The History and Reality of Tall & Skinny Homes in Hopewell, TN.
Hadleys Bend City subdivision (aka Hopewell), was first platted in 1918, with lots designed with 25 feet of street frontage and 150 feet deep.
Back in 2016, the first tall and skinny houses were built in the Old Hickory neighborhood of Hopewell, which we jokingly called the "Sexy Six," as we were initially asked by the developer to GC the project. These houses were a bit of a shock at first because they were so different from everything else around. It's understandable that for many of us living here, this shift toward building more of these houses might seem unsettling and against this neighborhood’s historically larger lots.
Originally, Hopewell was first platted in 1918, with lots designed measuring 25 feet wide and 150 feet deep, generally (see attached image). However, until the “Sexy Six” tall and skinny houses popped up, most of us hadn't thought much about the potential of these smaller lots, or even knew they existed beneath the current larger lots. What looked like one big lot could actually be divided into two, three, or, in the case of Lafayette Ave, 11 single-family homes could be built in accordance with the original 1918 subdivision design. This was a game-changer. It marked a change in the history of Hopewell’s architecture. It stirred discussions and caused many to develop convictions about yard size. But it has also meant that more friends and family have found a place to live in our beloved neighborhood.
Now, the first homes constructed in this way were making larger profits because of sellers’ who were not aware of Hadleys Bend City’s original platting. Because of this unawareness of the original 25’ wide platting, deserving owners were deceived out of due compensation for how their land was going to be used. Unfortunately, there are stories of developers promising sellers to build a single home when negotiating land purchases, but eventually building 6 or more on a particular property. This is an obvious issue.
But now the market is aware of current land values based upon how individual homes can be built on what was once a single larger parcel. It’s important to understand that this construction trend isn't about chasing bigger profits. In fact, building these kinds of houses isn't necessarily more profitable than other types of construction on much larger and more expensive lots.
The reality is, as the neighborhood has grown and changed, and landowners know the underlying value of their current lots, the cost of land has gone up, making it tougher to build affordable homes in Hopewell, as is the case in all of Davidson County and middle TN. Recent 25’ wide by 150’ deep lots in Hopewell have sold for $70,000, $80,000, and even $90,000. These land prices, coupled with inflating labor and material prices, increased interest rates on construction loans, higher insurance premiums, and the ever-increasing municipal development and impact fees, commissions, and closing fees, gives little if any financial advantage to building tall and skinny houses in Hopewell. It’s becoming the only financially feasible construction option unless one is financially capable of affording two buildable lots and only constructing one house. Affordability may require us to rethink our positions on Hardie siding, or granite countertops, or hardwood floors, or tile showers - are we willing to have these conversations?
So, selling a 25-foot lot now happens at prices similar to larger lots, which has changed how we all have to think about the value of our properties. While it might feel like a loss to see the neighborhood character change, it is not. It is an opportunity for more people to call Hopewell home. And in a way, that's a testament to the desirability of the community. And it remains highly desirable. Though, I am confident, this neighborhood’s desirability has little to do with this architectural shift, this new realization of Hopewell's original 1918 platting. But perhaps the original subdivision designers, whomever they were, imagined everyone having their own home on these sufficient lots, with the streets full of genuine neighborliness, and gave less priority to personal yard size? Perhaps.
At MCH Builders we are committed to building homes so that people who do the necessary work of building up and maintaining our communities and our cities can afford to purchase. We do not want to price out the teacher wanting to be approved for a home in an area they work. We want to do the work on our end to make this a possibility. In the meantime, let it be said that these Tall & Skinny homes, are here to stay, and in fact make it possible for more folks to live here, contributing to this neighborhood’s uncommon attraction.