Turns empty lot into Pocket Neighborhood of 4 shotgun houses
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- čas přidán 3. 02. 2024
- Just outside the historic downtown of Waco, Texas (Dr. Pepper was founded here in 1885), you normally find small bungalows drowned by large lots, but Cameron Bell has squeezed four narrow houses onto his quarter acre, creating a pocket neighborhood of unique homes (shotgun house and dogtrot house included).
It all started when Cameron Bell was visiting his parents in his hometown of Waco, Texas, when he saw a boarded-up shotgun house being prepped for demolition, so he contacted the owner, who offered it to him if he could find a place to move it. Bell found a sliver of a lot (just 48 feet wide) where the home was rebuilt (on the show Fixer Upper) with a lofted second bedroom accessible by retractable stairs on a counterweight system.
A couple years later, he bought the lot next door, and using the city's new Small Lot Ordinance, which shrunk the minimum lot size, he began to build 3 new homes. All of the new homes are small, with the dogtrot house the narrowest at about 12-feet-wide. The dogtrot design, like the shotgun, has rooms lined up in a row, but this one consists of two living areas divided by a covered porch.
Not wanting the homes to appear too uniform, he staggered them on the lot and created unique builds for each one. As an homage to the city's historic downtown, Bell created a two-story brick building that resembles the old storefronts with housing above a shop.
To create a home more suited for families, he designed a wider structure with a large living space and two tiny bedrooms divided by an atrium. The bedrooms are so narrow that when he saw them constructed, he was worried they wouldn’t fit a bed (it just fits).
/ 7southwaco
More on the concept of "pocket neighborhood": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocket_...
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This guy nailed it! I am so tired of the lack of creativity and the cookie cutter nature of new residential neighborhoods in my area. I really appreciate all the planning and design and thoughtfulness that was put into this project. well done!
Well, consistency has been a huge part of building codes for pretty much forever, far before the HOA bullshit we have today. Sure, they may have different individual details, but just look at NYC's old townhouses. Many of them are exactly the same, with different color palates.
This is a tourist area and these are AirBNBs…fitting as many individual units as you can makes you more money. Common sense…not creative.
@@cghoward70 these places arent rented/leased out or sold to families ? That defeats the whole purpose of creating more actual homes .
I like the designs too, but those houses are too close together. I want some room in between. That's why people moved out of the cities.
@@safeandeffectivelolthey are really close together, but that’s the point. The goal of building houses like this is to increase density close to downtowns.
Love the "Pocket Community" aspect to this, creating/revitalizing a micro-neighborhood within a community where one didn't exist.
It is not going to be a "pocket" anything. When a rich neighborhood lets this happen anyone who can move will and the whole place takes a nose dive in value and the only people living there are ones that can not afford someplace else. In every city across the south there are multiple examples. It never changes it always happens.
Perfect example of missing middle. Also a neighborhood of these would be great complete with relaxed zoning laws to allow commercial properties to be mixed in
It takes courage to build like this outside the accepted model. I think most people aren't willing to invest in a project like this where the return is less predictable, and that's a shame. This is how you revitalize cities!
It's true. It takes an original esthetic sense and some passion to truly revitalize and create.
ALSO, as he mentioned, it takes a lot more TIME to build like this man has. Most developers and builders just don't work that way.
"Courage" is not the word the three neighbors will have in mind when they face the reality of sharing a single, one car width, wrap around driveway. Imagine having to ask your neighbor to move their car so you can get out of the driveway. Imagine, instead of a little private patio out your back door, you instead have a communal parking lot and shares circular driveway that might have through traffic 24/7.
The only thing more insane and ignorant than the design is anyone who would subject themselves to daily headaches and intrinsic irritations by (no doubt temporarily) choosing to live in this failed experiment.
@@robertzabinski6083 The weird driveway means no backyard, shared inconvenience... the tiny bedrooms where a bed "just fits"... no garages... it's bold, but it's a weird bold.
@@robertzabinski6083 oh, someone was too busy being negative and derogatory to notice the car parking spaces (where there is now a trailer, for example). I would do one or two things differently, but to declare an entire project unusable because of a very subjective and personal car habit is a bit of a stretch.
@@deichhund Spaghetti with maple syrup washed down with a mustard, beet, and raw egg smoothie. Like the culinary arts, (residential) architecture has a time tested vocabulary. Creativity within the bounds of that vocabulary has a better chance of becoming a palatable, if not favored menu item. Reckless experiments end up in the dog bowl.
he clearly put a lot of thought into the creation of this miniature neighborhood. I wish more developers would look at projects with a similar approach. He diddnt have to, but he did. That speaks magnitudes
The downstairs in the brick building begs for a neighborhood coffeeshop!
I remember the green shotgun 2-story house from Fixer-Upper. As soon as I saw it I recognized it.
I thought that I saw the drawbridge steps there.
My dude did an excellent job of making that brick building look like an old building that got a facelift instead of a new build cosplaying as vintage. Good for him!
We need more neighborhoods like this, these soulless poorly build cookie cutter homes are a disaster. I want more people to be able to afford homes and I think building smaller higher quality homes is the way to do it as compared to large poorly build cookie cutters. I also love that he saved the shotgun home from demolition, older homes are build way better than modern homes with higher quality proper two by lumber. Once my business is to the point of reinvesting I want to build a few little neighborhoods like this in my city to hopefully help with affordability.
That's $950,000 for a zero lot home in downtown Waco
I love this guy!!! He should be a city planner/developer. Such great optimistic energy and great ideas!
His project is beautiful and creative. BUT, NOT FOR NOTHIN, if he can't give credit to Chip and Joanna Gaines for their concept and design on the shotgun house, I find everything else he says about his part in developing the project suspect. SHAME ON HIM. Give credit where due. Team work mays the dream work.
Having lived in Louisiana my whole life, I'm very used to shotgun houses. I love the way he used that concept in his build and the way he renovated that house was delightful.
Me, too. My understanding was that they were created from barges going down the Mississippi-hence the uniformity.
I’m old & was looking at living in a container house but it may be cheaper to work with studio shed & build something. Love the house.
Too bad he took credit for someone else’s work/design.
@@PatriciaStevens-rv6kn Exactly - Joanna Gaines.
@@user-kx7rs2fp4w Yes they were made with bargeboards. But , in New Orleans many of the lots were long and skinny, so I think it has more to do with lot size than building material.
@@janmarchand7294 I’m in Ms. & often travel across the river to NewOrleans. Love the shotgun houses. I got married on Burgundy St in the chapel w/ that red door & all the chandeliers. I love the French inspired & Spanish mix w/ all the old historic places.
Love the shotgun houses around Tipatina & Tulane
Love how he used the size of the property, reused material, referred to his mate often (A good sign of a happy union).
This is the house from Fixer Upper. I’m surprised he didn’t mention that. Odd. He must have been the owner but I thought I remember a young couple. I saw it was for sale for $950k. I hope that was a mistype! Those are LA prices. And for essentially a studio apt. I thought everyone from CA was moving to Texas because it is so cheap. Yikes! Nicely done property but whew that’s pricey! And, as always, Kirsten’s video is fabulous!
I have in the text that he was helped by the show for that first build. Though they weren't part of the other builds which was the focus of this video (his work using the small lot ordinance to build density and a diversity of housing on one lot). He also admitted that he could have gone for more density and just put in an apartment building, but I thought these 4 different styles on one lot was charming and well worth a video. Thanks for the comment-- not all videos are fabulous, but very kind of you.
23:15 @@Kara_2505
Wow, what's the point of building small if it's not affordable? Shame.
I thought so, too. I remember that episode and the staircase that can be lifted up...yes, interesting it was never mentioned. I got the initial impression that this guy in the video built it.
950k for only one unit not all of them? No wonder no bank wants to finance this project. That is insanity.
Love what this guy is doing with old, derelict houses and repurposing them in the same general neighborhood. Very original designs and great vision.
Really like his mixed home style, it's a great way to showcase usable space and still have some flair to the styles. Fantastic 😍
This guy is brilliant! He's a social visionary, and having fun doing it.
No he’s not…he used the popularity of HGTV’s Fixer Upper who moved/renovated the first shotgun house to create a demand for the other AirBNBs he built next to it, and now he’s using Kirsten to help him sell them all. That’s not visionary.
Oh. Obviously I did not know that (I live in a small country and don't watch tv). Thanks for the heads up. I don't know how I feel about Kirsten now. I thought she was infallable.@@cghoward70
Wasn't that first house designed and built by Chip and Joanna Gaines from HGTV? I think the storyline was that he owned a coffee shop with his wife and they wanted a home. He and his wife moved into the house.
12:19 - "it's not perfect and it doesn't feel like it should be." It certainly jives with the overall aesthetic. Good job.
I love this guy!
I especially appreciate that he respects and takes advantage of 3 dimensions. I never understood the focus on area, neglecting volume, as if we don't experience and use all directions of space.
We helped build a “shotgun” house in Sheridan, Wyoming back in 2013 as part of a Habitat for Humanity project. We were told that the “shotgun” feature referred to a long, narrow house with the front and back doors and the doors/openings between rooms all line up. This would make it possible to open the front and back doors and shoot a shotgun through the house. No idea if that’s actually true or not, and the house we worked on had the passages between rooms offset, so it did not conform exactly to this definition/description.
I remember the tiny house reno on “FIXER UPPER”.
Chip and Joanna built the first home. Its nice to know he bought the neighboring lot.
This is like The Curse. It's the gentrifier neighborhood🤘😆
You may find yourself living in a shotgun shack....
but there's no where to park your large automobile
…and you may find yourself in another part of the world…
Same as it ever was …
Same as it ever was..
There is water in the bottom of the ocean!
Fabulous. Although I’m surprised he didn’t install underfloor heating . Putting a large concrete slab on the floor is a superb idea. - breath thermal mass or thermal buffering…… we would normally put Underfloor Heating (a radiant wet system). Just like the Romans did that way your feet are lovely and warm in winter….. In the summer, you can even run cold water through it
Thanks for another great video! It's crazy that this was the first time this guy ever did something like this. I love the esthetic and his reasons for doing it all. The world needs more people doing this!
Great urban creativity. Nothing worse than cookie cutter streets. Thanks for sharing your passion.🍁🤙
This guy has imagination and courage to go against the flow. This development is so great on many levels. I just love that it has heart and soul. Others may be inspired to make a difference. Love it.♥
And the know-how or at least the audacity to be so danged optimistic.
How much fun is that!🎉
The genius, isn't the finished project, it's the man who envisioned it. Loan him more money !!!
So this guy did this house? Brilliant!! Looks a lot like a house that I saw on Fixer Upper.
It is the Fixer Upper house
Yes the shotgun house is from Fixer Upper (as I mention in the text), but the rest of the houses are his idea. That's the real focus of this story are what he's trying to do with 4 houses on one lot. I like all the different styles, particularly the dogtrot house.
I said the same thing he did Not Built this house . This the same house from Fixer Upper.. 😂😆 Lol
@@kirstendirksen He seemed to be saying that the shotgun house was his idea and he had to do the logistics of moving it and everything. Was the Fixer Upper episode phony? Did they not really do all the work on that house?
So you can rent out the space with the kitchen & living room as an office space without a bathroom? And the other space with the bathroom and bedroom can be rented out as a separate apartment?
I like the first shotgun house. The build was documented on Fixer Upper. It was cool seeing the house moved and all of the little things they had to do to make it turn out so great 😀
I was thinking I had seen that house before when I saw the loft over the kitchen.
I wasn't really keen on the all brick building because I thought it was supposed to be a home and it didn't really match the other three homes he built. But after listening to him I realized he envisioned it as a commercial space. I liked his energy and kind demeanor. And it was obvious that he cared about what he built. That it wasn't just about making money.
No, i think he likes it to 'seem' like an old fashioned commercial space with an apartment above but in reality it's 2 separate apartments, he just hasn't put the back stairs in yet.
@@sorscha1308 no its one single home. Go watch the show The master bedroom, etc. are upstairs and the main living area is the first floor.
Love watching your videos. I've been watching your home tours for years. I think the first one I saw was the underground house done by the guy that helped geese or ducks fly south for the winter.
Can you please send me the link to that video? Thank you.
I believe I saw that green house restored on a TV show some time ago.
I love this. I love snall houses and I often dream of doing different architectural styles such as the brownstone, art deco , midcentury and Mediterranean. I think its great for architectural students to study and practice on a smaller scale.
Yes, it's hard to choose just one.
All of these are absolutely beautiful but I think you should screen in the dog Trot and put a screen door on it. That would make it a true dog trot house.
that's a good idea... provide cover and security for nighttime walk back and forth.
@@tailgatecarpenter26 it's not for multiple dogs it's for the person who lives there their dog or two
Love the brick built house, but it is never going to look old because of the windows. A 'shotgun house' is one where you can stand at the front door and shot straight through to the back door. @16:39, love the tiling but it's odd having to walk through an open space to reach another room. @21:00, love the engraving. From a distance, I thought the door was corten steel. The block would make a nice family compound, but the units are too small and close together to make good neighbours.
agree with your comments regarding the "dog trot" house, Imagine wanting a snack at midnight on a stormy night... having to walk outside to the other side. Maybe add drop down shutters for the winter season? but cute house.
This is super cool. I love that he mentioned that people think they need a bunch of space, but when they see these houses they say, "I could actually live here."
Socially, there's still a long way to go (1 parking spot required per bedroom is an absolute insane law) but this kind of work really helps people see that there are other ways outside of endless sprawl.
What's lacking is commitment from local governments and imagination. This guy nailed it! This type of housing is highly desirable, doable, and practical.
Guy didn’t mention Chip and Joanna Gaines (HGTV “Fixer Upper”) when discussing the first shotgun house that was moved. It likely wouldn’t have happened without them and DEFINITELY wouldn’t be as valuable without them. Kirsten should’ve done her research and called him out for taking full credit.
I love the brick loft. I would love to live in it.
That first house looks almost identical what Joanne and Chip Gaines renovated several years ago, including the drawbridge stairs.
It is that house
Id love if multi home lots became more common for multi-generation living and increased walkability in downtown areas. The different styles that share general shapes like tall windows and colors look so cute together.
It also solves so many things, like children not being able to afford homes and parents getting older.
Not to pick nits, lol, but the term "shotgun house" usually has a door at the end of the house so that you could fire a shotgun at the front door and it could pass throush the house and out the back door without hitting anything. So the reference has slightly less to do with how skinny they were but the simple, long layout (and doors at both ends ;?)
Oh, watching them move that house brought back memories. My dad was a contractor in the fifties/sixties, and specialized in concrete work and house moving with an Army surplus 6X6. We watched several of the moves. When Weyerhauser sold off the company homes next to their sawmill (yes, I grew up in Twin Peaks), they moved several of them to new locations. He built our home from a chicken house a client gave him in payment.
They did such a good job on the brick building: it really does capture the look of an authentic small town/cityk business building.
I like how the shotgun house is raised. I hope they plan on building a deck in the rear of the upper floor of the brick building, otherwise watch that first step, it's a doozy!
ONE OF MY FAVORITE FIXER UPPER HOMES DONE BY CHIP AND JOANNA GAINES!!! ABSOLUTELY LOVE WHAT CHIP AND JOANNA DID TO PRESERVE THIS HOUSE! Fixer upper season 3
So awesome….the brick one, I thought, was old and already there. Love the tile, love the details on barn door.
I love the community concept and the fact he didn’t make the houses cookie cutter. The dog house is interesting. Overall his project is amazing
Kudos to this guy. Super creative. It's awesome to see passionate people. Entrepreneurs are the backbone of society.
YES! I was like isn't that the house from fixer upper??!
Great ideas in use here. I can imagine a small coffee shop with al fresco seating out the front in the brick building.
So inspiring. Would be great to team up with a landscape architect to suggest affordable solutions for providing privacy. Vines on screens, trellis, etc. Great ideas for cities like Detroit and Saginaw with a lot of small empty lots. Wish they could be proactive about building quality small homes on small lots. Not everyone wants, needs or can afford the average size house. Kudos to those who are changing the cities one creative solution at a time. And to you for telling the world about them.😊 TFS
In ideal world I'd like to see structures at 90° to each other than 0°. That and turf block pavers instead of concrete driveways. It's an epic build and hope he does more in this genre. Puts developers and planners on notice to up their game.
I was thinking about Detroit, too. This looks like areas downtown and in Hamtramck.
love the houses but that dam stairway is a deal breaker 🤣
Guy has balls. Was the moving of that shotgun house worth it? Seems like they rebuilt the whole thing anyway.
I wonder if permits and taxes came into play. Sometimes it’s cheaper to “renovate” a building rather than build from scratch
Taxes.
A balance combination of neat design and cozy. Great job.
I love that you created a visual interest, hopefully encouraging more walking interest as well.
Love his designs and wanting to stay with the old style. ❤
This guy has a great eye and really positive energy. He says he has a day job but this should be his day job!
What an inspiration! I love that this was not necessarily done with max profit in mind, but beauty and timelessness are at the top of the list. Thank you for bringing beauty to such a sterile building era.
Absolutely love this, so proud of him for showing what can be done thoughtfully. These are beautiful. I hope his ideas are replicated throughout America. Thank you for this spotlight on something meaningful. ❤❤❤
He’s so iconic. The way he has a vision and just goes along and learns along the way. It’s amazing! I love it
Finally! New buildings with the traditional look!
This is actually a brilliant idea. Doesn’t have to be done in just urban environments either. So much could be done with this concept even on this small scale.
Man, I love what this guy is doing but how much rent is he going to have to charge to just cover his cost? He is putting a lot of quality into these units.
wouldnt hVE been cheaper just to built a new shotgun home.. other than sentimental value I cant help but think of house costly moving, new foundation, new pillars, new roof .... it basically a new home... so why start with a crack house, I admire him reusing stuff thats already here tho
Excellent creativity! Unique, small comfortable homes.
It really is a good message. A lot of noteworthy and respectable points and suggestions made respectfully.
I love how he meshes the old time look with the modern touches! Shotgun houses making a return... I never thought I'd see the day but, it makes so much sense in today's world where starter homes are needed as well as smaller living.
Great idea. Love the shotgun house. Ty for always sharing.
Creative and hard-working. It's good to see the city showing flexibility with lot dimensions and Cameron cleverly designing to take advantage of it.
Is this guy suggesting that he designed the blue shotgun house? Chip and Joanna Gaines designed this house. I watched that episode years ago. What’s going on with that? Before he even went over to it, I was telling my husband all about it and what was inside.
That shotgun house sure looks like the house Chip and Joanna Gaines fixed up years ago. From top to bottom
I 100% see the goal of this lot to recreate a community that is timeless, it’s appreciating how this seems to be on everyone’s focus more and more when it comes to homes.
I love how he went for all different designs. I think it's brilliant. I think these smaller homes are beautiful. They should start allowing this more. We have a lot of people who need homes.
Great concept and very little grass to mow. I love it. Great vision.....kudos to you.
Cool, I live in an old wartime neighborhood and I love the charm and character of all the old little houses.
I've collected so many ideas for homes that'll never work together in a single home. This guy had the same problem and decided to just build multiple different homes to implement everything he found interesting. Solid idea.
great work on the property --- great work on the video production
I love this! The shotgun house looks almost exactly like the one they did on the show Fixer Upper. I’m surprised the city allowed these though.
Beautiful execution! I love the variety of the spaces inside and out. This is all very inspirational.
I'm from AR and a "Shotgun House" is a narrow house were you can stand at the front door, look straight thru the house, and see out the back door...just like looking through the barrel of a SHOTGUN!😁
Why is there so little yard space? Why is there a middle house at all? He's very charismatic, but which house would you choose to live in? They look directly into each other., so now you live with your blinds pulled forever. These will probably be used not for families, but for Air B and B, or students, or corporate housing.
Why didn’t he give credit to Chip & Joanna Gaines for the shotgun build with the loft?
That house was free as long as they moved it and Joanna came up with a lot if not most of the interior design.
It seems odd that he doesn’t give them any credit.
Yes I thought I recognized the redo.
This was entirely his idea.... the house, moving it, the new lot, etc. He basically said "Here's what I'm doing, do you want to do it for one of your episodes?".
Of course they have to film it in the theme of the show, as if the ideas are theirs, but this was all his idea from the get go.
There was some fallout after the show about him AirBnB'ing it, instead using it as a primary residence. Not sure if Chip & Joanna got involved, but the show producers thetw him under the bus in the media for taking advantage of the show for an investment property. Which was stupid because, again, the free house and moving it across town was his idea before they even got involved... he handed them a unique episode idea, and they didn't have to take it.
You can feel the passion when he talks about his projects. I love this.
Courage, indeed! And look at the result. We need more folks like this to turn our urban neighborhoods around.
Luv his take on building! Luv the mashup of vernacular and styles. More builders should be going this.
I love this guy's energy, commitment to design and his community. This is the kind of urban revitalization we need in many US cities. All it takes is a little creativity. The drone clone buildings of Seattle are nauseating and cheaply constructed. They will eventually become money pits. 💰
Really a smart man.
Innovative.
Plus he has a happy great personality.
Love what he has done.
I love the brick store-front building. It reminds me of the configuration of home/shops in Detroit. Beautiful.
I absolutely love his idea!!!! Finally, an idea that reincorporates underutilized space and makes it function and available to all people. I love the shotgun style home. As an architect and Designer this is what I live for. Purposeful spaces how we live and in line with proper utilization.
Awesome !!! Great builds. Great video. Love all your videos.
it looks like a salesman's sample lot showcasing different options a builder can do
Congratulations! Looks really cool and comfortable.
I LOVE the brick one…just gorgeous! ❤
I love all of these. Especially the brick one. What a fabulous concept.
Love all of his houses!
Very efficient use of allotted area, great mixing up combination of aesthetics. Avoids looking homogenous and gentrified by historical nods to Waco’s urban brownstone past and the modern upgrading of the shotgun house. Well done and congratulations to this gentleman. Much respect from Fiji.🇫🇯👍😎
Love everything about this! Very creative!
Just beautiful
GENIUS!!! I Love everything about this. I'm so Inspired. Thanks for Sharing!
Great work, varied designs, nice urban planning!
People aren't doing this more because it's not practical.
1) The size and functionality of a place like this is literally only useable if you're single - maybe if you're a couple for a few years (speaking from experience).
2) People act like cookie-cuttter developments is something new. Even older European cities and towns did that. The difference is, their traditional architecture happened to be more beautiful than the post-modern designs people are used to seeing in modern cities.
3) People always have the option to build something unique, but that comes at a premium few want to pay - including those who complain about these trends.
4) Housing like this could be a good option for young people who are college students, but they're not practical for families. This is where the real need for square footage comes in. People used to live in tiny houses with large families 100 years ago, and there's a good reason why we left that behind. It's incredibly difficult to live like that.
On a side note - I don't see something like this really taking off in Texas where size is king. No one in their right mind would want to choose a smaller place when they can easily afford to buy something 3 times the size, except for the few who are big tiny house fans.