Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: pre-built or owner built

[Naomi Anderegg (naomi_anderegg]

OK... I'm not an actual co-houser (yet) either. Just really interested. 
Currently I live in an urban neighborhood, where most of the houses were built 
1900 - 1920s and most of the apartment buildings are probably more 1930s - 
1940s. There are sprinklings of newer houses and apartment buildings and 
condos. 
So I'm not used to a vanilla subdivision. Here are some 
advantages/disadvantages 
that I perceive:

Advantages to a "sell the lot and get started" approach:
(1) You can start sooner.
(2) You can meet your own preferences / needs as far as building specifics go. 
(Your budget / your tastes / etc. You hear about people moving into brand new 
spaces and then having to change something about them. Just craziness in my 
opinion. It doesn't make sense to pay for some type of front door (or 
whatever), 
move in, and then immediately change it!)
(3) I think of this as more conducive to doing some of the work yourself.
(4) Opens up the idea of prefab & kit housing, some if which is very efficient.
(5) There will be more diversity (as far as types of buildings) in the 
community.

Note--I think that, depending on initial regulations/agreements, you can still 
incorporate duplexes/4-plexes into this type of neighborhood--just as they are 
scattered throughout what I consider a "traditional" neighborhood. I may agree 
with what someone said about environmental efficiency and go ahead and build a 
duplex with the intention of renting (or selling) the other half. Same with the 
4-plex. Or two or three families might want to do this and build together. Then 
only three families have to be "on board" before the design/construction of 
that 
particular building can begin.

Disadvantages to a "sell the lot and get started" approach:
(1) There will be more diversity (as far as types of buildings) in the 
community. (I know I listed this as an advantage--but some people might see it 
as a disadvantage--so whatever. It's here too. Lack of visual continuity and 
whatnot. Maybe you don't want your neighbor to have a purple house or want 
houses to be close to the same size / design / distance from the road or feel 
like having a 4-plex next door cheapens your property. I dunno.)
(2) Depending on initial communication and how clear it is, you might have 
people buy in who are just looking to build a house and not really looking for 
"the co-housing experience". (At my daughter's little Charlotte Mason private 
school all the parents have to read an entire book on the Charlotte Mason 
method, and then answer a series of essay questions as part of the application 
process. It's not really stringent, but you do know what you're in for--and if 
you're buying a house you want to know what you're in for! I'm sure that a 
similar approach could be incorporated.)
(3) More of a chance to get to know everyone participating in the proposed 
community beforehand if you plan the entire community together or attend weekly 
planning meetings before-hand. (There are some republicans that moved in down 
the street from me not really knowing what they were in for. They didn't know 
that their next door neighbors would be lesbians or that they would be seeing 
actual drag queens walking down the street. And they didn't know that they were 
moving into one of few voting districts in Alabama that voted for Obama (by a 
wide margin, I'm proud to say). They just liked the house and its proximity to 
their workplaces. And they paid more than it was worth and are stuck. Poor 
republicans.) 


I do think that you should have weekly meetings even if building individually 
(and even if you end up having to do them at a restaurant). It would given 
everyone a chance to get to know each other, and also to talk about building 
house stuff. ("We decided to go with X-type of insulation because it was more 
environmentally friendly" or even "I can handle the wiring without any 
trouble--but I need to find someone to do the plumbing; we really want someone 
familiar with gray water systems and the laws concerning that".) Maybe have a 4 
meeting, pre-lot-buying requirement or something like that? 


Anyone else have anything to add? I'd like to see more of other people's 
thoughts on this!


Naomi 




________________________________
From: Deryk Wenaus <derykw [at] gmail.com>
To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org
Sent: Tue, June 21, 2011 2:17:04 PM
Subject: Re: [C-L]_ pre-built or owner built


Thank you for your responses regarding owner built houses vs. pre-built houses. 

Phillip, your two points make sense. Having the community go through the design 
process together actually creates community. I heard someone else mention on 
this list years ago that if you just sell lots it's so easy to enter and some 
people might misunderstand the whole vision of community. Your other point 
about 
efficiency is also well taken. 


Sharon, I don't envision sound transfer being much of a problem. this will be 
new construction so building proper party walls will be quite easy. And in fact 
could be quieter than two houses close together. There will be no up/down 
sharing of houses which would be a bigger concern. 



Does anyone have any experience about the robertson creek cohousing? they seem 
to have built the majority of their houses as stand alone and further apart 
then 
most co-housing complexes. However their's was not owner built. 


thanks in advance for any replies. 
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