Glossary of Terms
Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU): a self-contained apartment that is either attached to a principal dwelling or in a separate structure on the same property. Typically the principal dwelling is an owner-occupied single family house. Sometimes called an “in law” apartment.
Affordable housing: Housing for someone earning less than 80% of the Area Median Income that they can afford. Housing is considered affordable if you spend less than 30% of your income on housing (for homeownership this is mortgage principal, interest, taxes, insurance and any mandatory association fees).
Cluster development: Building homes on smaller lots so the same number of homes is clustered on a smaller portion of the total available land. The remaining land, which would have been allocated to individual home sites, is now converted into protected open space and shared by the residents of the subdivision and possibly the entire community. The main objective of cluster development is to allow residential, or even commercial, development while still protecting the area’s environmental features, allowing for more open space, and protecting farmland and the character of rural communities.
Cohousing: Cohousing is an intentional community of private homes clustered around shared space. Each attached or single family home has traditional amenities, including a private kitchen. Shared spaces typically feature a common house, which may include a large kitchen and dining area, laundry, and recreational spaces. Shared outdoor space may include parking, walkways, open space, and gardens. Neighbors also share resources like tools and lawnmowers.
Households have independent incomes and private lives, but neighbors collaboratively plan and manage community activities and shared spaces. The legal structure is typically a Home Owners Association, Condo Association, or Housing Cooperative. (Source: Cohousing.org)
Community Land Trust: A model for affordable housing whereby a community-based non-profit owns land and leases it to homeowners with a 99 year renewable lease. This increases access to land and removes the land from speculation.
Compact development: aims for a more efficient use of land through higher-density planning. It can be applied in new urban development as well as redevelopment projects such as infill or brownfield development. Benefits of compact development include: reducing sprawl; reducing dependency on private car use; creating walkable environments; increasing economic efficiency in delivering basic urban services.
Cottage Housing: is a new model of clustered single family housing that provides a transition between single family housing neighborhoods and higher density areas, creating a development pattern that maximizes land values, reduces infrastructure costs and provides housing next to services.
Density bonuses: a zoning tool that permits developers to build more housing units, taller buildings, or more floor space than normally allowed, in exchange for provision of a defined public benefit, such as a specified number or percentage of affordable units included in the development.
Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Rater: Someone who analyzes the energy use of your planned building project before construction and then inspects and tests the home to see that it meets energy efficiency standards.
Inclusionary zoning: a tool that can be used by municipalities to ensure adequate affordable housing is included in the normal course of real estate development. It requires a portion of the housing units in certain real estate developments to be reserved as affordable to low- and moderate-income households.
Infill development: building in areas that already have significant development vs. clearing natural spaces for construction. For small homes, this may mean looking for “back yards” or empty lots in existing neighborhoods big enough to create a new building lot or an ADU.
Manufactured Homes A manufactured home is any home factory-built in the U.S. to the HUD Title 6 construction standards (commonly known as ‘the HUD-code’). The HUD-code took effect June 15, 1976. A manufactured home is built on a permanent chassis to ensure transportability. However, typically a manufactured home is not moved from its initial installed site. (Source: NADA Guides)
Modular homes A modular home is any home factory-built to a local state code. A modular home can be built as an “on-frame” or “off-frame” modular. On-frame will be built on a permanent chassis, whereas, the off-frame modular will be built with removal of the chassis frame in mind. An off-frame modular will usually require additional cranes to assist with home placement. Modular homes are, more often than not, attached to private land. (Source: NADA Guides)
Mobile Home A mobile home is a factory-built home that is 1) built before June 15, 1976, and 2) not built to a uniform building code. (Source: NADA Guides)
Tiny house movement Simply put, it is a social movement where people are choosing to downsize the space they live in. The typical American home is around 2,600 square feet, whereas the typical small or tiny house is between 100 and 400 square feet. Tiny houses come in all shapes, sizes, and forms, but they enable simpler living in a smaller, more efficient space. People are joining this movement for many reasons, but the most popular reasons include environmental concerns, financial concerns, and the desire for more time and freedom. (Source: The Tiny Life)
Small homes Small homes range anywhere between 400 to 1500 square feet depending on the number of inhabitants and their lifestyles. In most cases, though, 400 to 1000 square feet is what most people in the tiny housing world consider small but it’s all really a matter of opinion. (Source: Tiny House Talk) For this project we are generally discussing homes in the 400-900 sq ft range. The average home size in the Northeast in 2010 was 2,613 sq ft. (Source: Census)
Small Lot Zoning: Zoning that allows for greater density than typical suburban growth patterns and is often more consistent with historic development patterns of downtowns and villages. May allow for less frontage or acreage required per dwelling. Specific examples may include “flag lots” or other infill lots, zero lot line development, no frontage or acreage requirements, setting lot size per square feet of units instead of size by number of units, bonus densities, cottage housing development or other strategies that look at use intensity. The city of Northampton featured small lot zoning in their “Small lot, big ideas” design competition.
Smart Growth: strategies that focus the creation of new homes in areas with infrastructure (sewer, water, transportation) and services (shopping, jobs, etc.). For more Smart Growth Terms check out this page: https://www.mass.gov/envir/smart_growth_toolkit/pages/glossary.html
Stationery Homes: House built on a permanent foundation, crawl space or on permanent piers approved by a building inspector.
Yestermorrow: Yestermorrow Design/Build School teaches over 100 hands-on workshops a year in design, construction, woodworking, and architectural craft and offers a variety of courses concentrating in sustainable design. Our intensive, hands-on courses are taught by top architects, builders, and craftspeople from across the country. For people of all ages and experience levels, from novice to professional.
YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard): A grassroots movement to promote the creation of new affordable housing through smart growth strategies in response to the “Not In My Back Yard” (NIMBY) attitudes that developers often face when new housing is planned.
Zero-lot-line Development: A development option where side yard restrictions are reduced and the building abuts a side lot line. Overall unit-lot densities are therefore increased. Zero-lot-line development can result in increased protection of natural resources.
Zero-Net Energy: a Zero-Net Energy building is one that is optimally efficient, and over the course of a year, generates energy onsite, using clean renewable resources, in a quantity equal to or greater than the total amount of energy consumed onsite.