It may seem off topic to talk about detached homes, but we also like to discuss small homes as well because most row homes are indeed on the smaller side.
This month, Tumbleweed Founder and Small House Advocate Jay Shafer will head to Occupy Wall Street to show how small houses are a viable affordable housing solution.
On his blog, Jay says, “Since the bank bailout, over 5,000,000 US homes have been foreclosed. Can you imagine what our economy might look like today if we built smaller, more affordable homes 10 years ago?” It’s a great question.
Here in Philadelphia, the classic workman’s row house is often less than 1,000 square feet and, for more than a century, it was the go-to house for modest-income Philadelphians. Although in later years row houses have grown in size along with national trends, it seems like developers are getting back to small.
Not only is small easier to afford in price, it’s also easier to adapt for lower ongoing expenses like energy costs. Yesterday, on SmartPlanet.com, there was an article about how smaller row homes are environmentally friendly and easy to make green. “For Philadelphia’s LEED Platinum urban infill project, thin is in” explained how a new row house development in Philadelphia is utilizing a narrow row house design to meet LEED requirements.
Just more reasons to love your little row house!
Row House Living 