Upper Ridge Cottages

Hello, my name is Judy Lowell and I am creating an intentional community of folks who are looking for something more in life. Chuck, my partner, and I live on one of the few remaining 2 acre parcels in the area and plan to build six custom 1,200 sq ft, two story exceptionally designed small cottage-like healthy homes.

Upper Ridge Cottages will be a cooperative community of like minded people who are environmentally progressive, enjoy walking through the woods, sharing the organic garden with their neighbors and being stewards of the forest and wooded wetlands.

We are looking for interested people to invest in the future and share the adventure.

Enjoy your visit.

Imagine.

For more info: call 425-353-8150
and ask for Chuck or Judy
Check our website

www.upperridgecottages.com

Background

Here is some background on how this project began and our vision for the creation of an intentional community which is Upper Ridge Cottages.

My name is Judy Lowell and I have lived at the site for over 35 years. I live with my partner Chuck Webster, who recently retired. I am a Special Education teacher, former board President of the local food cooperative and active Audubon member. Chuck and I have a different vision for this property than the usual boring box-like spec homes built on land that has been stripped of vegetation. We wanted to ensure that when we are gone that wouldn't happen to the land that has become part of who we are.

In 2006, a friend gave us an article about the The Tree House Neighborhood, small green homes being built in Port Townsend, WA. When we saw a few pictures of the homes we knew they were precisely what we had been searching for to build on our land. Designs that were simple and functional as well as charming and nothing exactly like we had seen anywhere.

We arranged to travel to Port Townsend to meet with the architect, Richard Berg, and tour the homes. To our delight, Richard agreed to design the site plan and modify the existing drawings to our specific needs. The owners of the built homes were extremely gracious to allow us to visit them, take photos, pick their brains and bring prospective buyers to see what the actual homes will look like.

Over the next 18 months we had the surveys, soil samples, and the Environmental Impact Report completed on our one acre of wooded wetlands. We had a local civil engineering firm (Insight Engineering) create a design that would incorporate the wooded wetlands into a storm water management plan. We will be using the latest in Low Impact Development technology which will result in a comprehensive storm water management system using rain gardens and 1000 gallon storm water catchment systems for each home.

We had a successful Public Hearing in January 2008 and the commissioner gave us the go ahead on Upper Ridge Cottages. We were all ready to submit our drawings for the building permits when the financial crisis struck. Two years later we are gearing up to get our project moving again.

Chuck and I are committed to the environment, using sustainable materials, low impact development, energy efficiency and small homes. These homes will meet and exceed built green standards but just as important they will form a community.

The Upper Ridge Cottages homes were designed for efficiency. They will use fewer resources to build, be cheaper to heat and less costly to maintain. We plan to buy materials locally if possible and hire from the community we live in.

Chuck and I will become the 7th home in Upper Ridge Cottages and will continue to live in our 1930's country rambler on the property.

www.upperridgecottages.com