Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Affordability -- House and lot costs

[Rob Sandelin (robsan]

Yo Stuart you quoted me out of context?
>Meanwhile, Rob said

>The difference I see between cohousers and other types of communities
>is that cohousers hire other people to do their building for them,

>I think this is an unnecessarily exclusionary classification.

I didn't mean to say that this is part of a definition of cohousing. 
What I meant by this was in terms of affordability.  When you hire 
other people to do your construction work it doubles?  the cost of the 
project.  Doesn't mean such a thing wouldn't be cohousing, just would 
be much more affordable (although a major amount of work above what 
Cohousing requires already).

 Other types of communities can do affordable housing because they 
build it themselves, often using scrounged materials. I am unaware of 
any owner/ group  built cohousing. (Although the 8 unit Talking Circle 
group comes close, having built a couple of the houses and the common 
house themselves)  I am aware of lots of non-cohousing communities 
which have built what they have from scratch themselves. It is the 
standard development model for these places.  Their housing costs are 
way lower than cohousing averages.  For example the Weslayian Community 
on Vashon Island has 15 very impressive, 2-4 bedroom houses and a very 
nice commonhouse  facility.  There is not a single mortgage on the 
place, they each helped each other build their houses, which exceed 
code standards in many areas, many of which cost under $50,000.  Like I 
said, there are no mortgage payments, each house is owned free and 
clear with a very supportive community.  They don't call themselves 
cohousing, but they meet the standard definition of independently owned 
houses, shared commons, meals and decision making together.

Rob
Sharingwood.