Why Just Squeeze Two Homes Onto One Lot—When You Can Design Both to Feel Fun, Festive, and Spacious

robert carpenter
3 days ago
2 min read

Introducing the El Centro Courtyard Collection: A New Standard in Small-Lot Urban Luxury.

“The consumer isn’t a moron. She’s your wife.” – David Ogilvy

The big urban trend today is lot-splitting. Take one suburban lot, carve it in half, squeeze in an ADU, and call it density. But this is treating infill like an afterthought, fitting tomorrow’s needs into yesterday’s mistakes.

We think it’s smarter to start from scratch.

At El Centro, we began with the premise that two dwellings on a single lot shouldn’t feel like a compromise. They should feel like freedom. Freedom to house a growing family. Freedom to host extended kin. Freedom to rent, share, live, and breathe, without giving up privacy, light, or green space.

A Smarter Lot

Each 65' x 78' lot is designed around the L, nature’s most efficient shape. It turns corners into courtyards. It shields gardens from noise. It turns two homes into two private compound without sacrificing dignity or daylight.

The Main House

A three-bedroom, 1,070 square foot marvel of compact luxury:

One king suite. Two queen bedrooms.
A 10-person dining table anchors an L-shaped kitchen with ample prep space and zero wasted circulation.
A cinematic living room, featuring a wall-to-wall projection screen for home theater nights.
A bath that thinks like a spa: two private water closets, a shared dressing and shower zone, a laundry alcove, and double vanity. Efficient, not cramped.
No wasted en suite just smart square footage where you need it.

The Courtyard

Wrapped in an L-shaped private outdoor zone, the home is inseparable from its garden like feel. Picture:

A spa beneath the stars.
Lounge zones, bistro tables, and an outdoor kitchen fit for long Sunday brunches.
A garden planting areas that add charm and beauty.

The ADU: A Duplex Without Apology

To the side and just to the front of the main house sits a sleek ADU split into two 1-bedroom apartments. These aren’t mere afterthoughts. Rather each gets:

Thomas Jefferson-style sleeping alcoves create space-saving elegance.
Sealable kitchens let you cook without stewing in the smells.
Lounge-worthy living rooms with full-width sofas for movie night or morning coffee.

One unit even gets its own private L-shaped courtyard with its own grill, garden, and dining zone.

The Front: Solar Carports & Space for Four

Parking for four, tucked under carports that do double duty as solar collectors. Clean energy. Clean design. And no street clutter.

This isn’t density. It’s design.

At El Centro, we’re not squeezing more people into less space. We’re giving more people the dignity of a well-designed life. Lot splitting shouldn’t be an act of desperation. It should be an act of vision.

Come see how a 65’ x 78’ lot can live larger than a McMansion and cost a fraction as much.