It would be nice if architects would design tiny starter homes for people, but they won’t. The profit margin is too small. And developers won’t do it for fear of encouraging too much grass-roots autonomy and change. Nearly all homes that grow from modest beginnings are, like Thomas Jefferson’s, owner-built and owner-designed. Usually an architect is rented briefly just to sign the plans. I think there’s an opportunity waiting for professionals who can figure out how to design and construct houses that grow incrementally over time.
