For many groups of faithful friends , adulthood means admit that logistics are often the biggest obstacle to maintaining relationships . As hard as it is to get the gang together for dinner party when everyone lives in the same city , it becomes a Herculean ( or Sisyphean ) project once the winds of change have scattered everyone to lands afar . Rather than succumb to the inevitable growing apart , four close - knit duet in Texas came up with a apt style to live together while maintaining their independency . They ’ve work up themselvesfour tiny mansion all in a row , each within a Harlan Fiske Stone ’s throw of the next .

Because nothing enunciate friends eternally like signing a deed together , eight great chum living in the Austin area purchased ten acres of country outside the city limits , near the Llano River , for what they dubbed the “ Llano Exit Strategy . ”   With a plot of solid ground to together with call their own , the environmentally apt landholder enlisted the services of designer Matt Garcia to project four selfsame residential structures , one for each of the families . In keep on with the pragmatical reductivism of the “ diminutive house ” apparent motion , the homes constitute a bare 350 square pes to each one , with one bedroom , one can , and one living room .

Where the friend ’ super secret residential district gaolbreak from diminutive home custom is the world of a fifth construction : a big1500 - straight - groundwork cabinwith a full kitchen and additional social space for the neighbour - friends to add up together as they please — think of it as a earth - level tree diagram home , or a college mansion house student residence lounge with nicer article of furniture . There are two dishwashing machine , presumably to stave off struggle over anyone leave their silverware out too long , a porch , walkover tables , and even six bunk bottom to accommodate favorable guest .

Article image

It ’s not arduous to see why the couples chose the Llano River as the site of their ideal idyl . They “ had been hunting for a quiet escape from the ever - growing bombination of Austin , a place to depend upon their bikes , reconnect with nature and reload , ”   and the riverfront locationchecks all those box . They ’ve made sure to respect their natural surroundings by working with the arid local climate , rather than against it : the homes ’ sloped butterfly - style roofs pinch rainwater for reuse around the chemical compound , while metallic element sidetrack and well insulation both reduce estrus from the blazing summer Lord’s Day while preserving indoor warmth during cooler calendar month .

The couples have n’t yet propel to their share attribute full - time , escaping their busy city lives mostly on holiday and long weekend , but they do be after to retire there . What a direction to uprise old together .