Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Non-standardized houses?

[Rob Sandelin (floriferous]

Bruce Mckinney wrote about the lot development model and said that: "I've
heard over and over that standardization is a way to cut costs."  One of the
advantages of the lot development model is that people can build their own
home, with their own money, smaller than what banks will allow.  For example
you build a shell, and then finish it over a couple of years. Or you can
build a 12 X 12ft house out of recycled wood, then add on to it over time.
The cost depends ultimately what you choose to build and how fussy the group
is about such things. I did about half the contracting on my home, did much
of the finishing work myself and got a very usable house at a very
reasonable and affordable cost.  But it was not finished for three years.
The lot model allows individuals to choose what they build so there can be a
wide diversity of styles and costs.

Rob Sandelin
Sharingwood Cohousing
27 homes on 40 acres

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