Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Choosing Colors

[Chris ScottHanson (chris]

I still say...  have your architect select the colors.  Tell them they  
must consider long term maintenance.  Architects are and should be  
responsible for quality and long term maintenance considerations in all  
materials selection, including coatings.  Ask your architect to provide  
a repainting schedule.  Repainting every five years is normal, by the  
way, unless you choose to pay for color impregnated siding.  Suddenly  
vinyl makes more sense.  Is anyone making recycled contact vinyl out  
there?  Most groups, of course are choosing Hardiplank or similar,  
which can be done in colors.

We had an interesting thing happen in Boston when the paint was  
specified by the architects (who did a very good job).   Much to my  
surprise, having dealt with this many times and seen lots of grey color  
schemes, when I objected to the 5 color (yes FIVE color) paint scheme,  
the contractor said it would not save us any money to go to four or  
three colors.

Haven't tried this before, but why not consider a long term painting  
contract up front, negotiated by your general contractor?  Establish  
the cost down the road in a contract set up at the time of initial  
construction.  Shoot for a 20 year contract, and only work with a  
painting contractor that has been in business for at least 20 years.

Chris

On May 3, 2004, at 10:01 AM, Rob Sandelin wrote:

> There is seldom a final right answer that is best for the community in  
> regards to color. It is a preference issue, especially in dealing with  
> shades and tones vs. Green or Red. Therefore, not surprisingly, most  
> consensus processes work poorly.  I have done this decision for a few  
> places, and NOT ever used consensus, because as I carefully explain to  
> the clients, consensus is not the right tool for these kinds of  
> things. In one case that shocked them so much they fired me, then  
> spent months in arguments and flailing.  Maybe YOUR group can use  
> consensus to arrive at these kinds of decisions. My hats off to you if  
> you can. Many groups seem to experience lots of trouble, and in the  
> end, people just give up out of frustration or being tired or time  
> constraints push people into shutting up.
>
> A process that I have done which works is called a scaled vote.
>
> 1. Make a palette of choices into a poster which as lots of room on  
> one side.
> 2. Give everyone a 1, 2 and third choice sticker
> 3. Let people put their stickers on their 1, 2, and 3 choices.
> If 3/4ths of the 1 or 2 stickers chooses one option,  you are done. if  
> not:
>
> 4. Remove all the low scoring choices and do a run off of the top  
> three.
>
> 5. If needed, do a runoff of the top 2.  In theory, you could have no  
> winner. In practise I have not seen this happen.
>
> There are lots of ways to spin this, like count the total value of all  
> the votes, assigning numeric values to the stickers, or to only have  
> one choice in the second round.
>
> I recall one process where one of the participants did not get her  
> way, had a pissy fit, and loudly denounced me, my process, and the  
> whole community. Then she left the group.  A week later I got flowers  
> and a card signed by the whole group thanking me for getting this  
> person out of their community.
>
> If people get overly freaked out about shades of color (light brown  
> vs. medium brown) it might not actually be about the decision, its  
> about control.  Look for patterns in use of red cards by individuals  
> and do the interventions if needed.  If you don't know how to do an  
> intervention, I have resources on the webt you are welcome to.
>
> Rob Sandelin
> Sharingwood Community
> Snohomish, WA
>
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