The Coming Micro-Apartment Boom

Urban living appeals to many, but it has long had a reputation for high rent and relatively small spaces. A new trend in urban apartment living is emerging that not only accepts the notion of tiny living, but thrives on it. Micro-apartments are becoming more common, and more popular, in some of the more appealing urban areas around the country.

Seattle, Washington has emerged as the vanguard in the micro-apartment boom, according to reporter Susan Kelleher, writing in the Seattle Times. The city boasts several thousand micro-apartment units where tenants can find a comfortable, though tiny, space of their own in the heart of the city.

Micro-apartments appeal to those who want to live alone, but still be able to afford a dwelling space in a thriving urban area. Averaging 200 to 400 square feet, micro-apartments offer compact quarters for young professionals, older residents who want to downsize, and others who prefer to live without being encumbered by a large accumulation of stuff.

Owners and investors see micro-apartments as a way to increase revenues by maximizing the amount charged per square foot of living space.

The Seattle micro-apartments have been used as examples for construction of small living spaces in other cities across the country. Des Moines, Iowa, for example, has experienced a growing interest in micro-apartment living, noted Patrick Clark in an article on the BloombergBusiness Web site.

Micro-apartments, despite their benefits for tenants and owners, don’t always have the support of the communities where they’re being built. In Seattle, for example, neighbors of some micro-apartment buildings have objected to their presence and have successfully managed to curtail the construction of more dwellings of that type.

However, the momentum in Seattle and elsewhere is largely against those established residents who may not approve of the idea of a densely occupied building full of micro-apartments.

Construction Monitor provides the most up-to-date information on trends and developments throughout the construction industry. Contact us today for more information on the increasing interest in micro-apartments and how this trend is expected to affect the housing sector in the coming months and years.