Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: housing options- diverse can work

[Jose Marquez (marchpower]

> But a house is just
> walls and a roof.

Ooooh!  I must be a housism person because I can't disagree more!  For
example, we live in an area that is poor in sunlight....the Seattle area.
The way we design a house, where to put windows and whether to have
skylights can have a huge impact upon our use of energy (more lights on when
your house tends to be dark) and our mood (sunlight related depression is a
reality for many in this area).  In my current house if all the doors are
closed to the bedrooms then 1/2 the house is practically pitch black.  My
husband works at home and I am a full-time Mom...our home is much more than
walls and a roof.  Given how much focus is put into homes in the "normal"
suburbs, I'd hate to see cohousing swing the other way and put too little
into individual homes.  After all, the value of current-day cohousing to my
husband and I is that there IS private space.  The pendulum swings back and
forth on most issues....extreme isolation in a suburb to the in-your-face
communes of the sixties.  I see modern day cohousing as trying to strike a
balance between those two unhealthy extremes.  With all the attention spent
on creating a wonderful Common House for community events and
activites...wouldn't it be odd to ignore the same issues of space, light,
and comfort in our individual homes?

Yours,
March
Duwamish