Closing the divide on single-family living: apartment buildings are becoming more like single-family homes in terms of the comforts and possibilities the offer. See what builders and developers can do to bridge the gap.

Multifamily structures are closing the divide on single-family living, according to Robert A. Koch, of Fugleberg Koch Architects, Winter Park, Fla. Many apartment dwellers are renters by choice, looking for hassle-free living in convenient locations within walking distance of services and shops, choosing apartment living over single-family homes, Koch said.

But renters also are looking for some of the same comforts and amenities that single-family living offers, he said, such as privacy, security, ample storage and rooms that can serve several functions.

Builders and developers are able to deliver product that meets these needs, "managing density effectively with little or no compromise to the standard of living," Koch said, suggesting a few ways to do this.

MAXIMIZE UNIT FLEXIBILITY

By using every inch of available space, sometimes in creative ways, builders can offer unique apartments for their value, said Koch, who spoke in June at NAA's Education Conference & Exposition in Orlando.

Flexible Spaces. Residents are interested in rooms "that are offered without prejudice to predetermined purpose," Koch said. These rooms can accommodate a range of personal needs, such as a hobby or craft space, family room, home office, media center or guest room. Access from this room off primary living areas reflects a configuration found in single-family homes, he said.

By enclosing a balcony or patio area into a solarium--seldom increasing exterior wall area and adding little more cost than the wall and door once used to separate the outdoors from the indoors--occupants can be offered an extra space with year-round usability, Koch explained. "Window enclosed balconies often come at little increase in exterior wall area," he said. For example, where balconies are positioned with two sides defined by building walls and two sides open, it takes no more exterior wall to enclose the space than it once took to edge the balcony. Instead what is added are the interior partitions that now serve to separate the solarium from adjacent spaces. Glass areas required to complete the enclosure often cost less than the sliding glass door previously used to access the balcony. The interior space now created is usually less costly than the exterior space it replaced, Koch said, because of the elimination of special construction considerations on the former balcony.

A finished loft on top floor units also can add extra space for residents without increasing costs for developers. "These 'lofts' may be added platforms in volume ceilings or trussed attics converted to usable space with only the addition of a stairway and some finish work," Koch said. These options maintain the same size building envelope but add more space to an apartment interior with minimal framing and finishing expenses.

A third option for adding usable space is a study alcove in a lightly used corner of an apartment. Positioning a desk in a non-intrusive corner or adapting a general closet gives residents an added private function space without adding much additional expense. A 6-by-6 space with built-in work top appears like an entire extra room to the dwelling.

Unique Shapes and Places. Some creative planning can help builders and developers use interior areas that normally are not used while giving residents unique living experiences. "The push for density often results in units that capitalize on building space which generally remains unclaimed," Koch said. "Because the location is either less desirable or irregular, these units that capitalize on location become extra-ordinary."

Often, these apartments are unusual shapes or use "leftover" space, Koch said. For owners, these units allow entry-level pricing while capitalizing on less usable areas. Such units might be the attic loft, a garage apartment or a hinge unit.

An attic loft might be above a two-story garden apartment, filling the third level of a structure in the attic volume and fitting it around the volume ceilings of the garden apartment's second floor.

Space above free standing garages, which now are more common in multifamily structures, is opportunity for a small, non-premium unit. A unit over a garage capitalizes on the foundation and roof assemblies required for the garage structure, adds to the attractiveness of the structure, can grow density, appeals to select residents seeking small unit sizes and it feels appropriate when placed there, Koch said.

A hinge unit, of odd-shaped unit created by a building's irregular geometry used to adapt a building to a site or connect separate structures, also uses "leftover" space. "The odd plan here and there is seldom a problem," Koch said. "Rather, if it is well conceived, it can be a unique and preferred product."

MAXIMIZE LAND USE

In addition to fitting as much area as possible into the structures indoors, Koch explored ways to increase density while providing a sense of privacy and creating a neighborhood feeling that renters expect in single-family homes.

Townhomes. Townhome construction can fit 12 to 30 units per acre, stacking units over parking garages instead of distributing them horizontally. This approach appeals to family and executive renters, Koch said.

Detached Multifamily Dwellings. In this scenario, units are clustered into compact groupings, fitting up to 12 units in an acre. Sound privacy, private yards, attached direct-access garages and single-family construction standards have become the hallmarks of this concept, Koch explained.

Carriage Homes. Also known as coach houses, this style of structure is capable of achieving up to 20 units per acre. Units are stacked vertically, with direct-access garage parking on grade. On the exterior, this structure looks like a large house, but inside it is a collection of units, Koch explained. This type of structure offers each unit private ground-level entry, direct-access garage, car-to-unit privacy, limited private yards or terraces and a minimal need to climb stairs within a unit.

CREATE PRIVACY

Maximizing lot usage and unit space can help put more residents on a site, but giving them privacy--visually and audibly--is crucial. Good sound insulation gives residents a sense of "private domain" that is synonymous with single-family living, Koch said. For example, a screened porch in lieu of a patio slab under a balcony above, allows someone on the ground to look out but limits others from looking in, he explained.

Party walls and floor assemblies play important roles in internal sound isolation, he noted. And, insulated windows help separate exterior sounds, such as area traffic, from life indoors. Window orientation is another design element that can contribute to residents' sense of privacy, by avoiding direct views of other units, highways of parking lots, and orienting to vegetation, trees and sky whenever possible.

Another way of creating privacy and advancing a sense of community comes with the layout of buildings on a site. As with cul-de-sacs in single-family communities, multifamily communities can be designed in clusters of buildings where smaller groups of residents share a common courtyard, thus creating a neighborhood feel within the larger community. Even in rental housing, dwellings clustered in this fashion promote a sense of single-family life, Koch said, where residents can identify others who live in their "neighborhood," supplying a natural setting for socializing and building friendships quickly, Koch said, "creating a social fabric as found in their single-family counterpart in a conventional multifamily environment."

EXTERIOR ARCHITECTURE

More and more, multifamily buildings using traditional neighborhood design principles resemble single-family homes in their exterior architecture, Koch said. Buildings face streets and major parking areas are hidden. Efforts are underway to create street facades "that offer nostalgic reflections on the pre-car era," he noted. "Front porches, stoops, front yards, color variations, and row house sensibilities all are incorporated in this new 'animated and individualized street face.'"

Combined, these considerations will help builders and developers who can do much to site plan, floor plan and the interior architecture of their multifamily product to create a sense of single-family living that most premium renters crave.

Rachel F. Goldberg is an editor for UNITS magazine. She can be reached at [e-mail]. Photos courtesy of Robert A. Koch, Fugleberg Koch Architects.