For sale: one "quilted" Woodbridge house

Woodbridge Neighborhood Development Corporation, Architectural Salvage Warehouse of Detroit and the University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture have teamed up on a unique development. Quilted Space is a home that will be constructed using materials that ASWD salvaged from a house in Chicago.

Schematic design is complete, as are most pre-development activities; all the project needs is an owner to get started on construction.

The plan generated by UDM calls for a 1,640-square foot home on Avery St. to be built with green building techniques. A second-floor balcony can be enclosed to bump that number up to 1,715. WNDC's Graig Donnelly estimates the project cost to be in the $250,000 range. "It's a little more friendly to the environment," Donnelly says. "It's built a little bit more efficiently, so it's going to cost a little bit more."

Donnelly says that his organization has no intention to exclusively build houses in this price range. "We're interested in building houses across all spectrums," he says. "We want that diversity in our neighborhood."

One aspect of the Quilted Space project that Donnelly is excited about is its ability to be duplicated. "We can apply this concept to future buildings in our neighborhood," he says. "But we also want to influence the mindset behind housing in Detroit."

Donnelly anticipates that future replications of the concept would benefit from this initial experience, ultimately resulting in lower prices. "It always costs a little more the first time you try something," he says.

If a buyer is found within the next couple of months, ground could be broken in the spring. For information, contact Donnelly at 313-485-4100 or [email protected].

Source: Graig Donnelly, WNDC
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
Illustration courtesy of UDM School of Architecture