Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Is Cohousing Cheap(er)?

[Holly McNutt (holly.mcnutt]

Many years ago, in my high school yearbook, a gal used the following for her 
senior quote:
"Education isn't expensive, it's priceless."
Substitute cohousing and you have my feelings on this subject.
- Holly in Nyland

Holly Wilder
Visionary Properties LLC
www.visionaryproperties.vpweb.com
hollywilder23 [at] gmail.com
(303) 517-4180 cell
(303) 447-8204 fax



On Jan 1, 2013, at 4:05 PM, Liz Ryan Cole wrote:

> 
> I have been following this discussion with interest as we (Pinnacle Cohousing 
> - Lyme, NH) move forward on design of 18 (first phase) homes.  Whether the 
> construction cost per square foot is $120 or $180, isn't one of the 
> significant savings for cohousers based on the fact that we can build 
> comfortable homes with at least some the amenities we would like included, 
> because we can share the extensive library or grand piano, while building 
> fewer private square feet?  I think a 1200 square foot home with the shared 
> cost of common space is certainly going to be less expensive than the single 
> family home at 2500 or 3000 square feet (you can tell we are not in a city).
> 
> What is no one mentioning this? thanks  liz
> 
> 
> Liz Ryan Cole
> lizryancole [at] me.com
> Pinnacle Cohousing at Loch Lyme Lodge
> Lyme, NH
> Home 802.785.4124
> Work 802.831.1240
> Lodge 603-795-2141
> 
> 
> On Dec 31, 2012, at 2:25 PM, R Philip Dowds wrote:
> 
>> 
>> OK, to refine the question:  Will you and your family live more cheaply in a 
>> development organized as cohousing, than you would in a similar housing unit 
>> in the same neighborhood, but not organized as cohousing?  My answer 
>> remains: You will live different, maybe even better, but don't expect 
>> cheaper.
>> 
>> RPD
>> 
>> I'll make one significant concession:  AAA reports the averaged annual cost 
>> of owning and operating a passenger vehicle is now in the $9K to  $11K 
>> range.  If cohousing maintains a shared vehicle or two, and access to that 
>> vehicle allows your family to drop from 3 cars to 2, or 2 cars to 1 -- or 
>> even 1 car to none -- now you're saving interesting money.  What I've seen 
>> so far in cohousing is that the legal and political hurdles are often high 
>> for a communally owned car -- but coho-ers are more likely than regular folk 
>> to find ways of privately sharing a vehicle and its costs among two or three 
>> households.
>> 
>> But you still can't share your healthcare or your daughter's four years at 
>> college.
>> 
>> Sent from my iPad
>> 
>> On Dec 31, 2012, at 11:46 AM, oz <oz [at] ozragland.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> 
>>> First, an appeal to authority: I co-authored a few articles on
>>> affordability for the next issue of Communities magazine (alas, only one
>>> was accepted). I've also visited about 30 communities.
>>> 
>>> ...
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