Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: common house as public building

[Lynn Nadeau (welcome]

Rob wrote: "...you can do [most functions] in a condo multipurpose room, 
and you probably won't have to [have]...elevator... grease trap... 
expensive stove hood...panic hardware on the doors...expensive roof drain 
system...special glass on any doors"

No question that meeting different building code requirements costs more. 
Perhaps this is an argument in favor of organizing as a condo, but we own 
our house lots, so too late. (mutual benefit nonprofit with HOA) We are 
not a condo, and the building department was non-negotiable about our 
classification. We tried.  

State building code requires tempered glass in doors, and windows near 
doors, even in a house. We had no special roof drain requirements, just 
normal gutters and downspouts. 
The kitchen things are apparently controlled by whether you have a 
commercial stove or not (we don't, so no fire suppression system, monster 
hood, or such) and whether you are a certified kitchen or not (we are not 
required to be: that's a Health Department thing, and would become 
relevant if someone wanted to cook for public sale, like a caterer). We 
are not, for example, required to have a grease trap. Panic door hardware 
isn't all that expensive. Rob's Sharingwood common house is in their 
private woodsy area and can simply have swinging doors all around, but 
that wouldn't work in a more urban area. So if there might be a big group 
in attendance, including a lot of people unfamiliar with the building, 
panic hardware, exit signs, fire extinguishers, power outage lights -- 
could all have a useful function. Ramping our entrances was a significant 
expense, but as Ann points out, is necessary to serve members and their 
guests who don't do steps. We've actually managed to ramp our front porch 
in a way that is inviting for most people to use as a walking approach to 
the porch. 

Lynn Nadeau, RoseWind Cohousing, Port Townsend WA
http://www.olypen.com/sstowell/rosewind
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