Cohousing-L Mailing List: Affordable CoHousing

[Harry Pasternak (Harry_Pasternak]

If affordability is a prime concern of cohousing (is it?)-then we need some
research to be carried out to provide some answers to the following
questions- which are some of the controlling elements when it comes to cost:

* Land costs- how do you buy land for less money-which strategies do this?
* Land costs- how can you fit more homes comfortably onto a piece of land?
* House costs- how to design smaller homes that are still "comfortable"?
* House costs- how to reduce construction costs by better construction
methods?
* House costs- how to reduce construction costs by better choice of
materials?
* Operating costs-how to reduce the life-cycle costs  (maintainance and 
operating costs) which can equal construction costs over a 35 year period?

Do we need a CoHousing Research Institute, to answer these and other
important questions? I personally think that the time is ripe for such and
organization. What do you and others think-including the lurkers out there?

For example, has anyone seen the video or visited a two bedroom, 490 sq. ft.
solar passive, with 18 foot ceiling, ECCO home designed by Tim Maloney-look
in "Real Goods" latest book/catalogue for a picture. It this a viable
solution for some cohousing groups?

Harry Pasternak
Thousand Islands Institute

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