Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: ADAPTABLE HOUSING

[Mmariner (Mmariner]

Brian Sullivan said:

"... ADAPTABLE HOUSING. The concept is simple. Design homes for us at later
stages in our life when we may be wheelcahir bound or have another
disability..."


You may have noticed society is changing rapidly. (Duhhh) Ask the 40,000
people AT&T is laying off.  I second Brian's advice to build so that various
contingencies can be dealt with later.

Planning to provide adaptability for old age and disability are one kind of
eventuality to consider.  I suggest some additional circumstances:

-  As kids age, the kind of space they need can vary.  For instance, if a
teenager could have more of an attached, yet separate space like an "in-law"
appartment, that would give them a measure of independence and privacy that
could be a growth step toward independence.

-  How about if a marriage dissolves and the spouse remaining in the unit
needs to take in a renter or two to make ends meet?

-  How about perfectly able-bodied  parents coming to live?  With the right
privacy and space, multi-generation households could reap benefits that
extended family used to have -- grandparents sharing childcare, gardening,
home business?



Given limitations in techniques and materials, obviously a design can't plan
for every eventuality, yet extra time spent planning could deal quite a few
 contingencies, thereby making the household (and the cohousing development)
 that much more stable/sustainable.


Mike M