Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: affordable, rental cohousing! (No. Calif.)

[Ann Zabaldo (zabaldo]

Hi Marganne -- Takoma Village has at least 4 units of 600-650s/f and  
about 10 at 750 s/f or less.  These are apt. like condos w/ no  
basements -- altho' we do have some basement space in other parts of  
the community that people have purchased.

Square footage is only one cost indicator for affordability.  Other  
indicators are availability of financing, interest rates, cost of raw  
land.  There are probably a bunch more  but these are the ones that  
pop to mind.


Best --

Ann Zabaldo
Takoma Village
Washington, DC
Principal, The Cohousing Collaborative
McLean, VA

PH: 703 663 3911
FAX 202 291 8594







On Aug 17, 2008, at 1:41 AM, David Heimann wrote:

> Hi Marganne,
>
> > Can any of you envision your own community including several
> > 800-square-foot homes?
>
>         I can definitely do so!  Out of 30 units, we have three studios at
> 550 square feet and three one-bedrooms at 700 square feet.  Of the
> remaining 24, eleven are around 850 square feet only.  We're doing  
> fine
> with the smaller homes!
>
> Regards,
> David Heimann
> Jamaica Plain Cohousing
>
>
> Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:33:08 -0700
> From: Marganne Meyer <marganne [at] macnexus.org>
> Subject: Re: [C-L]_ affordable, rental cohousing! (No. Calif.)
> To: Cohousing-L <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
> Message-ID: <a06240809c4cb70417ca4@[192.168.0.2]>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"
>
> In response to Ann Zebaldo's post:
>
> Personally, I think it's important to combine people of many income
> levels and circumstances. I have no evidence of this working. Being
> someone who lives on the 'margin', it would be a struggle for me to
> feel comfortable with only a few community members funding part of a
> project integral to the entire community. Perhaps something totally
> based on donations would feel more comfortable ... but that's just me.
>
> Please keep in mind that someone choosing to live in an
> 800-square-foot home (or smaller) is not an indication of that
> person's income. This misconception may be part of what makes some
> potential cohousing members balk at having homes of different
> monetary values in one project.
>
> Many of the smaller homes are highly energy efficient. It's also what
> people are looking for who are part of the 'living simple' movement.
> A byproduct are more affordable homes.
>
> Perhaps some of you here who live 'in community' currently could talk
> about how you would feel if not everyone in your project had the same
> buy-in price. How would finances be handled equitably?
>
> Try to imagine several of these 'tiny' homes located in the same
> community that has the more common, shared-wall, multi-floor
> cohousing buildings. There are links to a few samples below. Note
> that these aren't all 400-square-foot tiny tumbleweed homes on
> wheels, but they all go for well under $50,000.
>
> http://tortoiseshellhome.com/Pricing.html
> http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2008/08/12/cherokee-cabin-company- 
> tiny-house-plans/
> http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2008/07/25/ross-chapin-architects- 
> goodfit-house-plans/
> http://www.sheldondesigns.com/cabins/CohuttaC980.htm
>
> TinyHouseDesign.com is the web site of Michael Jantzen who is a
> member of the Low Cost Community Housing (LCCH) mailing list. His web
> site has links to many excellent examples of smaller, energy
> efficient homes. The owner of Tortoise Shell Home also is a list
> member.
>
> Making an initial investment to buy a large parcel of land and to
> start construction is a problem for people who live on less than
> $30,000 a year, even though they can afford to build one of the many
> tiny homes available on the market.
>
> Part of the tiny home concept is based on not including some of the
> usual functions a 'normal' house might contain. These include a lot
> of what cohousing projects share via the common house, a shop with
> tools, or a garden.
>
> Can any of you envision your own community including several
> 800-square-foot homes?
>
> Cheers!
> Marganne
>
> The cohousing, small house movement
> http://cohousingsmallhomes.blogspot.com/
>
> Low Cost Community Housing
> http://groups.google.com/group/low-cost-community-housing
>
>
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