A Single-Family vs. Nabr Home
Here’s How Nabr stacks up against typical South Bay housing.
As explained in our previous post about San Jose, since World War II, the South Bay has been dominated by single-family suburban homes. So, when someone’s interested in a Nabr home, they often ask us: how does a Nabr home compare? Here are three ways Nabr homes set themselves apart from typical single-family houses in the Bay area.
Part I: The Space
To compare the size of a typical South Bay house to a Nabr home, we dug into public data on the closings of single-family, two-bedroom homes in Santa Clara County (San Jose, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Cupertino, and Santa Clara) from January through April of 2022. We then calculated these homes’ average square footage and compared the results against a two-bedroom Nabr home in SoFA (downtown San Jose).
The results may surprise you: from our analysis, we found that the average size of a two-bedroom home in Santa Clara County is 1,112 SF — lower than a 1,317 SF two-bedroom Nabr home.
The average age of homes in the data set is eighty. Developers built the vast majority of these WWII-era homes in cookie-cutter fashion. These wooden frame constructions were built quickly, with inexpensive materials like wood siding and cement and without high-quality insulation. The interiors generally feature low ceilings, minimal lighting, and lots of walls.
In contrast, Nabr is co-founded by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels (of the eponymous firm BIG), known for coining the notion of hedonistic sustainability — in other words, sustainability that doesn’t come with a sacrifice of quality of life. Every design choice for a Nabr home has been made with efficiency, sustainability, and wellness in mind.
Every Nabr building is constructed from sustainably harvested mass timber (a material that’s as strong as steel yet actually reduces carbon emissions) and features high-performing insulating materials to keep heating/cooling needs low — and the building energy-efficient.
Plus, Nabr designs are infused with a Scandinavian sensibility. High ceilings and open-plan layouts shepherd in light while natural materials keep the interiors warm and inviting.
Part II: The Upkeep
Next, we wanted to understand how upkeep differs between a Nabr home and its suburban counterpart. According to one study, home maintenance costs an average Californian household $17,000 a year. Older homes, like those in the South Bay, can accrue even higher maintenance costs, with roofing, electrical issues, and more. Homeowners don’t just pay these costs, they have to manage the execution of these maintenance projects themselves.
With Nabr, instead, you pay into a homeowners association, a dues-collecting organization of fellow homeowners that supports the building (dues are determined on a prorated basis based on unit size). The cost of dues for an average two-bedroom Nabr home are projected to be $10,500/year, nearly half of the average cost of maintaining a single-family home. Plus, Nabr homeowners don’t have to take on the mental burden of managing their home’s maintenance needs.
Then there’s exterior space maintenance. Most homes in the South Bay feature large lawns, which require costly mowing, landscaping, and — worst of all — watering. In 2021, San Jose Water began instituting surcharges for residents who exceeded mandatory water usage limits, and keeping lawn grass alive can take up to 75% of a household’s water consumption budget. Given the trajectory of climate change, and California’s recent history of droughts and reservoir depletions, this cost is only likely to increase. Plus, collectively, lawns account for about half of all water use in towns and cities — an environmental cost California just can’t afford.
By contrast, a Nabr two-bedroom comes with a balcony, which can range in size from 187 square feet to 360 square feet (to help you visualize that, a two-car garage is typically 400 square feet). Instead of spending hours mowing the lawn, you can cultivate a sustainable garden on your balcony. And a Nabr balcony still has enough space for an outdoor kitchen and table for entertaining, a yoga mat or other equipment for working out, and loungers for relaxing and reading a book.
Part III: Neighborhood Livability
To compare the livability of the broader South Bay area versus SoFA One, Nabr’s first building in downtown San Jose, we leaned on Walk Score, a rigorous data set used by leading researchers in urban planning and real estate. We compared SoFA One’s Walk Score to the average scores of towns in Santa Clara County.
Let’s start with Walk Score, which is derived from analyzing walking routes’ distances to amenities and pedestrian friendliness. The Santa Clara homes had an average Walk Score of 57, meaning most residents likely commute via car and run errands in one, too.
SoFA One achieves an extraordinary Walk Score of 95. This “paradise” status shifts the Silicon Valley narrative: a car isn’t required for everyday living. If you live in SoFA, which features wide, European-style streets, and work at one of the major companies in town, like Adobe or Zoom, work is only a 15 minute stroll away.
Next up, Bike Score, which is calculated by measuring a neighborhood’s amount of bike lanes, road connections, and bike commuters. Thanks to a bike lane that runs throughout San Jose’s downtown (and that has plans for improvement, thanks in part to Nabr’s sponsorship), SoFA One earns another “paradise”-level score: 94.
In comparison, the Santa Clara County homes earn an average Bike Score of 77. If you’re looking to avoid car ownership or at least reduce car travel — and all the emissions that come with it — the ability to easily walk and/or bike is a major advantage to living in SoFA.
Finally, we come to Transit Score, calculated based on the type and frequency of transit (rail, bus, etc.) and the accessibility of route stops. Santa Clara county only has a few nearby public transportation options, which accounts for its poor Transit Score of 38.
SoFA One, with almost double the number of nearby public transportation options (and a bus stop outside its front door), earns a “good” Transit Score of 67. Plus, major transit improvements are coming soon, with the BART and Diridon Station expansion.
Bottom line? When it comes to space, upkeep, and livability, a Nabr home in San Jose offers some serious competitive advantages to a South-Bay single-family home.
Want to learn more about SoFA One? Create a Nabr profile to get started.
Curious to do your own walking tour of the City? Check out: 72 Hours in San Jose.
