I live in a college town…and I am thinking…for an investment…about building a number of smaller “cute” residences to rent out to students, primarly grad students, post-docs, etc.
Is there a minimum size for a residential structure? I’m in NY state…I know I have to check with my local folks.
I can imagine something as small as 12×20 being a palace to me when I was a graduate student. I imagine a group of these buildings, perhaps something made out of log with a little “style” to them. Something overall inexpensive. A studio type deal, but free standing. Appealing for privacy, a small place to call my own, to return to for a few hours of sleep. That’s about all the average student would need. On the bus line preferred.
Egress has to be covered, etc. But is their a minimum size in the IBC or something?
Thanks.
Replies
I lived in a row house once that was quite small. The nice thing was I had my own front door and a sliding glass door in back off the bedroom where each unit had a small patio. The units were staggered, so my unit stuck out in front, then the patio was like an alcove. Guy next to me had an alcove sort of front entry, and his patio stuck out in back. Such a row house would be more efficient to heat than isolated units. If you are set on individual units, you may also look into a PUD (planned unit development). There are advantages if your zoning has this designation. You get to "crowd" the housing units, usually on a cul-de-sac, and the remaining land is used for shared park/recreation. It allows for more efficent layout of services. In my town there is a minimum of three acres for a PUD, but you are allowed to put more units on the three acres than you would if you just subdivided it normally.