Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Chicken vs. Egg Issue

[Dave McComb (mkumba]

At 09:40 PM 4/30/97 -0500, you wrote:
>
>Here at East Lake Commons, we're in the process of reviewing =
>proposals of architects.  At the same time, due to the timeframe =
>we're under, the group is anxious to get moving on selecting stuff =
>like kitchen appliances, counters and cabinets, bathroom fixtures, =
>flooring options, etc.  

I assume you're talking about the applicances etal in the personal units.
Slightly different story on the common house.  

We had our builder select many of these things and many of them really make
sense to go with the most cost effective (I'm thinking about bathroom
fixture, faucets, towel racks, shower stalls, door knobs etc etc.)  once you
start making custom choices on some of this stuff a) the price goes up lots,
not a few percent, but hundreds of percents in some cases and b) the
decision process could go on foreever.  I think you're better off allowing
your builder (or architect) to spec the "standard" grade of these things,
and then allow anyone who wants to upgrade do so at their own expense (plus
15% so the hassle to the builder is worthwhile).

On kitchen appliances and kitchen cupboards, I think our approach worked
quite well.  Our builder has a contractors account with one of the local and
more repuatble appliance dealers, and we were told by what date we had to go
down and pick out fridge, stove, diswasher etc.  There was a budget, again
for a standard grade of each of these, but you were free to deviate.  Most
folks took the default cabinet route which was go down to the designated
production/custom cabinet maker and configure your kitchen by such-and-such
a date, as soon as the drywall was complete they made their final
measurements and before you knew it there were cabinets. 

>
>However, it is my understanding that in their work, architects often =
>- if not almost always - select these types of things.  At the same =
>time, I have been aware that cohousing groups form committees to do =
>such selections.  Would those who have been through the process =
>please advise regarding this apparent chicken-egg problem?  
>
>If architects are supposed to have the expertise to match style of =
>house against all these things (I haven't found a better word than =
>"stuff" to use), should we just let the architect do the selection?  =
>On the other hand, group members have interest in this stuff, so =
>should we proceed without architect's advise?  Or, is there a good =
>third route in which one party sets certain parameters and the other =
>takes those and makes choices within those parameters?  
>
>I=B9m assuming there is such a third way, but am in the dark as to =
>what that way would be.  Any enlightenment would be appreciated.
>
>
>
>Paul B. Chen
>pbchen [at] mindspring.com 
>
>East Lake Commons - a cohousing/ecovillage of 67 units in two =
>communities on 17 acres of urban land just minutes from downtown =
>Atlanta.    
>
>
---------------------
Dave McComb
Community Member At Large
Greyrock Commons, Fort Collins, CO