Timothy Sick and Salvatore Zambito are teaming up with Architect Mathew Moscati from TRM Architecture and Design Planning P.C., to build a small house at 151 16th Street. The reason that they want to build this small house is that they feel that the future of “aging in place” depends on these types of developments. Once an elderly person is no longer able to meet the demands of a larger dwelling, he or she (or hopefully a couple), must make some important life choices. Unfortunately, there are few choices to be made, and a lot of these people who grew up in the city, and raised their families in urban neighborhoods, are forced to find living accommodations in retirement homes far removed from their familiar surroundings.
According to the team, another item of importance was to create a dwelling that would be “historically stylish” and “environmentally friendly”. The small accommodation would not only be the perfect size for empty nesters, disabled, and military vets, it would also be a subject of aesthetic pride for the occupant and the neighborhood. They believe that these types of dwellings would be extremely popular with a wide array of home owners, and would help to attract even more people back from the suburbs who have been thinking about making a move into the city, where there are walkable neighborhoods.
The home is being designed with wider doors, an open concept design, and roll-in first floor living. The key to this home is its user-friendly experience. The 1450 square foot home is also the perfect size for Buffalo’s typically smaller lots. Despite the small appearance, the home still boasts two bedrooms, two baths, in home office space/den, and a front and back porch. What else would someone need? Oh yes, there’s also nicely sized backyard, driveway, tons of windows, beautiful dormers, radiant heat and central air.
If you’re thinking that this home would be perfect for you, then it’s going to be available soon. The buyer can add the finishes, which is the icing on the cake.
It’s great to see so much thought is going into this house. There’s plenty of character, amenities, and space, all built into a compact home. It just goes to show, that if someone takes a little bit of time to pay homage to the city’s existing housing stock, it is possible to come up with something that looks great, fits in, and even proudly stands out. Moving forward, new builds around the city should take notes from this project. Just think of the resale value.
The price on the house has not been determined as of this point, as Tim and Sal would like to work with the new owner to determine the final finishes and amenities. Interested parties can contact Tim at 716-574-6401 during business hours.