Cohousing-L Mailing List: Cohousing in a tight space.

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

> Sorry long-winded but,if you have any advice about working with other
> groups including a housing authority (good or bad) and/or if you have a
> site plan of cohousing on tight space within a larger design concept that
> we could take a look at, let me know.

One idea that our developer used that I thought was a great idea was to
design the units in modules so he was able to change from one type of unit
to another as demand indicated one was more popular than another. He changed
one stack to 2 bedroom flats, for example, instead of duplex 2-bedrooms.

Many banks and mortgage lenders will say that small units don't sell. This
may be true somewhere in outer space but I'll bet that the smaller units
will sell out first. Leave room for small units in case this is the case in
your town.

Don't be afraid to go high and put on balconies. Once you go to 2 floors,
you will need an elevator to be accessible. Once you have an elevator, go up
and leave a smaller footprint. 5 floors is not hugely tall and can still be
walked if the elevator is out.

You will also have fewer security problems (fewer outside doors) and the
children can have more freedom to  visit each other or get to the
commonhouse.

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


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