Micro Unit Living
Micro Units are housing units that are small, or at least smaller than most units. They are close in size to hotel room sizes (250–450 square feet). Countries that have tight and expensive housing markets like parts in Asia, where people are renting out closets, is not what I am talking about here. Housing costs in Silicon Valley skyrocketed in the 1990s and 2000s, forcing many of the high-tech labor force to live in garages more than an hour outside of their workplace.
Austin is not far from following the course of Silicon Valley’s history, in terms off its own housing crisis. The median home price has skyrocketed to the mid-$300,000s. Micro Units have been seen as one of many solutions for Austin. The Chicon Micro Unit project is hoping to be the first micro unit FOR SALE / OWNERSHIP project in Austin.
Fannie Mae has a minimum square footage of 400sf for any home that will be owned through a mortgage they back. That means, for The Chicon, the unit sizes will start at 400s and go up to 700sf.
