If you’ve had the privilege of renting recently you may have noticed that the rent is too damn high. When I lived in Bellingham, my rent crept up about $50 each of the last 3 years. It is tragic that those who cannot afford to rent or buy to-code accommodations are instead condemned to couch-surf indefinitely or live far below code in drafty trailers, cramped cars, or sleeping bags on concrete.
Walking to work I pass flimsy lawn signs proclaiming “New homes in the $400’s!” but these same homes I witnessed left out in the rain un-sided for weeks last fall. Because of the nature of oriented strand board, or OSB, these homes will face an eventual degradation into shards of formaldehyde bonded press-board when the roof or pipes inevitably leak, exacerbating this initial water damage. Now how long will that four hundred thousand dollar investment last? How much will it cost to maintain? Will the local economy continue to buoy home values ever higher or will the homeowner suffer during the next recession?
Currently we have a housing market failure. Housing, like masks and ventilators in a pandemic, must be built ahead of time in the communities that need of those units. Due to delay in the demand-supply response cycle, demand is rarely met in some areas and homelessness is a symptom of this. Now cities like Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC are betting on doubling densities with accessory dwelling units, or ADUs. Unfortunately conventional construction can be onerous and slow along narrow city alleys. But with compact and modular Lincoln Block, deliveries can be made with pickup trucks, and blocks can be maneuvered by a single individual, and assembled without specialized equipment. This enables people to build more durable and beautiful homes faster allowing our communities to grow their affordable housing stock and thus reduce homelessness.
If you are considering building an ADU, our Lincoln Block 16 x 24 cabin is an ideal choice. The materials package contains everything needed to complete the unit, less the foundation and appliances. For those building multiple accessory dwellings or larger custom projects, you may qualify for our volume discount, up to 40% for orders in excess of 3000 block-ft. Contact us to see if your project qualifies and request a quote today.
So let’s break the cycle and start building for ourselves, with Lincoln Block. It stacks like logs, but locks like blocks resulting in a hollow wood-block wall that can be plumbed, wired, and insulated in a flash. Anyone can learn to build with Lincoln Block in under a week! So take the first step by checking out our growing online video library or by scheduling a tutorial from one of our wood-block (and social distancing) experts in Lake Stevens. Together we will build a better future with block.