Cottage Cluster & Middle Housing Builder in Gresham, OR

What middle housing is

Middle housing is everything between a single-family house and an apartment building: duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhouses, and cottage clusters, usually on one lot. Oregon's House Bill 2001 requires cities in the Portland metro, including Gresham, to allow these in residential zones that used to permit only one house per lot. A cottage cluster is a group of small homes arranged around a shared courtyard, and the cottages can be larger than the footprint rules for a single small house would normally allow.

What it means if you own land

A lot that could hold one house can now hold several homes, and in many cases you do not have to subdivide it to do that, which means fewer permits and a shorter path. Landowners use this to add rental units on a large residential lot, to split a parcel and develop one half, or to build for family. Joel recently worked with an owner who wanted to divide a parcel, keep a daycare on one side, and put a fourplex on the other. Each project starts with the zoning, and that is where Joel starts too.

The first approved cottage cluster in Gresham

GenTerra's cluster in Gresham took about a year from breaking ground to finish. Joel sat with the architect on the cottage designs, handled every step of the permitting with the city, and managed the build. We photographed it from the bare lot through foundations, framing, and siding to the finished homes. The whole sequence is on the projects page.

Footings and foundation layout from above

Concrete pour for the cluster foundations

What GenTerra handles

Feasibility. What the zoning allows on your lot, how many units, and whether a subdivision is needed or a cluster on one lot is the shorter route.
Design. We work with an architect on unit plans, the site layout, and the shared courtyard.
Permitting. Joel prepares the submission, coordinates engineers, and answers the city's plan-review comments. He has done this from the city's side of the counter.
Construction. One general contractor managing the whole site from utilities to final inspection.

Common questions

Do I have to subdivide my lot to build middle housing?

Often no. Oregon's middle-housing rules allow several units on one lot in residential zones. Subdividing is an option if you want to sell the homes separately, and Joel walks through both paths with you.

Can the cottages be sold individually?

Yes, through a subdivision or a condominium structure. Many owners keep the cluster and rent the units. The right structure depends on your goals, and your attorney sets it up.

How long does a cottage cluster take?

Our Gresham cluster took about a year from ground-breaking to finish, plus the design and permitting time before that.

Where do you build middle housing?

Gresham, Portland, and East Multnomah County. See our service area.