Backyard Living, Part Deux
The Inspired In-Law Cottage designed by Larson Shores Architects opened as part of the West Coast Green expo and conference at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. The cottage took only eight days for Eco Offsite, the green modular builder, to construct, and a day to install on the Bay-side site. The modules arrived yesterday at sunrise.
The crane hoists the first module into place beside the pier. See the three foundation outlines ready to receive their units on the right.
Later in the morning, the three modules have been connected to form the cottage, and the furniture is piled up in the parking lot, ready to be installed.
By sunset the buttoning up work is almost complete; The Inka Wall Garden by Inka Biospheric Systems is by the front door; Two Rainwater Hog vertical cisterns are against the house at the far right.
Just after dusk Room & Board has completed the installation of all the furnishings and the home is ready for its close-up. A ten-foot high ceiling, and deftly placed windows make the living room feel spacious.
The kitchenette side has room for a small table and two chairs beside the under- counter refrigerator and storage cabinet.
The shower is surfaced in elegant Hakatai mosaic tile made from recycled glass. The floor tile (from The Tile Shop) also uses recycled material. Thanks to the Kaldewei shower tray it’s a roll-in shower.
The bedroom has room for twin side tables,
and a built-in desk with a roll-up counter and an artfully placed window to preserve privacy.
In addition to those manufacturers already mentioned, many others contributed to the success of the project, including: Cree LED Lighting; Kelly-Moore Enviro Coat paint; kitchen cabinets from Studio Marler; Swanstone eco-friendly counters; shelving: Rev-A-Shelf; solar energy: Sol-Solutions; Trex decking; cork flooring by Wicanders.
Early comments by the crowds who toured the home today were not limited to observations about aging in place. They ranged from”I’d like to put one on my warehouse roof” to “I want it for my backyard studio.”
I think several could be put together to form a compound or a small neighborhood, as this sketch showing the four different cottage styles begins to suggest.
Anything is possible when you start with thoughtful design: it’s not just aging in place, it’s architecture in place!