Orange Splot LLC

Homes Available

2012-12-23T13:42:00.000-08:00

Woolsey Corner
Very affordable 2- and 3-BR green townhomes and flats. Just one unit left! Visit Proud Ground's website for details.

Cully Grove
A new community is under development in NE Portland! Visit our website for the latest info on upcoming events & availability

Peninsula Park Commons
A 630sf one-bedroom unit is currently available for sale. It includes a finished attic and back patio with grape arbor. Here's a flyer.

Meet the 2010 BEST Award winner for Products or Services – Orange Splot

Orange Splot recently joined Voice for Oregon Innovation & Sustainability

Cohousing Opportunities

2012-12-23T13:41:00.001-08:00

In this section of the website, we will post information about local opportunities for community-oriented housing.

Photo Galleries

2012-12-23T13:37:00.000-08:00

Woolsey Corner
Garden Cottages at Ruth's House
Peninsula Park Commons - new construction
Peninsula Park Commons - renovation
Sabin Green
4748 N. Commercial House

Peninsula Park Commons unit for sale

2011-11-13T21:18:00.000-08:00

A 630sf one-bedroom unit is currently available for $165,000. Includes a finished attic and back patio with grape arbor. The flyer is pasted below and attached here as a printable PDF document.

Cully Grove

2011-08-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

Join us in the creation of Cully Grove, a new, multi-generational, solar-powered garden community in NE Portland!

On nearly 2 acres near NE 47^th and Going, we’re preparing to build a new community of 16 homes and a shared common house that will be a fun and sustainable haven for urban gardeners (and munchers) of all ages.

We’re working to create an old-fashioned neighborhood in a new-fashioned way. Want to know more? Check out our new Cully Grove website and call Eli at 503.422.2607.

Notes:

- Renderings are artist's conceptions and are not intended to depict an actual building, fencing, walkway, driveway or landscaping and are not to scale. Cully Grove LLC reserves the right to modify or change floor plans, elevations & materials without prior notice or obligation.

More about Woolsey Corner

2010-10-18T10:55:00.000-07:00

2- and 3-bedroom homes at Woolsey Corner are now available to income-qualified, first-time homebuyers. Prices range from $99,800 - $129,900 with estimated monthly payments at $623-$882. Homebuyers typically earn between $25,000 and $45,000 per year. For development details, check out the Woolsey Corner website.

Columbia Ecovillage

2010-10-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

Columbia Ecovillage, a retrofit community in NE Portland with a huge permaculture garden area, sometimes has units available. Check out their website for openings.

Waverly Commons

2010-10-14T16:48:00.000-07:00

A new community is in the early stages of development in close-in SE Portland. It's called Waverly Commons and is slated to have 16 homes around a shared common green, garden and playground. Learn more at their website.

Tiny Homes

2010-04-01T11:45:00.001-07:00

We love small, cute homes!

Tiny home resources and links:

-Click Here for Eli’s Informal (and unauthorized) Code Guide for accessory structures.

-The Tiny House Blog covered the tiny home tour. click here.

-Photos of the tiny home tour, click here.

Below are photos of the homes that made it onto our tiny home tour.

Meigra's House

Schuyler's House

Kelly's House

Josh and Laura's House

Mariah's House:

Walt's House

Mark's House

Martin's House

Lydia/ Matt's House

Dan's House

Dignity Village

Joseph's House

Woolsey Corner

2010-02-18T11:00:00.000-08:00

Now For Sale! More information available at Proud Ground's website.

This project, located at the intersection of N. Trenton and N. Woolsey in New Columbia, has been designed from the ground up as a ‘cohousing’ development to foster community among residents. The homes will be owned as condominiums and will be made permanently affordable to households with incomes at or below 80% of median family income in partnership with Proud Ground, a local community land trust, using funding from the Portland Development Commission. Construction began in Feb. 2010 and will we'll be ready for folks to move in by late 2010 or early 2011.

This project's community-oriented design approach, including commonly owned interior and exterior spaces, will help low and moderate income homeowners save scarce money and time by making it easier to share resources with one another.

Green Features:

Salvaged musical instruments in exterior railings
'Live edge' maple interior window sills
Ductless mini-split heating system
Solar hot water for all units
FSC certified stranded bamboo flooring
Durable plywood cabinets with 18"x18" large format porcelain tile countertops
Preservation of existing mature silver maple tree
All Energy Star appliances
Shared community living room, guest quarters, laundry and bike storage
Green roof on trash/recycling enclosure building
Located immediately next to large "Seeds of Harmony" community garden
Insulation well beyond code: R-30 walls; R-60 ceilings
Triple pane windows (u=.21)
Rainscreen siding system
Energy Recovery Ventilators for each unit
Low flow shower heads and faucets
Native and drought resistant plantings
Approximately 39% of construction by Minority-owned, Women-owned, and/or Emerging Small Businesses (16% of construction by Minority-owned firms)

Role: Developer and General Contractor.

Ruth's Garden Cottages

2010-02-18T10:55:00.000-08:00

In late July 2008, we built two garden cottages to the side of a little house at the rear of a 50'x100' residential lot in NE Portland. These tiny homes are "detached accessory structures" and are fully permitted through the City of Portland. Each is 12'x14' and has a front porch, bathroom with shower, and loft.

The existing house is quite small - just 526sf on the main level with a 200sf bedroom in the attic and a full basement. All residents can share the kitchen in the primary house. Most importantly, this development plan preserves the entire front 55' of the property for gardening and fruit trees!

Role: Developer and General Contractor.

Peninsula Park Commons - New Construction

2010-02-18T10:45:00.000-08:00

New Unit Amenities

In-floor radiant heat, tankless water heaters, and rooftop solar thermal systems for each unit
Cedar trellises and custom bicycle art at gable ends, exterior entry stairs, and over exterior windows
EnergyStar rated homes with advanced framing, ‘polar blanket’ wall insulation and R-49 attic cellulose insulation
Fir entry doors; rain-screen siding system; alder cabinets with plywood boxes; porcelain tile countertops, tub/shower surrounds and bathroom floors; hardwood or tile flooring; Schlage door hardware
Fiberglass windows
Low-VOC interior paint
Extensive use of salvaged materials (courtyard bricks, sun room windows…)
Maple ‘live edge’ interior trim from 100+ year old tree that fell down in Officer’s Row (Vancouver, WA)
Units 9 and 10 have master bedroom sun decks, attic storage, and are pre-wired for PV electricity
Unit 8 includes a solid milled wood bar countertop with live edge and built-in overhead storage cabinets.

Common Interior Amenities (available to all residents)

Common area studio unit with full sized kitchen, living/dining room and bathroom; furnished for movie viewing, dinner parties, guest accommodations and lending library
Common space in ground floor of new west building includes: 22’x20’ interior bike storage room, half bath, and recreation room adjacent to the north courtyard designed for indoor/outdoor gatherings, play space protected from the weather, and whatever else we want to use it for
Basement laundry room with two sets of washers/dryers; craft, workshop, and storage space
Wireless DSL service

Common Exterior Amenities (available to all residents)

Landscaped south courtyard with vegetable and flower gardens, outdoor gathering areas, and edible landscaping (berries, fruit trees…)
Circular north courtyard with artistic brick pavers, a semicircular seating porch, and adjoining indoor/outdoor common space.
Exterior bike racks

Location

Across the street from Peninsula Park, which contains a community center, game room, playing fields, tennis and basketball courts, playgrounds, wading pool, covered picnic area, and Portland's original rose garden
Transportation: On the high-frequency #4 bus line with a stop right across the street; 1/3 mile to Interstate light rail stop and Interstate 5.on/off ramps
Within 1/2 mile of: New Seasons, Portland Community College's Cascade campus, the Multnomah County North Portland library, and Jefferson Highschool

Role: Developer, General Contractor

Sabin Green

2010-02-18T10:40:00.001-08:00

This mini co-housing community consists of 4 homes on each corner of a 75' x 100' lot. On the south side of the lot is an existing house with detached garage that was converted into an accessory dwelling unit (ADU). On the north side of the lot, a new house and detached ADU were constructed. Each unit is owned as a condominium, and all four homes share a common circular courtyard. On the north edge of the courtyard is a shell-shaped tea house, built with straw-clay construction and cob as part of the Village Building Convergence. It has a green roof that provides a beautiful and cozy interior/exterior space for residents to share.

Extensive green building materials were used in this development, including salvaged framing lumber for interior trim, salvaged windows from The Rebuilding Center, salvaged bricks and tile fragments for the circular patios, a bike storage shed with green roof built entirely from job-site waste materialserials, fiberglass windows (instead of vinyl), FSC certified framing lumber and engineered oak flooring, EnergyStar appliances, no-VOC interior paint, and no carpet anywhere.

Green building systems incorporated into this development include:

Tankless hot water systems that provide both domestic hot water and in-floor radiant heat
Rooftop solar PV
Rooftop solar water pre-heat
Passive radon vent system allows under-slab gases to vent out the roof
Advanced framing (walls framed at 24” o.c., lifted trusses for additional insulation…)
Solar vent attic fan
4 fruit trees included in the site landscaping, with additional space available for gardening
Insulation at or above Energy Star standards

Role: Developer, General Contractor

Corvallis Cohousing

2010-02-18T10:30:00.000-08:00

This cohousing community, called "Coho", was developed in partnership between local Corvallis residents and Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services. Located on a 6 acre parcel, Coho is a community of 34 homes with a large common house where residents share meals on a regular basis and meet to plan, play and party. This mixed income community includes 8 homes for low or moderate buyers including one 4-BR unit for residents with developmental disabilities. Financing included funds from Oregon Housing and Community Services, subsidized land from Benton County, HOME funds from Corvallis, and Neighborworks. Construction was completed in late 2007 and all units sold within 2 months.

Role: Project manager for finance as HDC staff

Peninsula Park Commons - Renovation

2010-02-18T10:02:00.000-08:00

Over five years ago, a group of folks first got together in a living room in North Portland and talked about what it would be like to have a shared housing situation where everyone had his or her own space but access to common outdoor and indoor spaces and amenities. We wanted the best of co-housing--fun, community, low-impact living, and shared resources—combined with the advantages of privacy and individual homeownership. Eli Spevak and Jim Labbe never let go of the idea, and in January 2003 they purchased Peninsula Park Commons, a 7-unit courtyard apartment building located in the heart of the Piedmont Neighborhood and across the street from Portland's original rose garden. In the summer of 2004 we converted the property to 6 condominiums and one common unit. Since then we have started construction of an additional 3 units and new common spaces on the site.

Role: Developer and General Contractor.

Peninsula Park Commons - Renovation

2010-02-18T09:56:00.001-08:00

Peninsula Park Commons - Renovation

Sabin Green - completed

2008-12-12T18:51:00.000-08:00

Click on the slide show to see the full image gallery

Garden Cottages at Ruth's House

2008-10-05T22:09:00.000-07:00

In late July 2008, we built two garden cottages to the side of a little house at the rear of a 50'x100' residential lot in NE Portland. These tiny homes are "detached accessory structures" and are fully permitted through the City of Portland. Each is 12'x14' and has a front porch, bathroom with shower, and loft.

The existing house is quite small - just 526sf on the main level with a 200sf bedroom in the attic and a full basement. All residents can share the kitchen in the primary house.

Most importantly, this development plan preserves the entire front 55' of the property for gardening and fruit trees!

Completed project (click on slideshow for all photos)

Before Photo

Photos during construction in progress...

Almost done! The garden cottages are on the left; existing house on the right

A mini house from above (looking out from the new 2nd floor deck of the existing house)

Irvington Green

2008-04-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

IRVINGTON GREEN off Broadway has been conceived with the intention that 4 families/individuals will purchase individual units with an eye toward creating community.The build will cover 55% of the lot, with 45% of the land remaining open. There is a 400 sq ft community/guest house & a shared commons.

We believe this project will, by example, inspire community building opportunities in the Irvington neighborhood in particular and Portland in general.

Designed w/many sustainable features including:

* Radiant heat
* Tankless H2O
* Locally made cabinets, countertops, tile
* Reclaimed lumber
* Dual flush toilets
* Zero voc paints
* Rainwater reclamation for irrigation
* Native, drought resistant plantings
* Community house
* Commons w/seating area & raised beds
* Blocks to transit, shopping, short hop downtown

1 - 596 sq ft 1 bd/1.5 bath unit @ $229K
1 - 925 sq ft 2 bd/1.5 bath unit @ $299K (reserved)
1 - 910 sq ft 2 bd/1.5 bath unit @ $319K
1 - 1242 sq ft 3 bed/3 bath unit @ $399K

For more information, check out this website or contact Rochelle at (503) 888-2934.

Open House photos!

2008-03-11T16:20:00.000-07:00

Click on this slide show to see the whole image gallery

Follow this link to a sales flyer

ReTHINK 2008 - New Designs for Living class

2008-02-22T09:49:00.000-08:00

Check out this and other classes as part of the Office of Sustainable Development's ReTHINK 2008 series of classes:
As we grow older, our bodies change and our homes need to adapt to support aging in place. We also need a strong, supportive social network to thrive. Our speakers are a researcher who participated in the World Health Organization's "Age-Friendly Cities" study (http://www.upa.pdx.edu/IOA) and a local developer who believes that one of the most important things we can do to minimize our ecological footprint is to live in less space, and to do so within a larger community in which it's easy and fun to share resources.

Alan DeLaTorre, Portland State University graduate student and researcher, Age-Friendly Cities Project
Eli Spevak, Orange Splot LLC, developer of Sabin Green and Peninsula Park Commons

Cohousing class at PCC

2008-02-22T08:22:00.000-08:00

I'll be teaching another cycle of my ever-evolving cohousing development class through Portland Community College this spring. It will take place from 7:00 - 9:30pm on the evenings of April 17 and April 24. The class cost is $29. For more information about the class and how to register, go to the PCC website and follow the links to Community Education class:

Intro to Cohousing - CED 0400 0
CRN:	25984

Daybreak Cohousing

2008-01-09T23:15:00.000-08:00

"We are a growing, enthusiastic group of people planning to build a cohousing community in a lovely, older neighborhood of North Portland. We are individuals, couples and families of varied backgrounds and ages—from almost age one to 60 plus— who want to live in a community where we know each other like extended family, while our personal needs for privacy and independence are honored."

Construction is completed, many folks have moved in, and units are available for sale and rent. Check out their website for additional details.

4748 N. Commercial home renovation

2008-01-09T23:01:00.000-08:00

In 2005, I did a major renovation of a 4-BR home at 4748 N. Commercial Avenue with the help of some terrific carpenters. The house was constructed in 1907 and I had lived in it with friends since 1996.

Completed:

Click on the slide show to see the full image gallery

Before:

Click on the slide show to see the full image gallery

Role: Owner, General Contractor

Oleson Woods

2008-01-09T20:28:00.000-08:00

Oleson Woods Apartments is a 32-unit affordable housing development completed in 2005. Oleson Woods has proven to be a model for creating a supportive environment wherein both residents and natural systems can thrive. For the residents, Oleson Woods offers stable housing at low rents, services from CPAH and partner agencies, ideal transit access and proximity to over 18,000 jobs. The unit mix includes one, three and four bedroom units renting at 30% to 45% MFI. For the natural environment, Oleson Woods maintains significant natural resources on-site by preserving and protecting a wetland on the property, continuing to provide wildlife habitat, and minimizing disturbances to the tree canopy. More than two dozen trees over two feet in diameter were preserved, and more than 200 new trees will be planted. Oleson Woods has a 1,500 square foot community center equipped with a small manager's office, computer lab with high speed internet access, meeting room, kitchen, bathrooms, coin-operated laundry, and storage. The meeting room will be divided into two areas to accommodate simultaneous activities such as childcare and meetings.

Role: Project manager for site acquisition, preliminary design and initial funding as HDC staff

4748 N. Commercial renovation

2008-01-09T20:27:00.000-08:00

In 2005, I did a major renovation of a 4-BR home at 4748 N. Commercial Avenue that included full updates to the kitchen and both bathrooms, a new roof, new paint inside and out, and finish carpentry updates throughout. The house was constructed in 1907 and I had lived in it with friends since 1996.

Role: Owner, General Contractor

Cascadia Village

2008-01-09T20:22:00.001-08:00

HDC worked with Affordable Community Environments to help them acquire a 5-acre parcel, subdivide it and create a “Village” in Clark County Washington. Cascadia Village Apartments is the second of three multi-family buildings in Cascadia Village and provides units that are affordable to people with incomes ranging from less than 30% to less than 60% of area median income. The project is designed for people with mobility impairments, has units set aside for those with developmental disabilities, and units for people who are living with HIV/AIDS. The apartment buildings cover two sides of a street and each side has it’s own internal courtyard with a play structure, creating a village feel. Sensitively designed, the landscaping includes edible plants and fruit trees as well as community garden beds. The project boasts a number of experimental features – including three units testing different flooring types and turbonics hydro-electric heat.

Role: Project manager for finance and construction as HDC staff

Covington Commons

2008-01-09T20:20:00.000-08:00

This 40-unit housing development in Clark County is HDC’s first project in the State of Washington. Financed by 4% tax credits and bonds, this project includes one to four bedroom units, eight of which are designed and prioritized to provide much-needed housing for developmentally disabled residents. This was the first project of the sponsor, Affordable Community Environments (ACE). The project was completed in June 2000 and is exceeding projections for occupancy rate and number of developmentally disabled households served.

Role: Project manager for finance and construction as HDC staff

Park Vista Apartments

2008-01-09T20:15:00.001-08:00

Sponsored by Human Solutions, Inc., this apartment complex consists of 59 new rental units including studios, one, two, three and four bedroom apartments. The complex offers a range of rents between 30% and 50% of median income. Construction was completed winter 2000.

Role: Construction manager as HDC staff

Cornerstone Condominiums

2008-01-08T21:57:00.000-08:00

Cornerstone Condominiums created 46 condominiums in downtown Portland. Recognizing that downtown real estate prices were cost prohibitive for most low-income people, IHI reserved 36 of the condos for first-time homebuyers earning between 60 and 80% of area median income. Four of the condos were sold at market rates and six others were retained by IHI to provide rental housing for very low-income individuals. IHI worked with the Portland Development Commission to provide shared appreciation mortgages to the 36 buyers earning less than 80% of AMI in order to achieve below-market purchase prices.

Role: Construction manager as HDC staff

Design Guidelines

2008-01-07T21:31:00.000-08:00

Involve construction or renovation of smaller, functional, and beautifully designed homes
Use less land per house by arranging multiple residences on the same lot
Provide shared interior and exterior common spaces for community to happen
Be constructed of salvaged and sustainably produced building materials whenever possible
Include units more affordable than are typically produced in the market
Use design to make it easy and fun for neighbors to share resources, thereby fostering a happier, less resource-intensive lifestyle
Incorporate durable construction materials to minimize the need for ongoing maintenance/replacement
Re-utilize existing structures whenever possible
Be located and designed to make it easy to live without a car
Provide opportunities for participation in design by the future residents, especially with respect to interior and exterior common spaces
Incorporate artwork, salvaged materials and quality craftsmanship to make projects beautiful and unique

Albina Sustainability Community condo

2008-01-07T21:22:00.000-08:00

Currently for sale: This 1908 Pioneer Farmhouse, converted into an Eco-urban Condo. It's one of 4 units in a small, sustainably developed, community in North Portland. For more information, check out this on-line listing.

What's Green about Sabin Green?

2008-01-07T21:13:00.001-08:00

Development model:

Efficient use of land, with 4 homes on a 75’ x 100’ lot (two renovations and two built new)
Tiny homes (2 of them under 600sf) require less material and energy consumption for both initial construction and ongoing maintenance
A common tea house with a green roof provides a beautiful and cozy interior/exterior space for residents to share
Re-use and renovation of the existing buildings on the site
More bike parking; less car parking
Community oriented design makes it easy for residents to share other resources such as newspaper subscriptions, yard tools, internet access… that might otherwise be duplicated
First use in Portland of the condominium model to separate ownership between primary dwellings and accessory dwelling units

Materials:

Salvaged, de-nailed, milled and planed framing lumber used for interior trim
Salvaged interior and exterior windows from The Rebuilding Center
Salvaged bricks, ‘urbanite’ and tile fragments in courtyard patios, raised tree planter mosaic, and common building foundation
Bike shed with green roof constructed from salvaged job-site waste materials
Fiberglass windows
FSC certified engineered oak flooring
Solid plywood box cabinets
Trex decking
No carpet. Anywhere!
FSC certified framing lumber
No VOC interior paint
EnergyStar appliances

Systems:

Tankless hot water systems that provide both domestic hot water and in-floor radiant heat
Rooftop solar PV
Rooftop solar water pre-heat
Passive radon vent system allows under-slab gases to vent out the roof
Advanced framing (walls framed at 24” o.c., lifted trusses for additional insulation…)
Solar vent attic fan
4 fruit trees included in the site landscaping, with additional space available for gardening
Insulation at or above Energy Star standards

Role: Developer, General Contractor

Frequently Asked Questions

2008-01-07T20:39:00.001-08:00

Why the strange name?

The inspiration for Orange Splot LLC comes from one of my favorite childhood books, The Big Orange Splot, by Daniel Pinkwater.

In the book, Mr. Plumbean lives on a block where all the houses are the same. Then a bird drops a bucket of bright orange paint on Mr. Plumbean’s house, and instead of cleaning it up he leaves it there and transforms the rest of his house to match his dreams. Unhappy neighbors try and get him to make his house fit in. But one by one, after talking with Mr. Plumbean and sipping lemon aid all night long, they re-build their homes to meet their dreams.

2008-01-07T18:56:00.003-08:00

Peninsula Park Commons - Renovation

2008-01-07T18:55:00.001-08:00

Orange Splot LLC

2008-01-04T13:42:00.001-08:00

Orange Splot LLC is a housing development company and general contractor with a mission to pioneer new models of community-oriented, affordable, green housing developments in Portland - ideally within an easy bike ride of Eli's house in N. Portland.

We believe that one of the most important things we can do to minimize our ecological footprint is to live in less space, and to do so within a larger community in which it’s easy (and fun) to share resources.

Through Orange Splot LLC, we strive to create engaging places for people to live in community that combine small, functional and beautiful homes with interior and exterior common spaces. These communities are designed to foster interaction among residents and make it easy for neighbors to share resources and thereby live happier, simpler, less resource-intensive lives. Community members participate in the design of common spaces and the customization of their individual homes.

Services Offered:

Conscious Covers

Want a curvy cover for your porch, entry trellis, window shade canopy, or some other artistic carpentry project? We've gained plenty of experience building these beautiful amenities in our new construction projects and would be happy to build one for you too! Contact Simon directly at (503) 799-7467.

Development

Primarily, we are a developers/builders of small scale cohousing communities. We plan to continue experimenting with different models of community-oriented housing.

Consulting

Eli is happy to offer consulting services on an hourly basis to groups or individuals working to create their own cohousing communities, subject to my time availability.

Teaching

Eli guest teaches classes regularly at Portland State University and occasionally teaches a class on cohousing development through Portland Community College’s Community Education program. Check out the "Cohousing Opportunities" page of this website for notifications of upcoming classes.

Cheers!

- Eli Spevak, Simon Lyle and Noelle Studer-Spevak

2011 National Cohousing Conference PowerPoint Presentation (in PDF format)

Contact Orange Splot

2008-01-04T12:58:00.000-08:00

Eli Spevak
6323 N. Albina #6
Portland, OR 97217
Cell 503.422.2607
Fax 1.866.683.9596
eli(at)aracnet.com

Simon Lyle
Cell 503.799.7467
simonlyle(at)gmail.com

Sabin Green - before

2008-01-01T22:29:00.000-08:00

Click on the slide show to see the full image gallery

Staff

2008-01-01T13:41:00.000-08:00

The Boss

Eli Spevak

Simon Lyle

The Boss's Boss

Noelle Studer-Spevak