By Don Lowe
There’s a saying: “Bigger is better.” The entrepreneurial husband and wife team of Art and Vickie Boyt know that’s not necessarily so, especially when it comes to what their company, Urban Cottage by SolSource Greenbuild, is offering with visionary small homes ingenuity.
Such outside-the-box thinking by the Boyts, along with other non-profit groups who have a shared passion in this work, has helped create reasonably priced housing for those who couldn’t have afforded homes of any size, let alone bigger ones.
The Boyts are impassioned about this initiative, and Vickie says, “We love providing well-built, durable, energy-efficient homes for people who might not otherwise be able to have a home.
“We’re inspired by the dedication of people in the organizations we work with, like David and Linda Brown of Eden Village, in Springfield, Missouri, and Bryan and Amy Stallings of Elevate Branson in Branson, Missouri. We value their commitment to providing support and meaningful connections to people who need reliable housing.”
The idea for small homes came from a contest in which the Boyts had integral roles more than two decades ago. Art says, “The concept originated when we collaborated on two Solar Decathlon sustainable home competitions hosted by the United States Department of Education beginning in 2002.
“College teams had to design, build and operate small homes that produced all their own energy. Vickie took the lead on house design, and I worked on energy aspects with student teams at Crowder College in Neosho, Missouri. Both homes were displayed on the Washington, D.C., Capital Mall as part of the competition.
”It was enlightening and Art says, “We discovered from those competitions that gracious, livable homes could be much smaller than what was generally accepted at the time. Ironically, our standard cottage today is about two-thirds the size of those earlier 600-square-foot homes.
”Vickie says, “While designing and building homes for the solar competitions with students, we were struck with the number of solutions smaller homes could offer, primarily in terms of providing housing that’s affordable. When we were approached by the Browns to provide homes for the second community, Eden Village II, we were excited to work with them.
”It’s all about relationships and Vickie says, “The Browns and Nate Schlueter, founders of the Eden Village Communities, were responsible for our initial plunge into building the homes.
“After providing homes for Eden Village II, they helped us contact others who were developing communities based on their concept. The Stallings also became partners as they began a non-profit community for low-income individuals.
”Since first helping bring Eden Village II to life about five years ago,the Boyts have remained busy. Art says, “We’ve constructed homes for Eden Village communities in Springfield, Missouri; Kansas City, Kansas; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. And, we have provided homes for ReHOPE in Harrisonville, Missouri, and most recently with Elevate Branson.
Urban Cottage by SolSource Greenbuild/Art & Vickie Boyt Fast Facts
Careers: Art Boyt: Teacher and founding director of Renewable Energy Program at the MARET Center, Crowder College (1979-2008), partner in SolSource Greenbuild (2008-present).
Vickie Boyt: Employed in multiple capacities in the field of early childhood and early childhood special education. She held positions in the classroom and as a process coordinator for children ages birth through kindergarten in the school districts of Warrensburg, Carl Junction and most recently, Neosho, Missouri.
Hobbies: Art Boyt: Jogging, mountain biking, motorcycle camping, inventing solar products and helping with sustainable forest management on the family tree farm.
Vickie Boyt: Designing homes and playing in the kitchen.