INDIANAPOLIS -- Just southeast of I-65/I-70, a 1,050 square foot home near the border of Fountain Square easily stands out from many of the classic, Victorian- or bungalow-style homes the trendy neighborhood is most known for. But what it lacks in broad shoulders, it makes up for in efficiency.
The NEON House at 955 Hosbrook Street was built in 2015 on a narrow, grassy, 1,600-square foot lot as part of the first project for NEON Architecture. The lot still shows up as a small park area when you search for it on Google Maps.
Brian Burtch, the owner of the home and architecture firm NEON, estimates the price of the modern, narrow home at $315,000, but says that the small site doesn't mean small space. Burtch said the house is an example of efficiency, compactness and re-imagining the narrow lot through modern means.
It stacks up as one of the more expensive homes in the neighborhood, even despite the listed square footage, but it makes up for its limited space with fine touches, both inside and out.
The house is organized around the west wall, containing all of the home’s built-ins. This includes the kitchen, entertainment center, desk space, mudroom storage, window seat, open shelving, linen storage, and the wardrobe closet. It's a 2-bedroom, 2-bath home, with the galley kitchen being unique in that it comes right off the front entrance. It also offers a 1-and-a-half car garage that adds 285 square feet to the space and two roof decks, one above the garage and one on the third floor that offers a stunning view. Add in the mid-home courtyard, and this space mixes outdoor and indoor living for all seasons.
Here's what NEON Architecture lists about the size it worked with for the NEON House:
"Hosbrook demonstrates that restrictions can, in fact, allow for re-thinking the urban home and demonstrates a unique solution to a unique site.
Many of us have grown to believe the notion that size equals success. We are constantly exposed to the popular perception that square footage is directly related to our levels of success and, presumably, level of happiness. The average American house is over 2,300 square feet, sits on a sprawling suburban lot, and is built with subpar materials with no consideration for its lifespan and impact on its surroundings."
Burtch got his architecture degrees from The Ohio State University, and started the NEON firm in April 2015.
Burtch said the home was the firm's first attempt to explore an economic option for young professionals looking to make their first investment in homeownership.
The NEON home is part of the Architects Home Tour event on Oct. 15 and 16. It features eight unique homes showcasing a variety of home designs and styles all designed by Indianapolis-area architects. Five of the homes are in Indianapolis and three homes are in Zionsville. Click here for more info about the tour.
NEON has another house nearby at 961 Hosbrook listed for $299,000 that has a similar architectural feel, but with more open space at 3 bedrooms and 4 baths.
MORE HOME TOUR | Inside a Broad Ripple colonial with mixed modern and antique decor
NEON House Q&A:
Who lives in the NEON House?
The NEON House belongs to Brian Burtch, principal of NEON Architecture.
What are the interior spaces of the NEON house?
The NEON House contains two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, galley kitchen, double-height living and dining space, laundry closet, built-in office space, second-floor reading nook, and a one-and-a-half-car attached garage. There is an option to add a third bedroom above the living space.
How was the NEON House built?
The NEON House is a pre-fabricated, modular home. The house was set in place, in two modules, by a crane, attached and finished onsite.
What is the square footage of the NEON house?
The interior spaces of the NEON house amount to 1,050 square feet. The one-and-a-half-car garage adds an additional 285 square feet to the footprint.
What is the square footage of outdoor spaces, including landscape?
The courtyard and landscape amount to approximately 820 square feet. The roof deck above the garage provides 350 square feet of outdoor entertainment area. The third-floor roof deck, accessed through the skylight hatch in the master bedroom, adds an additional 600 square-feet of private outdoor space.
What are the dimensions of the NEON house?
The NEON house is 15-feet wide, from exterior wall to exterior wall. The interior space, at its widest, is 14 feet. The house sits on a 21.5-foot wide lot. At its longest dimensions, the house is 70 feet deep, including the garage. At its tallest, the NEON House measures 25 feet.
What are the exterior materials of the NEON house?
The house is finished in pre-finished vertical, corrugated metal siding and painted fiber cement lap siding, with stained tongue-and-groove cedar siding at the entry.
