Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Common amenities usage and square footage allocations

[Ann Zabaldo (zabaldo]

Delighted you were able to find Rebecca’s study.  Since you didn’t get a bounce 
back, that email she included is likely not checked often — if at all.

Very wise not including unreachable windows in your CH.  I applaud your wisdom 
and wonder to this day if there was something in the water when we approved 
this feature for our CH …

Let us know how your conversations w/ the architect evolve.

Buona Fortuna!

Best —

Ann Zabaldo
Takoma Village Cohousing
Washington, DC
Ex. Dir. & Mbr. Board of Directors
Mid Atlantic Cohousing
Principal, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC
Falls Church, VA
202.546.4654
zabaldo [at] earthlink.net

Employment application blanks always ask who is to be called in case of an 
emergency.  I think you should write, "An ambulance."

NOTE:  I’m switching back to using zabaldo [at] earthlink.net.  Many apologies!







> On May 24, 2021, at 5:32 PM, Janey Harper <jkharper [at] telus.net> wrote:
> 
> Hi Ann,
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you so much for all your info.  I'm pleased to say that we are not
> planning for any unreachable windows :)
> 
> I sent an email to Rebecca, and even though I have yet to receive an answer
> from her, I found her study of CH usage to be very useful.
> 
> 
> 
> With responses from several architects and many community residents, II am
> now well-armed for discussions with our architect.
> 
> 
> 
> Janey
> 
> 
> 
> Janey ?pasted into this email is the summary from a study of CH usage by
> Rebecca Disbrow in 2011.  I don?t have the full study.  I believe she found
> the CH to be unused most of the time (people are at work during the day) it
> gets most of its use from dinners, meetings, tv watching but most of the
> time it?s empty.  I always thought renting out our space for small workshops
> during daytime hours would be a good synergistic use but some folks believe
> the liability is too much.  Someone connected w/ the Cohousing Research
> Network may have the full study.
> 
> 
> 
> In addition to CH ?use" I would also consider CH cleaning, maintenance and
> repair.  We have a lovely CH at Takoma Village in Washington, DC.  BIG 2
> story height DR, Sun room, fireplace area.  We have to hire a cheery picker
> to clean the lights in the main DR.  
> 
> 
> 
> Windows are wonderful.  They let in lots of light plus you can see folks
> outside and the folks outside can see who is in the CH.  We love our
> windows.  But they are a b - - - h to clean.  I know because as a power
> wheelchair user, I wash the lower 2/3rds of them on Workdays.  There are
> whole sets of them I cannot access.  And it still takes me over an hour to
> wash the ones I can reach.  Another neighbor does the upper part of the
> windows and doors I clean plus all the ones I can?t reach.  Some of them are
> simply inaccessible because they are at the top of the 2nd story open space.
> Thankfully we only clean those when the cheery picker shows up.  All the
> double hung windows have screens which we haven?t washed in ?  I don?t know
> if they?ve ever been washed. And don?t forget ? windows and glass doors have
> to be washed inside and outside.  Two glass doors = 4 surfaces.  Plus
> outside the CH we have 4 fire doors w/ glass framed in the majority of the
> door surface. 
> 
> 
> 
> I tried to write up an inventory of doors and windows and gave up.  So I
> inventoried just 4 areas and came up w/ this:   in the entrance to the CH,
> the workshop, the Tween Room  and Sun room I count 4 doors w/ sidelights, 21
> double hung windows ? the does not include the exterior facing windows of
> the workshop which I estimate is another 5-7 windows.   Plus because we are
> in a historic preservation area all doors facing out to the street have to
> maintain historic requirements.  This means our out facing doors are divided
> into 15 smaller squares on both sides of the door.  Three of the 4 doors are
> divided like this. I can understand why the out facing doors have this
> configuration but some of the interior doors not visible to the outside are
> also configured like this.   AND also required by historic preservation ?
> just to make life very interesting ? the upper half of the double hung
> windows are divided into 6 squares.  
> 
> 
> 
> Every month when I clean these windows I think living in a cave has some
> advantages ?
> 
> 
> 
> When designing your CH and any other structures think carefully about who is
> going to clean, maintain and repair your facilities.
> 
> 
> 
> See Rebecca?s summary of her study below my signature block. It?s in plain
> text.  This means some formatting is missing.   I think you can still figure
> it out.  Hope you find it useful for your needs, Janey.   Again, maybe
> someone connected w/ CRN has a copy of the full study.
> 
> 
> 
> Best ?
> 
> 
> 
> Ann Zabaldo
> 
> Takoma Village Cohousing
> 
> Washington, DC
> 
> Ex. Dir. & Mbr. Board of Directors
> 
> Mid Atlantic Cohousing
> 
> Principal, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC
> 
> Falls Church, VA
> 
> 202.546.4654
> 
> zabaldo [at] earthlink.net <mailto:zabaldo [at] earthlink.net> 
> 
> 
> 
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