12 Shocking Housing Statistics You Should Know!

12 Shocking Housing Statistics You Should Know!

12 Shocking Housing Statistics You Should Know!

Written by: Nicole Miller

 When talking about where we need to go next in the housing industry, it’s important to look at where we are currently and what our trajectory is. This will help us determine the needs of our current and future communities and what we can do to help them. To do this, let’s look at 12 housing statistics.

Housing Statistics for the United States:

#1 “In 2022, about 29% of all US households were one-person households

As our one-person households increase globally, we are no longer needing as many large single-family residences, rather we are needing more multi-family and middle housing options.

#2 By 2030 1 in 5 Americans will be 65+.

With our aging population, there is an increasing need for smaller and more affordable homes for the older population to live in that cannot afford to live in large single-family residences. This also means that the housing being built should consider universal design methods to make the homes accessible to folks using mobility aids and with various disabilities.

#3 By 2025 up to 85% of households will not have children.

A staggering number to look at! Regardless of why people are choosing not to have children these days, it means the population does not need as big of homes to house a family of 3+ anymore. The needs and priorities of our population are rapidly changing, so our housing needs to reflect that.

#4 As much as 80% or more of many cities is zoned exclusively for Single Family.

And yet the laws are still lagging behind and only allowing single-family residences to be built. An overhaul of the legislature is greatly need in order to legalize multi-family/middle housing.

#5 Millennials are looking for walkable living and MMH (missing middle housing).

Studies even show that this generation of renters and home buyers aren’t looking for the traditional single-family home. They are wanting middle housing and housing in communities that are walkable–where they can walk to the grocery store, a park, a restaurant, the gym. But the zoning across most US cities doesn’t allow for this.

Housing Statistics for Bellingham & Whatcom County:

#6 Bellingham is expected to have an average population growth of 1,350 people per year in the next 20 yrs.

This may not seem like a lot, but when you think about the fact that our population is currently at just over 93k people and the vacancy rate is just under 2% (we are in need of more housing already), then the reality of the amount of housing we need to build in the next 20 years to not just keep up with the growth, but also make up for the lack of availability already.

#7 The median income for Bellingham is around $60,000/yr.

This means that 50% of Bellingham residents make $60k/yr or less and the other 50% of residents make $60k/yr or more. This becomes more important when knowing the following facts.

#8 “In Bellingham, 24% of homeowners and 56% of renters are cost burdened.”

If 54% of renters are cost burdened just renting, then that means the likelihood for more than half of our renters to be able to purchase a home is incredibly low. But homeownership is the best way to gain equity. So more than half of renters are stuck in the perpetual cost burdened cycle until something changes that makes housing more affordable or they are somehow able to make enough to purchase a home. But looking at the following facts, you’ll see that’s even harder than in sounds.

#9 “In the second quarter of 2019, the homeownership rates for white, Black, and Latino households were 73.1 percent, 40.6 percent, and 46.6 percent respectively – the largest differentials in fifty years.”

It’s important to note that of those that own homes in Whatcom County, it is mostly white individuals, leaving minorities stuck renting or houseless. Showing that while the issue of housing affordability is affects everyone, it disproportionally affects minorities.

#10 In 2022, the average rental cost was $1,693/mo; In order to afford this, a renter would need to make $33/hr or $67,720/yr. (WHA Cost of Renting Vs Buying in Whatcom County

According to 2020 Census data, 71% of Bellingham households are made up of only 1-2 people. Looking back at the median income for Bellingham (which is $60k/yr), we can see that the average rental is not affordable for a huge portion of our community and it shows why 56% of renters are cost burdened.

#11 The average mortgage payment is $3,439/mo; In order to afford this, a homeowner would need to make $66/hr or $137,560/yr. (WHA Cost of Renting Vs Buying in Whatcom County)

We saw that 24% of homeowners are cost burdened, and its more shocking that more aren’t cost burdened when looking at the average mortgage payment and knowing only 50% of the community makes $60k or more. Even in a household of two making the median income wouldn’t be able to afford the average mortgage payment.

#12 The median home price in Whatcom County in February 2023 was $560,000; However, a couple making a collective $100,000/yr could only afford a house worth $385,000. (WHA What is Workforce Housing?)

In order for housing prices to reduce to a level that the typical Bellingham or Whatcom County resident can afford, we need to focus on building middle housing which is smaller and more affordable. It also allows us to build more units with more density, which will help address the vacancy rates and growing population. Middle housing is a great option for our aging population as well, as they can still live in the city where there are public facilities, and it is less expensive. Middle housing will also cater to our changing population dynamics as we see more and more childless and one-person households.

Thankfully Washington state recently passed HB 1110 which legalizes middle housing and HB 1337 which makes it eases the restrictions on ADU’s. The city of Bellingham is also working hard to implement these at city-level for our near future.

As housing-for-everyone advocates, TC Legend Homes and Powerhouse Designs strives to educate the public on these important issues while providing healthy, net-zero, carbon neutral budget homes in an effort to not only help the housing crisis, but provide top-performing homes.

To further discuss middle housing and the path forward for our community, or to get started on your very own project, contact us today!

Award Winning Samish Solar Home Case Study

Award Winning Samish Solar Home Case Study

Written by: Nicole Miller

The U.S. Department of Energy announced that the submission for the Samish Solar Home from Powerhouse Designs and TC Legend Homes has been selected as a 2023 Housing Innovation Awards Winner!

Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home Housing Innovation Awards 2023 Winner official poster. 
"Powerhouse Design & TC Legend Homes" 
"Samish Solar Home, Bellingham, WA. TCLegendHomes.com." 
Photographed is the home that has won the award. It is a south-facing home with clearstory design, painted a forest green on the exterior with sunroom and covered porch and separate entry between the main house and the garage. 
“This is by far the most e cient, nicest, and most comfortable house we have lived in!” Homeowner
"Project Data
Layout: 4 bdrm, 3.5 bath, 2 fl s, 2,345 ft
• Climate: IECC 4C, marine
• Completed: June 2023
• Category: Custom for Buyer
MODELED PERFORMANCE DATA
• HERS Index: without PV 33; with PV
-20
• Annual Energy Costs: without PV
$650; with PV $-300
• Annual Energy Cost Savings: (vs
typical new homes) without PV $1,500;
with PV $2,450
• Annual Energy Savings: without PV
11,550 kWh; with PV 23,100 kWh
• Savings in the First 30 Years: without
PV $62,400; with PV $101,800" 
"Key Features
Walls: SIPs, R-29 total: 6.5" graphite EPS SIP with OSB sides. House wrap, fi ber cement lap
siding. Aerosolized acrylic whole-house air sealing.
• Roof: SIP roof, 10.25" R-49 graphite EPS SIP roof, insulated splines. Synthetic
underlayment, metal roofi ng with cool roof index of 32.
• Attic: Unvented vaulted ceilings.
• Foundation: Slab-on-grade foundation; R-23 ICF stem walls; R-20 closed-cell spray foam
under slab.
• Windows: Triple-pane, U=0.16-0.18, SHGC=0.32-0.50, low-e3, argon-fi ll, vinyl-framed.
Shading: extended eaves, landscaping for shade, half of sunroom roof is opaque metal.
• Air Sealing: 0.27 ACH50, all SIP panel joints sealed with double bead of mastic and tape.
Windows and doors are foamed in. Whole house aerosolized acrylic sealant.
• Ventilation: HRV, continuous at 30 cfm, humidistat and CO sensored for boost. Also
mobile phone alert to IAQ sensors. HRV has HEPA fi lter.
• HVAC: Air-to-water heat pump, 3.92 COP for heating and 6.75 for cooling; 23.02 EER.
Radiant fl oor heat downstairs, fan coil upstairs. Designed for passive heating.
• Hot Water: Powered by the same air-to-water heat pump that heats and cools the home.
• Lighting and Appliances: LED lighting. ENERGY STAR appliances, induction cooktop.
• Solar: 10.8-kWh PV.
• Energy Management System: IAQ sensor controls for ventilation.
• Other: PV designed for house load + electric vehicle charging."

This national award represents a significant achievement, recognizing the most impressive and advanced homes among leading DOE Zero Energy Ready Home builders. Our standard-setting leadership serves as an example of what every homebuyer in the nation should come to expect and demand from their home.

US Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home Housing Innovation Awards Winner. "Powerhouse Designs & TC Legend Homes"
"Bellingham, WA
TCLegendHomes.com
Project: Samish Solar Home
Bellingham, WA"
"2,345 sqft, 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath, 2 floors. 4C Marine, Custom for Buyer." 
"HERS -20. This home's score with PV" - Indicates the HERS overachieves beyond the point of being just a Net Zero home which has a HERS of 0. The average new home as a HERS of 90 and the average existing home has a HERS of 140. 
"$-20 Average Monthly Energy Bill. Calculated." 
"$2,450 Annual Savings. Calculated versus typical new homes."
"$101,800 Saved in the first 30 years. Includes fuel escalation rate, 2021 EIA Energy Outlook."

The Housing Innovation Awards helps us celebrate our success in providing our customers with the best in energy efficiency, indoor air quality, comfort, and construction quality. Awardees this year are being recognized for innovative use of off-the-shelf technologies and strategies to achieve advanced performance; innovative use of leading-edge technologies and strategies to achieve advanced performance; market transformation through education efforts; and innovative implementation of decarbonization strategies.

"Powerhouse Designs & TC Legend Homes, Samish Solar Home, 2023"
A floor plan of the winning home.

Find Out More About the HIA Awards Here.

To start designing your very own potential future Housing Innovation Awards winning home, contact us today!

Featured in the Northern Lights: Point Whitehorn net-zero home constructed with efficient features

Featured in the Northern Lights: Point Whitehorn net-zero home constructed with efficient features

Written by: Senna Scott

Our Point Whitehorn net-zero home was featured in @TheNorthernLight Blaine & Birch Bay’s Community Newspaper!

“Nestled adjacent to wetlands and with views of Birch Bay State Park, TC Legend Homes’ Point Whitehorn house is not your average house. The home has a 7.2kW photovoltaic system – the conversion of light into electrical energy – and is built in a highly efficient envelope, setting it up to be a net-zero energy house in Birch Bay.”

You can learn about our cost-saving measures and design challenges by reading the full article online >> HERE <<

How to Make a Secondary Combustion Manifold

How to Make a Secondary Combustion Manifold

Written by: Senna Scott

Last month Dan did some surgery on Norm’s reclaimed woodstove he got from his in-laws beach cabin, giving it a secondary combustion manifold using outside air.

The idea is to make it burn the gasses released by the wood that conventional stoves waste.

Dan says, “We put in an air supply line piped from the outside to feed the fire so the fire isn’t pulling the warm air from the house’s envelope which helps retain warmth.”

“That air supply then feeds into a manifold overtop of the fire. Dozens of little holes were drilled into a steel tubing manifold I built to spread air out through the stove. A smaller air supply splits off from the manifold at the bottom of the stove, runs across the bottom and to the front of the stove to assist with convection and combustion. Norm will then lines the walls of the stove with firebricks.”

What’s the point of doing all this??

So this fire could burn hotter and more efficiently! 🔥

Norm reports back post-retrofit saying that “the wood stove system is working perfectly! It probably cleans the smoke up to maybe 50 percent, and burns the gasses out of the emissions as well as increasing efficiency of the burn within the burn chamber – increasing the efficiency from about 80 percent to 95 percent!”

( SO cool! )

Norm continued to say, “You can tell it is a clean burn because the glass stays clean and you have a really cool fire. The actual flame in the stove comes not just from the bottom, but it shoots down from the top – making it a really cool flame from both directions, but it’s not overly hot!”

📸 Thanks Norm & Dan for sharing your “sustainability” weekend adventures and photos of your project! 😀

TC Legend has been recognized by U.S. EPA as a 2023 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award winner

TC Legend has been recognized by U.S. EPA as a 2023 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award winner

TC Legend Homes has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a 2023 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award winner for our ongoing commitment to building homes with improved indoor air quality through participation in the Indoor airPLUS program.


“Congratulations to all 14 2023 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award winners!” said David Rowson, Director of EPA’s Indoor Environments Division.

“It is always inspiring to have the opportunity to recognize the incredible work that our partners do every day, from expanding the use of Indoor airPLUS on a national scale, to maintaining strong leadership within their local communities. On behalf of EPA and the Indoor airPLUS team, we would like to congratulate and thank the 2023 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award winners for all of their work in constructing healthier homes for the American consumer”.


This annual award recognizes market-leading organizations who promote safer, healthier, and more comfortable indoor environments by participating in the Inoor airPLUS program.

To learn more about the 2023 Indoor airPLUS Awards and the Indoor airPLUS Program, visit www.epa.gov/indoorairplus

Net zero development: Which way to run the streets

Net zero development: Which way to run the streets

Written by: Jake Evans

Which way do you run the streets to maximize solar exposure for dense Net Zero development?

A street view of a row of colorful houses. The center blue house is a Net Zero house designed by Powerhouse Designs and built by TC Legend Homes.

Common wisdom states that the optimal streets run east west, which makes sense if you’re the house on the north side of the street, because there’s nothing shading your house, garden or solar panels. However, living on the south side of the street, you suffer from north facing gardens and probably some shading unless the lots are 5000sf or greater.

Critically, 10 dwelling units (du) per acre is the density with enough inhabitants to support a bus service (*1), a key part of the sustainable urbanist vision for transit, pedestrian & bike use, rather than private cars. An acre is 43500sf.

My conclusion is that the common wisdom is wrong for dense, Net Zero development, that the streets should run north-south.

A Net-Zero house has most of the windows on the south side of the house because south facing windows can be effectively shaded from summertime overheating, and can harvest wintertime solar energy.

Because all the windows are on the south walls, we can’t have another 2-story house immediately to the south as shown in ‘East-West 3700’ below, or the valuable direct wintertime sunlight will be prevented from entering & you’ll have a house that is gloomy all winter.

Sure, if the lots are big, we can keep the southern house away, as shown in ‘East-West 4500’ below, but then we end up with less than 10 du/ acre (du/a) and there’s no bus & everyone’s driving cars.

The ‘North-South 3800’ drawing below shows a 1-story neighbor garage to the south, avoiding shade. Bingo! That’s a 3800sf lot, and offers 11.34 du/a. Additionally the frontage length is reduced which lowers roadway & utility development costs.

Street Orientation Option 1 North-South 3800. A drawing showing a block of houses on streets oriented north to south and situated on their lots with garages on the north side and the long side of the house on the north and south side, allowing solar gain on the south side while not being blocked by the roofline of the neighboring house. Text says "2000 sf house with dbl garage. 3835 sf lot. 59' frontage / du = 11.34, du/a = density supports bus OK. Winter light = 100%. Equal solar exposure for all houses."
Street Orientation Option 2 East-West 3700. A drawing showing a block of houses on streets oriented east to west and situated on their lots with garages to one side of the house and the long side of the house on the north and south side. The two houses to the north of the block have garages on the west side and the southern two houses have garages on the east side mimicking the layout. The orientation allows solar gain on the south side but the diagram shows that 40% of the northern houses will be blocked by the roofline of the neighboring southern house. Text says "2000 sf house with dbl garage. 3700 sf lot. 74' frontage / du = 11.76, du/a = density supports bus OK. Winter light = 60% @ northern houses."
Street Orientation Option 3 East-West 4500. A drawing showing a block of houses on streets oriented east to west and situated on their lots with garages to one side of the house and the long side of the house on the north and south side. The two houses to the north of the block have garages on the west side and the southern two houses have garages on the east side mimicking the layout. The orientation allows solar gain on the south side while not being blocked by the roofline of the neighboring southern house. However the houses are visibly farther apart. Text says "2000 sf house with dbl garage. 4505 sf lot. 74' frontage / du = 9.66, du/a = density ~ supports bus OK. Winter light = 100%."

(*1) Transit modes related to residential density (Boris Pushkarev & Jeffry M Zupan)