2024 Updates
ALLIED8 INNOVATES NEW HOUSING TYPOLOGY
"Suites" help solve housing affordability in Seattle
When Leah and Barbara founded Allied8 in 2015, one of the promises they made to each other was to develop a project. That development couldn’t just be a run of the mill development but rather, it had to be something that served as an example of how a small firm could contribute to housing affordability in Seattle and elsewhere. They set their sights on single family zones (now called Neighborhood Residential in Seattle) and more specifically, on building affordable homes in single family zones.
Their premise was very simple - the average size of a home in Seattle is 2,600 SF and costs $900,000. If that average home could be divided by 3 owners, then theoretically each owner would be allotted 860 SF and it would cost them $300,000 each. But to do that in a way that people would want to purchase a part of a home that also complied with Seattle’s Zoning code, that meant Allied8 had to create a new housing typology that didn’t otherwise exist on the market, and it would have to rely on the fact that people would be willing to share certain spaces within their home.
Allied8 got to work! We drew, we interviewed hopeful first time home buyers, we drew more, we created financial proformas and construction budgets, we kept drawing and then we bought a property. Out of this effort, the “Suite” was born and is on full display at our first development, Corvidae Co-op, in the Rainier Valley.
The Anatomy of the “Suite”
A conventional dwelling unit contains rooms we use every day and rooms that we may only use once a week, once a month or less. The “suite” distills the dwelling down to only the rooms and features that are used on a daily basis. The rooms and features that are used less frequently are pulled out of the private dwelling and placed in the communal space, making the “suite” more affordable than a conventional dwelling unit because an owner is paying a privacy premium only on what is used every day, and the rest is split amongst all the other owners.
Additionally, we have proven that people want more choice than what is on the market. Corvidae sold out its suites before it sold out its conventional units. We now have 6 comps that future projects can utilize for loan underwriting and appraising. The market is undeniably there. With 366,000 renters, Seattle now has more renters than homeowners for the first time in more than 100 years. If only 10% of that population wanted to own a home in Seattle (we believe the number is much higher) then the market for “suites” is robust.
“Suites” are a powerful tool that enable architects and developers to introduce affordability into neighbors that have been out of reach for so many individuals in Seattle.
For Corvidae Co-Op tours and media inquiries click here.
Suite Living Room and Kitchenette
Common Kitchen