On a quiet street near South Congress Avenue, an Austin high-tech entrepreneur and his wife have created Verde Camp, a cluster of vintage guest cottages that is attracting an eclectic following among visitors who want a unique place to stay.When they bought the half-acre property on Drake Avenue four years ago, California transplants BJ and Carrie Heinley planned to either move or tear down the six 1930s-era units and put a new development in its place.
"Everyone said we should tear them down, build new homes and sell them," BJ Heinley said. "But the more we spent time here, we realized it's a special spot and we shouldn't mess with the homes other than to upgrade them. Once you build condos, there's no turning back."
Over a couple years, they rebuilt foundations, gutted plumbing and wiring, and remodeled the interiors of the small muted green cottages, which sit beneath a canopy of live oaks and are within walking distance of SoCo shops.
Now fully restored, furnished and equipped with modern perks such as Wi-Fi, Verde Camp is carving out a niche as an Austin-style alternative to a standard hotel.
The University of Texas' Michener Center for Writers puts its visiting authors, including British novelist Ian McEwan, at Verde. This week, Irish author Colm T?ib?n, in town for a reading at UT on Thursday evening, is a guest.
"We could use any of the downtown hotels, but it's so much more Austin to have people stay where they can walk to South Congress or to Stacy Park," said Marla Akin, program coordinator at the Michener Center. "People love it because they get to experience the Austin that they've heard about."
Verde Camp includes six rentals: one two-bedroom cottage, which rents for $220 a night; four one-bedroom units, which range from $165 to $190 a night; and a restored 1949 Airstream-style travel trailer that costs $75 a night. (One cottage is the residence of a full-time caretaker.)
The cottages feature original hardwood floors, furniture made by local artists and bungalow-style kitchens, with porcelain sinks and restored cabinets. Outside is a horseshoe court and a fire pit surrounded by chairs that BJ Heinley made using old oil drums.
Verde Camp was a shift in gears for Heinley, a former user-interface designer and assistant art director at Yahoo Inc. in Santa Clara, Calif., and co-founder of San Francisco-based startup Dipity.com, a consumer Web site.
The Heinleys, both UT alumni, returned to Austin in 2005. Today, he runs Heinley Design Co. , a Web design firm, and is an investor in South Congress men's clothing store Stag.
Heinley originally planned to rent the cottages, which had been rental units for years, to full-time tenants but switched to guest rentals, which can be more lucrative.
"We finished the renovation work right at the time vacation rentals were taking off, so we put an ad on Craigslist, and the response was great," Heinley said.
According to the City of Austin, owners can rent out private properties without being required to secure special zoning as long as they don't erect signs advertising the properties for rent or call the property a hotel or bed-and-breakfast.
Verde Camp, which is zoned for multifamily use, pays hotel taxes and must comply with other regulations, Heinley said.
Verde Camp, which lists its units on its own Web site (www.verdecamp.com ) as well as on vacation-home sites, gets most of its business through word of mouth.
Nearby boutique properties Hotel St. Cecilia and Hotel San Jose also send overflow Verde's way.
The camp has had no vacancy for the past two weeks and is booked for South by Southwest.
Visitors vary, from writers and musicians seeking a respite to families who want an outfitted kitchen and laundry facilities.
Troy Williams, whose family stayed at Verde Camp when they fled Hurricane Ike in 2008, said the cottages are ideal for extended visits.
"After a couple days, staying at a hotel can wear on you. With Verde, you have the privacy and the quiet, you have windows, and a place to sit outside," Williams said. "And you're within walking distance of what makes Austin fun and interesting."
lhawkins@statesman.com; 912-5955
