Case Study: Parrot Bungalows
A beachside friend compound with 3 rented homes
From the editors: This is a reader-submitted case study from Brenna. Thanks Brenna! You can submit your own and get paid … guidelines here.
Name: Parrot Bungalows
Date founded: 2021
Location: Ocean Beach, San Diego, California
Rented or owned: Rented
The setup: 3 couples in 3 different ~1200 sq ft 1-bedroom bungalows on a seaside hilltop with separate garage and garden spaces.
Governance: Informal. Each person pays rent separately to the landlord.
The origins
My husband lived in the community of Ocean Beach, San Diego for 20 years and built a friendship network that prioritizes interdependence. During our time here, we managed to build relationships with some of the property owners in the area, and we would become preferred renters for them. If one person needed to move out, we would often try to keep our underground apartments “within the family” before they were put on the market. In 2020, during the pandemic, many people relocated to San Diego, significantly driving up the cost of living, making San Diego one of the most expensive cities to live in the US. This made finding housing even more intimidating.
We found Parrot Bungalows - 3 separate bungalows on one beachfront parcel - through our local connections. Bungalow One was already rented by our friends (Couple One). They had a good relationship with the landlords, having swapped the apartment with another friend years before.
Couple One heard from their neighbors that they were moving out and they wanted us to fill the spot! They drew a diagram of the property on a napkin and convinced us to move into Bungalow Three, while also recruiting a third couple to move into Bungalow Two. When I first saw the pictures of Bungalow Three, I was not impressed. The house boasted “ocean views” but you had to squint and crane your neck to see the ocean due to an overgrown vine. I decided to go for it anyway and trusted that we would benefit from the shared spaces.
Since this was a personal referral, and Couple One already had a good relationship with the landlords, they immediately trusted us (we also prepared glowing references and good credit reports in case). They told us a price for Bungalow Three and we accepted before they listed it to the general public. We had to be very flexible. This property was far from perfect, but the setup near friends was worth the compromises. We fixed a lot of things ourselves to keep the peace. We knew what was permitted to make changes to (eg. the garden area) and what was not (repainting the kitchen cabinets, for example).
Inner Workings
We lived, literally, under an avocado tree whose branches extended across all three properties. The avocado tree was our first shared resource. We had a huge picker that leaned against the fence so any of us could have fresh avocados.
We also started growing lots more fruit and veggies, like lemons, greens, passionfruit, figs, strawberries, tomatoes, herbs, and eventually cut flowers. We shared these amongst our neighbors as well.
What started as fruit sharing quickly took off, as we would set up makeshift crock pot soup nights under the avocado tree, creating outdoor kitchen space. We would brew beer in the garden and keep the keg in the garage in case anyone needed some. Some of us had surfboards, other paddleboards, others kayaks - these were all shared resources for an ocean swim or a visiting friend. We also had a camper van for weekend trips which we often shared amongst the couples.
If someone was away, packages would be gathered, plants would be watered. If someone’s family was in town, we allowed them to stay in our neighbor's homes if they were out of town.
When I was first learning to ski, Jodi opened her garage doors and outfitted me head to toe with balaclavas, waterproof zippered jackets, gloves, and snow pants. If I needed to go to a costume party, into the garage we went, opening boxes of wigs, feathers, and leggings.
Every Friday night, we would gather together for a “sundowner” after our remote jobs were done. We would sit in our neighbor's front yard, have a drink, and watch the sunset over the ocean.
Besides the three couples that lived on our lot, we also lived close to other friends in the neighborhood. About 4-5 other couples and families were within a fifteen-minute walking distance of our home. On Halloween, we set up a big movie screen and sat outside and watched Hocus Pocus and the Nightmare Before Christmas. Our friends walked by with their kids and we gave them hugs. On Thursdays, my husband would make a fire in the backyard and have his friends over to grill. Our friends at Misa Coffee would come over to roast beans on our outdoor patio when I was working.
Lessons learned
If you are renting, you will benefit from a strong relationship with the owner. We spent a lot of our own time and money to maintain the house because the exchange was worth it to us. One of my best friends in NYC has recruited her friends to her building over the years by using the same tactics: keep it professional, pay on time, and propose your friends as excellent rental candidates before the apartment is listed online.
I learned that I really enjoyed sharing a property with friends! I would rather live close to my friends than have an apartment with modern amenities. Letting other people take care of you is necessary for survival. My favorite nights were when people would spontaneously come over for dinner. I always dreamed of having people show up at my house and not feel bad for “not bringing anything”. I loathe the social obligation of measuring tit for tat. It’s nice after a long day to simply show up and be handed a slice of grilled steak without worrying about being a mooch.
I also realized that I needed my own physical space. I liked having separate kitchens and areas where we could retreat to. How I design and live in my own physical space is important to my well-being. I need to come into my own clean space for rest and rejuvenation without the pressure of socializing with others.
Overall, we were lucky we could make this happen without making a major purchase or investment. The benefits of having our own bathrooms, kitchens, and living spaces were ideal and we didn’t need a central manager to coordinate groceries or rent. The shared outdoor spaces, garages, and parking spaces were also ideal for friends who are able to collaborate.
The rental setup is great for now. In the future, I would love to buy a plot of land and split the mortgage with other couples. Then we could put individual ADUs where we could build within our own budgets and maintain the houses to our standards, while still benefiting from shared outdoor space.
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