9 of the tiniest apartments in the U.S.
Closet-sized apartments are springing up everywhere. And some are so small that cities actually need to rewrite building codes to allow them.
Despite the cramped quarters, apartment dwellers looking to live in the best locations for the smallest prices are flocking to these high-end micro-apartments that are going up in droves across the country.
Tiny apartments fell out of favor for suburban-seeking Americans, and were largely banned in many cities along with boarding houses, residential hotels and tenements. But with the rising cost of living in the country's most desirable cities and stagnant incomes, the revival of super small apartments -- some that include shared kitchens -- is taking off.
Typically these micro-apartments are affordable, like those built by Austin-based non-profit developer Foundation Communities where rents range from $400 to $650 per month for about 400 square feet of space, but actually, they're not always good deals.
In Boston, for example, rents at the Factory 63 building are anything but "micro." The median rent in the city is a steep $2,400, and rents at the tiny apartment complex are a comparable $1,677 to $2,450 per month for 374 to 597 square feet
Here are 9 of the smallest apartments in the U.S. -- some move-in ready, and some coming soon -- that are changing the way urbanites will live.
Eko Haus Freedom Center – Portland
City's median rent price: $1,395*
The Eko Haus Freedom Center in Portland's Pearl District, an area known for experiencing an urban renaissance in the 1980s and '90s, opened in 2013. The city's first large-scale micro-apartment community has 150 studios between 295 and 385 square feet and rents between $820 and $1,070 per month.
The "Ballard" studios, which are the smallest in the building at 267 square feet, have a full kitchen, ceiling fan, concrete floors, a balcony, stainless steel kitchen appliances and granite countertops. Eko Haus Freedom Center living also includes access to free bicycle storage, a game room, free WiFi, laundry facilities, a lounge and (because it's Portland) bi-monthly microbrew tastings.
* Zillow
The Panoramic – San Francisco
City's median rent price: $3,910
Construction on The Panoramic, created by sustainable housing developer Panoramic Interests and located on San Francisco's Mission Street, is scheduled to be complete in July. The city's first micro-unit building will include 160 market rate units with prices yet-to-be-determined, 120 of which will be smaller than 300 square feet. The smallest studios will be 274 square feet.
Micro-units will feature a convertible table bed, built-in seating, full bathroom, full kitchen, LED lighting, low-flow plumbing fixtures, flat screen TV, stainless steel appliances and Internet access. Residents of the car-free eco-building will also have on-site access to City CarShare and bicycle storage, as well as a rooftop deck and several lounge areas.
Footprint Cal Park – Seattle
City's median rent price: $1,775
Cal Park, located in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, is one of 12 urban micro-housing complexes by developer Footprint Investments in the city. It includes units that are approximately 220 square feet and feature a bed, bookshelf, table, chair, mini fridge and microwave -- but no other kitchen amenities. The community offers renters a shared kitchen, on-site laundry and shared lounge areas. Rents range from $975 to $1,200 per month.
For car-free commuters, the building also has on-site bicycle storage and is about a mile and a half from the Seattle Zipcar office.
Factory 63 "Innovation Units" – Boston
City's median rent price: $2,400
Factory 63, an old shoe factory-turned-residential-complex in the Fort Point neighborhood of South Boston, opened in January 2013. It has 23 micro-apartments. Designed to be "comparable to the Meat Packing District in New York," the units range from 374 to 597 square feet, according to InnovationDistrictSource.com. Rents are a surprisingly high at $1,677 to $2,450 per month. The building also includes loft apartments and several live/work spaces to attract local creative professionals.
The micro-apartments feature exposed brick, stainless steel kitchen appliances, eco-friendly washers and dryers, a pull out sofa, TV cabinet, desk and weather efficient windows and access to several common areas for entertaining guests.
Former Latham Hotel – Washington, D.C.
City's median rent price: $2,220
The former Latham Hotel in Georgetown had so much water damage and so many problems that in 2012 Yelp reviewers thought it was haunted, according to Curbed. It closed that year and development company SB Urban and project architects at Shalom Baranes Associates took over, turning the 10-story, 1970s building into a 140-unit micro-apartment complex. The project gained zoning approval in October.
Units will be an average of 330 square feet and will be furnished. Residents will have access to shared kitchens, laundry rooms and community areas. The building will be designed to accommodate car-free urbanites with Capital Bikeshare and car share memberships included. However, renters with cars will be prevented from parking on Georgetown streets and will have to park off-site.
Capital Studios – Austin
City's median rent price: $1,510
Capital Studios is located about one mile from the University of Texas at Austin. Non-profit developer Foundation Communities claims the micro-unit complex will be "the first new affordable community in downtown Austin in 45 years."
The complex will feature 135 furnished micro-apartments that are about 400 square feet, with rents ranging from $400 to $650 per month, all bills paid. In line with the affordable housing mission of Foundation Communities, they will be rented to single adults earning less than $26,000, about 25 percent of the building will be set aside for people who have experienced homelessness and at least 5 percent will be rented to artists and musicians.
Amenities will include a residents-only computer lab, TV lounge, game and fitness room and an on-site bike share kiosk. Residents will also have access to on-site fitness and nutrition classes, job skills training, a food pantry and Capital Studios' street-level retail space.
Elevé Lofts – Los Angeles
City's median rent price: $2,492
Glendale's small-but-swanky Elevé Lofts is a six-level, millennial-focused micro-unit complex about 10 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. It has 208 units under 400 square feet with rents from $1,500 to $1,675 -- the smallest units are 375 square feet, according to Curbed. It also includes two bedroom units and two-story lofts with rents starting at $2,575.
Units feature granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, in-unit laundry, wood grain flooring and low-water fixtures. Building amenities include a three-level underground garage with electric car charging stations, fitness center, business center, bicycle storage and a ground floor commercial space with restaurants. Elevé Lofts also has a 26,000-square-foot rooftop deck with cabanas, a demonstration kitchen, fire pits, a piano, hot and cold spas and a dog park with a bathing station.
FLATS "Short Stay" units – Chicago
City's median rent price: $1,655
The FLATS Chicago line of apartment complexes, a project of local developer Cedar Street Companies, includes buildings in the city's Uptown, Ravenswood and Edgewater neighborhoods. This Uptown 4 + 1 building about two miles from the Lake Michigan waterfront has studio, one and two-bedroom, duplex and penthouse apartments and 275-square-foot micro-units called "Short Stays." Rents start at just below $1,000 per month, according to Curbed.
The short-term rental apartments come furnished with items from CB2, IKEA and local antique stores. They feature free WiFi, in-unit laundry, granite countertops, flat screen TVs with cable and pullout couches. Renters get access to bicycle storage, garage parking and common living spaces. The "Short Stays" are also available for guests at $100 per night.
My Micro NY – New York
City's median rent price: $2,350
In January 2013, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the winner of a city-sponsored micro-housing contest called adAPTNYC. The winning proposal was called "My Micro NY," a collaboration between Monadock Development LLC, Actors Fund Housing Development and nARCHITECTS. Scheduled to be completed by September, the 10-story complex on the corner of East 27th Street and Mt. Carmel Place will have 55 prefabricated micro-units between 250 and 370 square feet.
About 40 percent of the units "will be affordable beyond the competitive market rents," according to Inhabitat.com, and will be income-restricted, costing between $940 and $1,800 per month.
Each micro-apartment will feature a Murphy bed, storage loft, pullout pantry, fold-down countertop and a small balcony. Residents will also have access to lounges on each floor, a rooftop garden, a laundry room, bike storage, a fitness room and a café.