Permitting Your Portland ADU: A Step by Step Guide

In a nutshell, your ADU permit serves as proof that your new space meets the appropriate building codes and satisfies specific safety requirements laid out by Portland’s Bureau of Development Services (BDS).  And, as with any bureaucratic procedure, obtaining a building permit can be a complex, lengthy, and often overwhelming process. But we’re here toContinue reading “Permitting Your Portland ADU: A Step by Step Guide”

Living Apart, Together: How Croatia Does Multifamily Housing

As Americans, we’re used to the idea of flying the coop at 18 and fending for ourselves. But this norm is starting to lose steam as droves of young people move back in with their parents out of economic necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic. What’s more, as the population grows and the need for newContinue reading “Living Apart, Together: How Croatia Does Multifamily Housing”

This Revolutionary New Zoning Law Could Help Solve Oregon’s Housing Crisis

By 2035, the state of Oregon is set to construct 100,000 new homes.  But as real estate and construction prices skyrocket due to Oregon’s increasing population, the aftershocks of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the legacy of exclusionary zoning laws, it’s been unclear how exactly one of these new homes could become a reality for theContinue reading “This Revolutionary New Zoning Law Could Help Solve Oregon’s Housing Crisis”

Choosing Materials for Your ADU

Recognize interdependence. The elements of human design are entwined with and depend upon the natural world, with broad and diverse implications at every scale. Expand design considerations and recognize distant effects. Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, William McDonough, Michael Braungart Why ADU materials matter So, you’ve made the decision to goContinue reading “Choosing Materials for Your ADU”

Multigenerational Living: What’s old is new again

If you’re already a part of a household with more than two generations living together, you may remember your elders’ stories of what it was like back when less square footage and more people was more common. You may have even told a few stories yourself.  These days, more and more Americans are getting familiarContinue reading “Multigenerational Living: What’s old is new again”

What Is an ADU?

You have options when it comes to realizing your dreams of living smaller. Curious about ADUs? Here’s some reasons folks choose to go with Accessory Dwelling Units and the basics you’ll need to know as you make your big decisions.