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FIND YOUR DREAM HOME OR APARTMENT
63Comments
Jul 9, 2012 7:00AM
Jun 28, 2012 6:43PM
Jun 28, 2012 9:28AM
Cohousing neighborhoods are most definitely NOT communes! Every family has a complete, modern & beautiful home of their own. In addition, there is are common amenities, like the Common House for community meals, secured storage bays, gardens, some have swimming pools, parking areas, etc. These communities have higher market values, above area comparables, and most communities have waiting lists.
The newest trend is in Senior cohousing, which the AARP and many Senior Service Centers are lauding for the way in which seniors can have close neighbors who help them out when needed.
In Denmark, the origin of this neighborhood design, over forty years of cohousing living has proven to be very positive. Here is a link to a directory of cohousing communities:
http://www.cohousing.org/directory
Take a look!
The newest trend is in Senior cohousing, which the AARP and many Senior Service Centers are lauding for the way in which seniors can have close neighbors who help them out when needed.
In Denmark, the origin of this neighborhood design, over forty years of cohousing living has proven to be very positive. Here is a link to a directory of cohousing communities:
http://www.cohousing.org/directory
Take a look!
Jun 27, 2012 10:57AM
Loved the article and comments because I have thought about living in this type of setting but didn't know these options even existed. Later this year I'll be returning to the U.S. after having spent more than four years living in a Latin American country (and sharing my home with renters from various other Latin American countries), And I'm more convinced than ever that this is the kind of living situation that I would like to be involved in. Where do I sign up?!?!
Jun 27, 2012 6:07AM
Until I stumbled across my current home (a cohousing unit, one featured in this article, no less), I had no idea about cohousing. My husband and I were not sure if we would like it, but we were willing to give it a try, and it has been so much more than we imagined. It certainly does not fit the "hippie commune" stereotype. While I can't speak about all cohousing communities, I can say that this one is a dream. In our old home, we had the constant maintenance of the pool, the yard, the fence... Our garage was filled with tools we used only occasionally, with a meager corner for projects and no room for the car, and there was no real space for a garden (my passion). We didn't really know our neighbors, and we thought we preferred it that way. It turns out, though, that we were missing something.
As kids growing up in the 70s, we knew we could only get into so much trouble before an adult would call our parents to tell on us. Neighbors would stop by with zucchini bread or jam or something. Parents would take turns taking the kids to school. Our parents socialized with the neighbors, and our neighborhood had this family feeling. As adults, though, we'd grown so far away from that, thinking it was no fun, or people were shady and couldn't be trusted, so we withdrew, and in our withdrawal we lost something. Now we have that back.
The makeup of the community is critical, of course, but this community has drawn to it people who are like-minded about many of the things that bring people together. Whether it's a safe place to raise kids, sharing the upkeep on the yard work, concern over wasted resources, we have these common interests to pull us together.
Consider the wheelbarrow. It's a fairly large tool, but you need it only occasionally. We had one when we moved in, so we store it in the shed and we are glad to share it, why not? Other people have other tools they gladly share as well, and between us, we have nearly every imaginable tool for any task that may arise, a really well-stocked garage. Now, if each of us, individually, wanted to have these things on our own, not only would it require the additional space in each of our homes, but it would take all the resources to make each of these things.
Other tools may be more precious or require more skill, and in these cases, people either keep them on their own property, or they ask that anyone using them ask for permission first. The only things that are shared are the things no one minds sharing, and are glad to share for the relief of having a place to store it.
This is just one example, of course. We could, if we chose to, not share, not talk to our neighbors, in which case, this would be pretty much like any other place (well, a bit nicer because the parking is all on the perimeter, many gardeners live here so it's gorgeous, and people here are just, well, kinder. But I digress.) The houses are all set up for regular living... they all have kitchens and bedrooms and bathrooms. But communally, we have access to a workshop, a chef kitchen, guest suites, craft area, dining hall, laundry room, (in case you don't want to use your own unit's utility room to house a separate washer/dryer) and more. And because it belongs to us all, there is a sense of pride in ownership, so we take care of these things.
Living here allows us to share or not share as much as we are comfortable with. We have plots in the shared garden, but we share the crops as we choose. We could keep them all if we chose to, and no one would think twice about it. We share, though, because we have an abundance, and because it's fun. Just like when we were kids.
As kids growing up in the 70s, we knew we could only get into so much trouble before an adult would call our parents to tell on us. Neighbors would stop by with zucchini bread or jam or something. Parents would take turns taking the kids to school. Our parents socialized with the neighbors, and our neighborhood had this family feeling. As adults, though, we'd grown so far away from that, thinking it was no fun, or people were shady and couldn't be trusted, so we withdrew, and in our withdrawal we lost something. Now we have that back.
The makeup of the community is critical, of course, but this community has drawn to it people who are like-minded about many of the things that bring people together. Whether it's a safe place to raise kids, sharing the upkeep on the yard work, concern over wasted resources, we have these common interests to pull us together.
Consider the wheelbarrow. It's a fairly large tool, but you need it only occasionally. We had one when we moved in, so we store it in the shed and we are glad to share it, why not? Other people have other tools they gladly share as well, and between us, we have nearly every imaginable tool for any task that may arise, a really well-stocked garage. Now, if each of us, individually, wanted to have these things on our own, not only would it require the additional space in each of our homes, but it would take all the resources to make each of these things.
Other tools may be more precious or require more skill, and in these cases, people either keep them on their own property, or they ask that anyone using them ask for permission first. The only things that are shared are the things no one minds sharing, and are glad to share for the relief of having a place to store it.
This is just one example, of course. We could, if we chose to, not share, not talk to our neighbors, in which case, this would be pretty much like any other place (well, a bit nicer because the parking is all on the perimeter, many gardeners live here so it's gorgeous, and people here are just, well, kinder. But I digress.) The houses are all set up for regular living... they all have kitchens and bedrooms and bathrooms. But communally, we have access to a workshop, a chef kitchen, guest suites, craft area, dining hall, laundry room, (in case you don't want to use your own unit's utility room to house a separate washer/dryer) and more. And because it belongs to us all, there is a sense of pride in ownership, so we take care of these things.
Living here allows us to share or not share as much as we are comfortable with. We have plots in the shared garden, but we share the crops as we choose. We could keep them all if we chose to, and no one would think twice about it. We share, though, because we have an abundance, and because it's fun. Just like when we were kids.
Jun 26, 2012 9:57PM
Jun 26, 2012 9:15PM
Jun 26, 2012 8:48PM
I rented a home in co-housing because the owner couldn't sell the place. If you like nosey neighbors, more yard work, and no say about what you do on your own property, then co-housing is for you. Co-housing is a HOA on steroids. Plus I got to read daily email threads of people complaining about everything.
Jun 26, 2012 7:28PM
Fascinating to read these comments.....Clearly folks reading this article wouldn't have much of an idea of what cohousing is like, but that doesn't stop 'posters' from going off the deep end with their imaginations and projections of what it must be like. About 50,000 Danes (1%) live in these communities in Denmark where it comes from. You know how wacky and dangerous those Danes are - NOT. If you value a version of privacy and freedom that excludes having to work together with others, AND work things out with others, then of course you wouldn't want to live in these places. And you wouldn't be capable. Nor would they want you. If you are comparing a stand-along house with attached garage or lots of property and think that's a good model - then cohousing would be a nightmare and a bad economic idea for you. Obviously, those aren't the sole values held in high esteem by people that choose to live in cohousing, btw - theyaren't communal properties. You own your own place AND community space and community building and so on. So one reason soem would pay more is because it is a comparable house or townhouse or condo AND you have additional 'amenities.' Historically, cohousing has not been successful in building 'affordable' or low-income units. But this has been changing slowly, sometimes as a result of complying with city and town regulations. Hopefully, they'll be more economic and other diversity in these communities. Cuz it ain't just aging hippies who enjoy giving and getting support from their neighbors. In fact, this is what many people pine for from the neighborhood they had in their childhood, or wished they'd had. Consciously choosing traditions like watching each others kids or raising a barn or eating together or borrowing a cup of sugar - and the snickering knee-jerk comments fly about socialism and communism. C'mon, raise the bar.
Jun 26, 2012 7:02PM
Well unless it is like minded people living like this, sharing everything except the bedrooms and toilets,paying a mortgage plus fees,having a meeting about everything often. It will not work for long,especially here in the US where everyone thinks they need to speak their mind as often as they can. I thnk this is one of the dumbest ideas I have ever read about.
Jun 26, 2012 6:01PM
Jun 26, 2012 4:31PM
Jun 26, 2012 4:26PM
A new and inventive way for architects to repackage the same old thing and make money. If it walks like a duck and sounds like a duck, - its a DUCK. IT'S A CONDO! Seriously, everyone is not crazy. We have all seen the tremendous loss in condo values due the co-housing effect. Yup, you can buy a $400,000 condo for $160,000, but the cash flow problem due to vacancies will turn it into low-rent housing. Hopefully we won't see these co-housing projects start popping up around the country. Yikes!!
Jun 26, 2012 4:02PM
Jun 26, 2012 3:40PM
Jun 26, 2012 3:39PM
Jun 26, 2012 3:38PM
Jun 26, 2012 3:15PM
Jun 26, 2012 3:02PM
Jun 26, 2012 3:01PM
I would agree with many of the negative comments posted by other users thus far. However, let's get real folks, condo boards under good old fashioned capitalistic systems are good at limiting our freedoms. When we live in social communities together a part of that equation is we accept some reasonable limitations to function together collectively!
Any group of social animals who decide to cohere as a group are going to have to find a way to truly, intelligently, cooperatively, exist--in spite of differences in opinion and experience.
Assuming that this approach is bad just because economics aren't there or the collective approach limits freedoms is plain wrongheaded. Regardless of whether this model as practiced is feasible or not, we clearly need to find a new model, because the old one in the 21st Century (with insane mortgages) that put people out of there homes and make the already ridiculous rich, filthy RICH, no longer serves any of us. PEACE!
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