Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Managing the common house

[Lynn Nadeau (welcome]

RoseWind Cohousing, Port Townsend WA. 

1. The heating and cooling system is fully adjustable to any
individual's preference.
The main heat has a thermostat which individuals may adjust, but it also 
reverts to "set points" at a number of times a day, so it can't be forgotten 
on high. The thermostat has a week-long program, so we can program more heat 
on nights we have regular community meals, for example.
In addition there are radiant heaters people can turn on when they want to, 
manually. 

2. The doors are left open all day and a few hours after dark.
Many people in our town don't lock things, but as a shared facility, we 
accomodated those who were most concerned with locking, and got a programmed 
front door lock with a key pad and entry codes. So overnight it's locked. 

3. Kids are allowed to use the common house unsupervised.
We're still working this one out (with 7 years of CH use). Little kids can't 
go in except to pick up mail. Teens is the question. Personally, I'm fine 
with teens ALONE, but have concerns about groups. Current debate is on the 
choice of an age (in the teens) under which a youth needs specific 
permission. 

4. Any food in the refrigerator is free for the taking.
We rarely have leftovers in the fridge. We're supposed to make it all go 
away after meals, unless something is labelled "save for Monday supper", or 
"Sue will pick up Tuesday.". When a cooked meal is over budget, people 
contribute a donation for leftovers; usually budget is met and leftovers are 
free, after the cooks get first dibs. 

Otherwise, the fridge has condiments, certain garden veggies and eggs for 
pickup up by certain people, and nothing much else. The freezer has only 
things that will be used for common meals in the future, likewise the 
pantry. 

We allow no alcohol to be left at the CH.

5. We have two guest rooms and charge nothing to guests.
We do not have guest facilities in the common house. Budget trimmed it 
during design and construction. But quite a few of us have large houses with 
guest rooms, for our own, and sometimes our neighbors', guests. 

6. We have frequent public meetings and private social events and
charge nothing to the sponsors.
  There is no charge for events which are mainly for our cohousing 
community. Personal socials (eg a birthday party, cast party, family 
reunion) contribute $10; sponsored events (typically of an organization 
someone is part of, and supervising) contribute about $1 a person. This 
helps cover heating and upkeep. 

We think of it as kind of like our living room, but it's different when you 
share it with 40 others, each with their own standards and preferences. When 
we were designing it, we said we wanted it to feel cozy like a living room, 
but found such diversity in our members' living rooms, from Zen modern, to 
ethno-eclectic, that it helped when someone suggested we think of the design 
more like a ski lodge ! On the other hand, it has lots of furniture from 
some of our homes: whenever I'm at the common house I get to see my oak 
dining table from when I was growing up, and a pendulum clock my grandfather 
refurbished, along with toys and dressups that used to be my daughter's. 

Lynn Nadeau
(can't resist noting that three days ago I became a grandma to a little 
boy!)