Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: How are your great room and kitchen connected?

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On Mar 11, 2008, at 2:01 PM, Kristen Simmons wrote:

> Also, does your group have a workshop? Do you wish that you had one?  
> I want
> one badly, because where else will we put the table saw and drill  
> press? But
> maybe communities that have them don't use them? How do you deal with
> insurance issues? (By the way, I'm not a serious wood worker; I make  
> things
> as needed for repairs and home improvements.)

We have a very large workshop, 20 x20 (?) but most of it is storage  
because we don't have another space for lawn mowers, ladders, etc. It  
gathers lots of junk. People dump things there ALL the time. It has to  
be cleaned up almost every workday (every two months).

MY PERSONAL OPINION: A small space -- 10' x12', 8' x 10' -- for doing  
small fixing up tasks for the community and painting and refinishing  
small pieces would be useful and sufficient. This will hold a work  
table with a peg board above for some tools, a locking cabinet for  
additional tools, and enough floor space for other things without  
being so palatial that people will dump things in it. A small room has  
to be efficient and orderly so it is more likely to be kept that way.

By installing double doors to enter this room, larger projects can be  
completed outside if it opens into a breezeway with a concrete floor.

Our small tools disappear regularly. Most, if not all, of this is  
probably workers coming in and taking tools they think are theirs (the  
charitable view). Some tools are probably taken home and forgotten. We  
do have a sign-up sheet for taking tools home.

I would advise what some other communities have done -- keep the room  
locked with only 2-3 people (at most) having a key. That way they know  
who is using the room and can supervise clean up and orderliness. They  
can also ensure that anyone using the room knows how to use the  
equipment and will use proper ventilation if they are using solvents,  
etc. Our commonhouse gets flooded with odors from solvents and glues  
so people with chemical sensitivities have to leave.

A well-supervised room will keep the room functional for everyone. If  
you don't have someone who is interested in supervising the workshop,  
either don't have one or lock it up until you do. It sounds harsh but  
will save money and grief in the long run. I'm sure there are  
communities who don't do this (we don't) but I couldn't work in our  
workshop. Serious wood workers and crafters will want organization and  
predictability.

Residents who allow their day workers to use the room often know  
nothing about the room so cannot supervise the workers properly.  
Workers are often clueless about kids and don't even think about them.  
We have had power hand saws left on the floor with the door wide open  
when kids were home from school.

Our insurance company has never toured the facility and we have  
regular condo insurance.

Sharon
----
Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing,Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org