A San Francisco housing association converted a garage into three small apartments.
The apartments cost “only” $600,000 to build and were seen as a victory in the city’s housing crisis.
However, critics told the San Francisco Standard that the cost of the units was too high given the square footage.
Garages in California’s Bay Area were once the birthplaces of the world‘s biggest tech companies — today they could offer a solution to the area’s housing shortage.
A San Francisco organization converted a six-car garage into three 50- to 60-square-foot units, each with a bedroom, bathroom, and small kitchen.
The cost of building the units was nearly $600,000, officials from Mission Housing told Business Insider. They were unveiled this week in the densely populated Mission District as part of Mayor London Breed’s proposal to build housing for the elderly.
“Now more than ever, it is imperative that the San Francisco social housing development community make the most of its real estate assets to create as many affordable housing units as possible,” said Sam Moss, executive director of Mission Housing, in a statement .
Solution to the housing shortage?
In recent years, homeowners, developers and cities have been looking for ways to create more livable space on existing lots. Business Insider recently spoke to Rebecca Möller about her company, Symbihom, which converts Bay Area garages into apartments that homeowners can then rent to renters.
“My units sold for $150,000 to $220,000,” she said. “My studio apartment is 17 to 40 square meters for a one-car garage or a small two-car garage. My one or two bedroom apartment can be built in a large two car garage from 40 square meters to a 120 square meters.”
According to The San Francisco Standard, Mission Housing’s housing units have garnered attention from architects and construction professionals.
“They paid too much, but are now celebrating that they have achieved something,” Möller told the standard. “This is an example of what could be done to start building homes in a community right away, but it could be done on much cheaper terms and faster.”
Moss told the Standard that the project used an all-union construction crew and set aside funds to replace parts of the building for the next 35 years: “It could be done cheaper, but that doesn’t mean it should be done.”
“I’m not saying it’s not a lot. And I’m not trying to suggest that this is a scalable thing that will solve the housing crisis,” Moss told the Standard. “The units cost a little less than a completely new build. Things cost what they cost.”
The text was translated from English by Tristan Filges. You read the original here.