AUGUST 16, 2018 BY 

As featured in the Steamboat Pilot & Today – August 16, 2018

By Matt Stensland

A unique housing concept with the goal of being attainable to purchase by people in the middle class is about a month away from coming to fruition in Hayden.

Steamboat Sotheby’s International Realty broker associates Darrin Fryer and Ryan Cox are developing the 10-unit property through their company SmartPads LLC. The project is being built on land owned by Fryer and Louis Nijsten on East Washington Avenue. Two of the 583-square-foot, one-bed, one-bath units are currently listed for sale at $168,000.

“The whole mission is really just to prove that we can get some low-cost housing,” Fryer said. “We think we’ve created a solution that’s going to be very helpful with the attainable (housing) problem in Steamboat.”

The homes will be duplexes and are being built off-site in Vernal, Utah. The developers said building the homes in a controlled environment helps them achieve efficiency and high quality construction, and developers are hoping to pass any cost savings onto buyers.

“They’ll come delivered pretty much complete,” Fryer said.

That includes the appliances, finishes and bathrooms.

Essentially all they have to do is get the units on the foundations, which are currently being constructed.

Cost efficiency is also achieved through quick construction time of about three to four months compared to upwards of a year through traditional construction.

“We’re going to be able to turn these projects around in a very short timeframe,” Cox said.

Fryer and Cox are also working on three home projects in the new Sunlight subdivision in West Steamboat using the same construction method. Those homes will also be built off-site and will range in size from 1,900 to 2,500 square feet.

For the Hayden project, the developers worked closely with the town of Hayden through the planning process.

“I’ve probably got to give a lot of credit to (town manager) Matt Mendisco,” Fryer said.

The development will be established with a homeowners association. The owners of the units will own the land underneath their units, their driveways and a small portion of land. There will be a commonly owned area with homeowners association dues of $50 per month. That will cover the cost of road maintenance and snow removal.

To reach Matt Stensland, call 970-871-4247 or email mstensland@SteamboatToday.com