Re: The cost of housing, and therefore cohousing
From: Sharon Villines (sharonsharonvillines.com)
Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2004 12:05:27 -0800 (PST)

On Nov 21, 2004, at 1:53 PM, Eileen McCourt wrote:

Something
Sharon mentions that might work for me is to eliminate my one bedroom
and have only open space except for the bathroom and closets.  I am
wondering, Sharon, if you created a studio apt or still have a bedroom?

About halfway in a pretty much square apartment there is a division. On one side the closet containing the washer and dryer/utility closet and a walk in clothes closet stick out about 8 feet. On the other the enclosed bathroom and HVAC/hotwater heater closet stick out about 6 feet. So I have a living area and kitchen in the front connected by a 10 foot wide opening. So there is some division and I'm considering making that opening a smaller archway so you don't see into bathroom all the time. I have one of our handicapped accessible units so the door opens out, not in.

The reasons I can think of for having a bedroom is to hide stuff in (as
in close the door on the mess), and for those times (about 12 times a
year) that I have houseguests that want to stay with me, rather than in
the common house.

I have lots of shelves for storage. I built in one whole wall of shelves -- nice cabinet quality and have several free standing bookshelves. This helps a lot. It means I can store whatever I want in attractive boxes, in the open. Although I also have lots of books.

When people first saw my apartment I was surprised how many of them said "Oh, you'll have to make your bed. I couldn't live this way." I'm a habitual bed maker -- I make it as soon as I get out of it, so I never thought of that.

Having the bed out in the open means I spend much more time on it. I use it as a big desk when I'm working and watching TV. I can put out all my books and papers or needlework supplies. I also have several of the babies and toddlers who spend time here and we can all be on the bed. That way I can read or knit and still be close enough to pick up their rattles or tickle their bellies when they get bored.

The children actually miss the bed when they are away. One two-year-old boy's grandparents were here for a week so he hadn't been to visit. One day when they were walking by, he opened the door, ran in, and crawled up on the bed. His grandmother come in very apologetic that he had been so rude. He was sitting in the middle of the bed and refused to even acknowledge her presence. I had to explain that he had been spending time there almost very day since he was born so he was "homesick." I said I would bring him home in 15 or 20 minutes. She was very dubious and went home to tell the boy's mother that "some woman has taken him away."

I also change the uses of the various areas of the apartment often -- often enough to confuse occasional visitors who think they are in the wrong place when they look in the door. The flexibility is wonderful.

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org


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