Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Low cost housing

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On May 19, 2008, at 12:21 AM, Marganne wrote:

> Too strange? I currently rent a studio condo (apartment) that's about
> 460 square feet.

I've lived in 460 square feet also, though I found 600 to be more  
palatable once I was working at home all day.

By too strange, I meant things like shared bathrooms, no kitchen. Or  
like one apartment I saw in Manhatten, in two parts with a public  
hallway in between the two parts. It had actually been formed from two  
large closets with a bath and kitchen in one closet and the bedroom/ 
living room in the other -- maybe 300 square feet. A flight attendant  
was living there so he wasn't home a lot. But it was very low cost.

In Manhattan one person built an apartment building of 12' square  
apartments, one on each floor. He was asked how he thought of that and  
he said because that was how big the lot was. And he had no trouble  
selling them.

I think the idea of windows that bring the outside in is a good one. I  
have a balcony that is too small to really sit on but putting plants  
out there extends my space visually. I have 825 sq feet, open plan,  
and the first thing people say when they come in is "It's so spacious."

I also have trees outside the windows on the side opposite the door.  
One person said, "Oh, you live in a tree house!"

In relation to bringing the outside in, one house I saw had a small  
interior but a very large deck that could be used at least 9 months of  
the year. Inexpensive to build and almost no maintenance.

In Manhattan, small apartments are also possible because people live  
in public more. They tend to meet for dinner instead of entertaining  
in because they have no cars and it is a pain to get uptown or  
downtown. They meet in between instead. Go out for  the paper and  
breakfast in the morning. Hang out in Starbucks with a laptop or a  
book. People even meet clients in hotel lobbies -- the ones with the  
comfortable furniture and a bar. A fern place.

So cities can be better areas for low cost housing than out in the  
country or the suburbs. Because people can walk to work, it also makes  
them very convenient.

Sharon
----
Sharon Villines in Washington DC
Where all roads lead to Casablanca