Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: (1) D.I.Y's Lot Size

[Harry Pasternak (Harry_Pasternak]

Tim
Some questions and comments:

* Why mobile homes?--if it is because of cost, you can DESIGN your own 1 1/2
storey 1000 sq. ft. homes and BUILD them yourselves for close to what a
mobile home costs--read "The Compact House Book" edited by Don Metz, for
examples--or build "Grow Homes"--or buy prefab sectionalized ---.

*If for some reason, it has to be mobiles homes--here are proven criteria for
enhancing "social networking":
- cluster 20 mobile homes on a "cul-de-sac"--total land use 3 acres (you
would have three of these clusters).
- make sure that there are no roads for cars going into the cul-de-sac --only
foot paths.
- only foot paths connect each clusters of 20 homes to other clusters.
- each cluster of homes would have it's own "communal building" with kitchen
and dining hall, laundry machines, television room, computer room, teens hang
out room etc. plus an acre of additional open space (see next).
- set aside funds so that EACH cul-de-sac neighborhood can deside and build
other "communal" facilities at a later date, when they are ready, in the acre
open space.
- construction a covered porch in front of each mobile home.
- construction trellises on the fronts of each mobile home. 
- have a unfenced front lawn of 10 foot in depth in front of each mobile
home.
- set aside money for trees and other forms of landscaping for EACH home.

* Forget about straw bale construction for the communal building--there are
many PROVEN low cost ways to build--when you are creating a " positive social
networking neighborhood", you and the rest have enough to do, don't get
involved in an "Aswan Dam Project", use only well proven constuction methods.


Harry Pasternak
Unpaid Volunteer For D.I.Y.'s Who Need Info On Designing and Building 
Affordable,Frugal Supportive Neighborhoods, Who Works At:
Thousand Islands Institute
The Independent Centre For Housing Research & Education
(Harry_Pasternak [at] tvo.org)

- sent via an evaluation copy of BulkRate (unregistered).