Bono Consulting Civil Engineers provided engineering services for a unique development that is refurbishing shipping containers as a residential home. The project at 1918 Noyes Street is among the first “efficiency homes” approved under the City of Evanston’s updated zoning ordinances which allow this type of development on substandard lots.
What’s a substandard lot? In Illinois, a substandard lot is a parcel of land that was legal and compliant with minimum area requirements when created but no longer meets current lot size requirements within a zoning ordinance.
What is an “efficiency home?” The City of Evanston defines it as: a “residential building with a ground floor area of 500 square feet or less” and contains only one dwelling unit. Also known as “tiny homes,” efficiency homes in Evanston must be permanently affixed to a foundation and surrounded by open space on the same lot.
The project design at 1918 Noyes Street involved placing two 8-feet by 40-feet shipping containers on a narrow lot of 16.5 feet by 150 feet, totaling just 2,478 square feet — significantly smaller than the typical 50-foot-wide lot. Instead of a traditional full foundation, the containers rest on concrete pedestal footings.
To further optimize space and reduce impervious surface area, “steppers” or stepping stones, were used in place of a full paved sidewalk. This approach kept the design well below Evanston’s 50% impervious surface limit. Given the sandy soil conditions, the drainage design requires only a single swale along the steppers which direct runoff to a drain at the front of the lot.
Efficiency homes offer a flexible option for small or odd-shaped property lots or for a residential property owner who wants a decreased building footprint. This project was unique, and one the Bono team is proud to have helped design!
Click here for a sneak peek at the before and after at the project site and a look inside the shipping container homes!
Bono Consulting Civil Engineers is a Sevee & Maher Engineers (SME) company. Read more about SME.
