Micropolis Houses® - A Little History

As a kid growing up in NC, I used to wonder about the many mobile homes I saw everywhere.  I realized even then that they filled a great need for small housing options but when I visited friends who lived in these, I was struck at how the lack of adequate daylight made them bleak.  They also smelled of chemicals and most are still made with products that outgas dangerous formaldehyde fumes.

Right out of architecture school, I bought and renovated a tiny mill house in Hillsborough. It was 850 square feet and built in the early 1900s.  I took out a few strategic walls and put in a huge south-facing window that lit up the whole house — bringing sunlight to furthest interior wall in the winter when the sun was low. I felt like a queen in that little house!  After renovation it felt brighter and more open than houses many times its size. I put money into details that made a difference like better materials. That house taught me a lot about what a small house could be. 

So a few years ago I began working on a solution -- or rather, many solutions.

I call them Micropolis Houses®-- a collection of Modern “tiny home” to "small home" plans I’ve designed that range from 150 to 1500 square feet and can be customized to meet specific buyers' needs and preferences.  

I hope Micropolis Houses® will fill a need for people looking for something between the standard builder-designed homeplans market and full architectural services.

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