Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Communities with a low-cost/affordability focus?

[Dane Laverty (danelaverty]

Sharon, that's interesting about Maine. Is there anything specific to Maine
that encourages building in stages like that, or could it be done anywhere?

When I think back to Boy Scout summer camps, those were kind of like the
sort of tiny-house cohousing community I imagine. All the scouts stayed in
little cabins, and there was a big central mess hall that provided
facilities. I understand that most cohousing uses a condominium-style legal
structure -- do you know if any have been built using a summer-camp-style
structure?

Thanks,

Dane


On Wed, Aug 27, 2014 at 5:06 PM, Sharon Villines <sharon [at] 
sharonvillines.com>
wrote:

>
>
> On Aug 27, 2014, at 7:39 PM, Dane Laverty <danelaverty [at] gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Yeah, I want to find a low-cost housing solution that relies on intrinsic
> > cost reduction rather than other people's generosity.
>
> I agree. That is preferred.
> >
> > I like the idea of getting a tiny house (<400 sq. ft.) and living simply
> > and cheaply. However, a lot of home ownership costs are due to
> permitting,
> > land, taxes, and infrastructure development. This means that reducing
> > construction costs only has a small impact on the overall cost of home
> > ownership.
>
> The Tiny House site used to have estimates for this part. Think like a
> trailer park for a few years.
>
> I friend once told me about how people who want to move to Maine build
> houses. First they buy land and camp out every summer clearing land if
> necessary.
>
> Then they lay a concrete slab and live in larger tents or a canopy with
> chairs and tables.
>
> Then they do a sceptic tank, electricity, etc., all in stages.
>
> With a tiny house you would have more than that from the beginning. If it
> is on wheels, it doesn't require a permit, at least not in most places.
> Zoning can still be a problem.
>
> Sharon
> ----
> Sharon Villines
> Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
> http://www.takomavillage.org
>
>
>
>
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