects, Green Building, Living
Sometimes sustainability is about enhancing the longevity of what you already have. Ralph and Jeanette wanted to stay in the home, garden, and neighborhood they love as they look forward to aging. With modest updates and practical design by Sheri Newbold of Live Work Play, we were able to create an accessible space that will enable these homeowners to continue to live in and enjoy their home for many years to come.

A small, cantilevered addition for a sitting area along with a widened window in the master bedroom creates a comfortable sitting area to enjoy the garden and bird watch.


Most important was how to get from the garage to the main floor of the 1960s split level home. The existing stairway would not work with a chair lift, so we chose to add a Garaventa elevator to make accessing the second story easy. They also wanted to widen the hallway and increase the width of two doorways to 36″ to access the master suite.


In the bathroom, we installed grab bars, a fold down seat in the shower for bathing, and created a zero threshold shower stall. A dressing table for resting while getting ready for the day was also added. All light fixtures are energy-saving LED with dimmer switches. The designer also collaborated closely with Ralph and Jeanette to create a custom tile layout using neutrals with blue accents for a handsome design that works in tandem with other fixtures.
Check out more photos in our Flikr gallery.