Partners for Livable Omaha invites you to follow and support the OurStory Small Houses program.

Launched in 2024, OurStory is a multi-year program that works with a multidisciplinary team of professionals, academics, and architecture students to create new design solutions for existing and emerging small home developers creating infill housing and accessory dwellings in the Omaha metro and beyond. 

Whether you're building for a loved one, or building for the love of your community, this collaborative design process and lessons learned will empower you to take action.

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Design-based Solutions: How do we want to live as we age?

American cities are at a crossroads.

According to AARP, the population of the United States is rapidly aging with 1 in 5 Americans to be 65 or older by 2030. Yet only 1% of existing homes have all of the following key accessibility features: a zero-step entrance, single-story living, wide halls and doorways, lever-style handles, and electrical controls that are accessible from a wheelchair. 

Now, more than ever, our communities and people of all ages need more and different housing options than what's commonly available, and often unaffordable.

Designed for all ages and stages of life

OurStory Small Houses are prototype aging-ready homes for Omaha and beyond that seeks affordability at the intersection of design, finance, and policy.

Designed by the UNL College of Architecture’s FACT studio and led by Partners for Livable Omaha, OurStory fills a gap in the market for small house designs that are constructible, financeable, environmentally sustainable, and empowering.

OurStory designs can function as:

• Standalone small homes

• Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to existing  homes

• Small homes within cottage courts and cluster communities  

Benefits of the OurStory housing system

Designed for real life — Accessible, durable, low-maintenance, and stylish.

Long-term savings — Energy-efficient technologies help minimize energy waste and are better for the environment. By using less energy, owners enjoy lower utility bills. 

Future-proof — All-electric, high-performance, and designed for changing weather risks. Designed to withstand high wind in excess of 160 mph.

Easy to adapt the home to meet the lifestyle and accommodation needs of occupants at all stages of life.

Radically efficient — Prefab SIPs panels cut framing time by 55%, cost less, and outperform traditional framing. 

Customizable — A catalog of adaptable designs for single-lot infill housing, ADUs, cottage courts and cluster developments is under development.

Beyond the Classroom: Building Benson House & Corby House

The first two OurStory houses known as Corby House & Benson House are under construction now in Omaha’s historic Benson-Country Club community. The all-electric, space-efficient concept is rooted in universal design and  features structural insulated panels (exterior walls and roof), heat pumps,  and prefabricated components to reduce construction time, boost building  energy efficiency, and realize affordability. 

Our first build is made possible with a construction loan from Spark, with additional support from Lozier Foundation, Pella Windows and Doors of Omaha and Lincoln, Sherwin Williams and Buildertrend. The general contractor is Holy Name Housing Corporation. The architect of record is Actual Architecture Co. The designer is FACT. The developer is Partners for Livable Omaha.

• View houses for sale now at OurStoryHouses.com.

• Learn more about our design process, view site plans and additional images at www.factlab.org

• Complete an anonymous survey to give your feedback on the OurStory designs and our current build in the Benson neighborhood in Omaha.

Going to Scale: Supporting Nebraska’s Housing Ecosystem

Our work creates new opportunities and introduces new innovations for developers focused on workforce housing, affordable housing, accessible housing, aging-ready housing, and gentle density.

In 2026, together with our partners, we are launching an OurStory Small Houses catalog to catalyze small, aging-ready housing construction projects in Omaha and beyond.

The OurStory program will offer affordable design services as a means to producing more affordable housing across the state.