Re: Building own house in cohousing | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Alex Kent (alex.m.kentcomcast.net) | |
Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:30:57 -0700 (PDT) |
I knew there had to have been a reason why I did not unsubscribe from the cohousing list! I have been interested in cohousing for nearly 20 years, but have not made the plunge. Various reasons: Marital incompatibility of goals and something like a morbid fear of meetings (which could possibly be cured through a 12 step approach....). And one other thing: I have dreamed all my life of building my house with my own hands, and my read of cohousing is that this imperative may be fundamentally incompatible with prevailing cohousing models. I have heard (from one of the leading architects of cohousing communities in this country), that while it may be perfectly fine for members of cohousing communities to install their own kitchen cabinets, put up interior trim, and the like, it is virtually unheard of for community members to build their own homes from the foundation up. I am not entirely sure why this is, but I suspect that the division of labor between house-building contractors and members of communities is one of the things that sets cohousing apart from the jerry-built hippie communes of the 1960s. Matthew's post piques my curiosity because he would like to live in community AND he wants to build his own shelter. I live in Amherst, Massachusetts, home to several cohousing communities, and I would like to create a small community of self-built homes in this area. I'm a self-employed translator (Japanese-English), partnered with a wonderful woman who works in human services. We are a blended family with three children between us. The younger two of the three children are both 14-year old girls, and I am not sure how they would take to living in community. The eldest, a boy, is finishing college and not living at home. Although I spend my days glued to this computer, churning out reams of turgid translated technical prose, my real love is building, and I have good skills in this area. I've built everything from add-on rooms to wheelchair ramps, decks, cabinets, bookcases, various pieces of furniture, a kayak, and now I am building a diatonic marimba based on East African models for one of my daughters (the percussionist). I am fully confident that I can build a house, although at age 50, my best housebuilding days are possibly behind me. Nevertheless, I try to stay in shape, peddle my bicycle, and even manage to get down to the gym from time to time. So this is a call not only to Matthew, but to others who are interested in building a community in New England with their own hands. Alex Kent Amherst, MA -----Original Message----- From: Matthew Waugh [mailto:mattwaugh34 [at] yahoo.com] Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 10:04 AM To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org Subject: [C-L]_ Building own house in cohousing My wife and I have been investigating cohousing for several years (mostly in New England, but also in North Carolina and New York) and we have mostly found that it is out of our price range. When we visited Two Echo Cohousing one member told us about First Day Cottages, www.firstdaycottage.com. We would really like to build a first day cottage at cohousing, particularly in New England, as it is near family, but we have not found a place where that is possible. The only place it looks like it could have been possible is the Eco-Village at Ithaca in their second village but that was built when we were just starting the process of looking into cohousing. Does anyone have any ideas on how this could be possible? I think that building your own affordable home with a small footprint would fit very well with cohousing. I am unwilling to give up the idea of living in community as I think it is essential for my family and I very much want my son to grow up with it. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. This is very important to us. Thank you, Matt Waugh mattwaugh34 [at] yahoo.com _________________________________________________________________ Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at: http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/
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Building own house in cohousing Matthew Waugh, June 15 2009
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Re: Building own house in cohousing Sara Erickson, June 16 2009
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Re: Building own house in cohousing Jenny Williams, June 16 2009
- Re: Building own house in cohousing balaji, June 16 2009
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Re: Building own house in cohousing Jenny Williams, June 16 2009
- Re: Building own house in cohousing Alex Kent, June 16 2009
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Re: Building own house in cohousing Sara Erickson, June 16 2009
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