Why We Started AERAS — A House Is Not a Home (Without a Village)
Dear friends,
Let’s start with something we’ve come to believe:
a house is not enough.
Not if it’s too large to care for, too empty to feel alive, or too isolating to sustain us. And not if it’s disconnected from what we really need — belonging, balance, and the quiet power of community.
That’s the heart of AERAS Dwellings.
We’re a small start-up rooted in a big idea: that homes can be both beautiful and modest, both independent and connected, both personal and shared. And that housing — when done thoughtfully — can actually foster what’s best in our society. Namely, human connection!
Born from Village Life
The vision for AERAS didn’t start in a boardroom. It started under mango trees and gathering spaces across the African countries of Cameroon and Botswana, where the two of us, Nathan and Timo, were born and grew up, respectively — where life still generally moves with a kind of interdependence many of us are looking to reclaim.
There, many people live in rhythms of togetherness: grandparents help raise grandchildren; young adults care for elders; work, rest, and celebration are shared. It’s not perfect. But it is whole. And it shaped our conviction that community is what makes a place truly feel like home.
We carry that vision with us into our Canadian context, where many of us are stretched thin. Our houses are big, but our lives can sometimes feel small, when we spend our energy each maintaining our own properties, while our parents grow isolated, our friends live too far, and our kids long for more hands on deck.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
What We Build, and Why
At AERAS, we design and build secondary dwellings, also known as Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) — right-sized, high-quality homes that can fit on existing properties or be part of shared-living communities. But more than that, we’re crafting a new way to live — one that blends sustainability with joy, autonomy with belonging.
Secondary dwellings can be:
A place for aging parents to live close, but independently.
A home for adult children who need affordable rent (and a hand with the baby).
A rental unit that offsets your mortgage, or lets you pay forward the gift of housing.
A way to make better use of the land you already own, without overextending your lifestyle.
They’re small enough to feel cozy, customizable enough to reflect your story, and beautiful enough to feel like a dream home — with clever storage, natural light, thoughtful finishes, and design features that make you smile.
But more than anything, ADUs open the door for connection. And that’s where the real transformation begins.
From Property to Possibility
We believe that our homes can help us live better — not just more comfortably, but more meaningfully. By choosing smaller, smarter homes, we can reclaim time, energy, and finances. And by welcoming others into our space — whether family, friends, or tenants — we create the kind of support we all need.
We call this the village model — not a commune, but a community. Not a loss of privacy, but a gain in possibility. A return to the idea that we need each other — and that when we design for that, everyone benefits.
What Comes Next
In the months ahead, this newsletter series will explore the deeper vision of AERAS. We'll talk about:
What secondary dwellings (or, ADUs) are, and how they can work for you.
Why multi-generational and interdependent living is making a comeback.
How thoughtful design creates space for solitude and connection.
What we’re learning from our Anabaptist, African, and justice-rooted influences.
How you can be part of building something better — for yourself, and for your community.
But for now, we simply want to say: welcome.
Whether you’re curious, hopeful, or ready to build — we’re glad you’re here. We believe that housing can be part of the solution to some of the most pressing challenges of our time. And we’d love to walk with you as we rediscover what it means to be home.
With warmth and vision,
Nathan Dirks and Timo Koch
Building homes for wholeness, one village at a time.
