Nestled in a lightly wooded area, just north of the Lopez Community Land Trust office, is the new co-op neighborhood, Salish Way. Three new homeowners, three women and three children welcomed over 100 visitors to view their homes at their Open House on July 19. Two of the women grew up on Lopez and now, they in turn, are raising their children here.
The homeowners, together with their building partners, put in over 1,200 hours of sweat equity, alongside interns and professional carpenters. This represents the sixth neighborhood developed by LCLT over the last 26 years.
Two of the homes are considered “tiny houses” with a footprint of 390 square feet. The third home has two bedrooms plus a flex room, with a footprint of 870 square feet. These homes are designed to be net zero-that is, utilizing no more energy than is produced on site. Solar panels of 6.5 kilowatt for the homes were placed on LCLT’s nearby office buildings in order to capture horizon-to-horizon sun. Each home has high-efficiency windows, insulated blinds, an air-to-water heat pump for hot water and an air-to-air heat pump for indoor heating. The walls contain blown cellulose for insulation, rigid foam under the slab and “super tight” air sealing.
Guests were greeted with finger foods, a slideshow of the construction process and the unique decor of each homeowner. A rain shower that afternoon did nothing to dampen the spirits of the homeowners or their guests. Each home gives the sensation of privacy, despite the density, and an attractive cedar fence surrounding the neighborhood is being built.
Guests were struck by the individual arrangements and colors of the homes, from the deep yellow of the interior walls of one of the studios to the baby blue of another. Ample natural light pours through windows from all four directions in each home. The view of rooftops and a forested ridge above Fisherman Bay is visible from the south-facing living areas, and from the west one can see the rich sunsets of the island. One homeowner said that she feels as if her house is “on top of the world.” The children of Salish Way will join others at the adjacent Common Ground and Tierra Verde playground.
Future homes are planned for farther down Salish Way. For more information, see www.lopezclt.org or email lcltda@rockisland.com.
