Hi all, I realize this is a Vancouver based sub, but I'm assuming (hoping) there are some people out there who might be in a similar situation as me (that is, priced out of Vancouver) and interested in a Cohousing opportunity in Langley that my wife and I joined recently: https://www.compasscohousing.com/
We currently rent an apartment in Kits with our 2.5 yr old son, but with a second kid on the way, we are quickly running out of space and are priced out of the market here like many people. So this past year we decided to join the Cohousing group linked above. We're quite excited about it and are trying to find more young couples/ families to join as well, hence this post. There are 40 units total with 18 of them currently spoken for, and construction start is targeted for spring this year.
For those not familiar with Cohousing, it's a Danish idea that basically means you pool resources to design and build a housing development together. Legally, you end up with a strata-titled home just like any other condo, but the biggest difference is the intentional community design elements that go into it. The core of a Cohousing development is always designed for village life between homes (i.e. pedestrian), with cars on the periphery (underground in our case). So we feel it’s a great place to raise kids, as it's a safe place for them to run around freely and play with other kids, as well as interact with a larger cross-section of adults as there are people of all ages.
Some of the features built into it include a workshop, exercise room, craft room, music room, guest rooms, office space, lounge, rooftop patio, potential for car/ebike sharing, etc. Here’s an article in the Tyee by one of the members which explains it well and talks a bit about the story of this project: https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2021/02/16/Big-Cohousing-Adventure-Langley/.
Here's another article about the benefits for a family: https://westcoastfamilies.com/it-takes-a-village-to-raise-a-child/
My wife and I were very hesitant to move out of the city as we love our lifestyle here, but after spending about 4 months discussing our various other options, getting to know the people already involved in this project, and finally visiting a developed cohousing project here in Vancouver, we are now very excited abo
... keep reading on reddit ➡Hey folks! The last several years, my husband and I have been planning a move to central maine, somewhere near 95 north of bangor. We have decided that we'd like to build a small cabin, aka tiny house on a foundation, for our family of 4. As we both have lived within communities before, including intentional communities, ecovillages, Cohousing etc, we are eager to find a few other families who are interested in doing the same thing, and then buying land together. This will allow us and the other families to buy a larger piece of land (20+ acres), and to develop an excellent off-grid infrastructure. The goal is to find two to four other families/couples/single folks to purchase lands together and build up our off grid infastructure, hopefully for around 5K per family (not including build cost, land and basic infastructure only). We would set it up like any co-housing community, creating community shared spaces (food forest being the heart of the shared space) and providing spaces for the families that live there to build awesome small homes that are ecologically sound. We have the background in organic farming, permaculture, conservation forestry, and natural building. Looking for other like-minded folks to come join us, hopefully in early 2023. Do you guys have any ideas about a good place that I could post information with the goal of finding other people that might be interested? There are a few community websites, like ecovillage.org, ic.org etc where we could post, but those sites don't necessarily attract the permaculture folks. I was thinking about making a post in the community page at permies, but it seems like there's way less traffic these days on that site? Any recommendations on really good permaculture forums, green tiny house community forums, or natural building forums, that anybody would recommend?
The cohousing community I'm a member recently created a short video explaining what we're about and why we all believe cohousing is a great way to live.
Sunnyside Village Cohousing is an intentional community that is forming in Marysville, WA, a little north of Seattle. We value living sustainable lives in harmony with our environment and with one another. Our community is entirely funded by our members. Members privately own their cottages and the land underneath it, but collectively own other property like large vegetable gardens, a small coworking space, and "the Common House" where we share large meals. If that sounds interesting to you, we're accepting new members!
https://www.sunnysidevillagecohousing.com/
https://reddit.com/link/rehxlc/video/hm94cotfq1581/player
We are not in a financial position to buy right now, but we would love to rent at a cohousing community. Cohousing.org hardly ever has any rentals -- this is understandable. But, any advice on finding a cohousing rental? We are open to pretty much anywhere in the U.S., as my job is remote. We have young children and it would be great to be among an inter-generational community.
Loads of friends tell me they want to live in a little village / homestead with a group of friends.
But it seems like nobody is doing it.
What's holding you back? What do you wish you had you don't have now?
ok people, if there was a cohousing community in Lexington, (you can learn more about the concept at https://www.cohousing.org/what-cohousing/cohousing/) who would be interested in becoming part of it? an effort like this would require a committed group of people who are enthusiastic about sharing, living, and growing together in community while still enjoying their own private home. could be an apartment building or just a cluster of houses. could be people of all ages, individuals and families. i think it is so needed here after the isolation we've just faced. if this resonates with you, let me know; let's build something.
My city has this fabulous cohousing oeganization with spaces available. The whole premise is to live together but with separate suites. So you own your own condo, but have access to the common areas.
There is an emphasis on community, environmentalism and sustainability.
So the building is designed as enviro friendly, low impact as possible. Multi generational community is prioritized. There is an expectation to contribute to community dinners and sit on various boards re: the building. Petfriendly, children friendly and close to the heart of the city.
I'm looking at buying a one bedroom, 600square foot apartment.
I have lots of experience living collectively and community is a core value. But I also really like that my space is mine.
Anyone done something similar? Thoughts? Experiences? Things to question?
If you are looking for an intentional community you could consider checking us out. We will be building about 30 individual cottages in 2022 in our cohousing community. Unfortunately they will cost what a new home does because we are self funded. We are multigenerational (it takes a village, right?), and have an environmental focus, along with an organic garden and orchard. We are self- governed and using socioacracy. We have a FB page, and Instagram account and a website all under the name Sunnyside Village Cohousing. We welcome diversity of every kind and would be honored if you check us out.
Creating a Vibrant Cohousing Community 5-Week Online Course | Starts November 16 Early bird special pricing until Nov 7
Learn all about cohousing! What it is, why it is meaningful, and how to create or join your own cohousing community. This online course will use discussion, presentation, participatory activities, reflection, as well as guided independent learning to explore the concept and practice of cohousing.
https://www.ic.org/cohousing-course/?
I am a student studying architecture and I have to create a house for 3 visually impaired people living in a mini-cohousing model, and I am having a hard time understanding how visually impaired people see life, so I would be glad if someone would be able to get back to me with some advice, from their experience. Maybe you are one, or you know someone with whom I may be able to talk...
Thanks.
Recently I’ve been wanting to get more involved/learn more about self-sustaining Co-housing/Co-op efforts in the area! Does anyone know of any local initiatives? Or would anyone be down to gather virtually/irl (w/ everyone present vaccinated ofc) to discuss possible ways of bringing them to the area/surrounding areas?
This popped into my head yesterday, while waiting on the schoolbus, and staring at the for-sale sign in front of "the dollhouse" - my pet name for the cute multi-family Victorian in my neighborhood that's painted lavendar and white. I really think the idea would make tiny cohousing intentional communities much easier to start. But will it work? Please, poke holes in my idea!
My husband and I have been home-shopping for 3 years now. We've been trying to avoid buyer's remorse - and inventory is insanely low in our school district, so it's taking forever to find something. But because of it, we've seen three years of houses go up, and seen what sells quickly, and for how much. The multi-family houses are always a steal, if you think of them in terms of the cost per unit of living space. If a single family house costs X amount, you could spend 50% more to get double the living space, or spend 75% more to get a three level with triple the living space. Most of them started out as large family homes (we live in a historical area that's rural-ish), so they're gorgeous. And they take twice to three times as long to sell, in comparison to the single family houses.
Imagine this: Buy one, and convert it into condominiums. Refinance to split the mortgage between the people, and turn the multifamily home into a tiny intentional community. Share how to legally do this with others, to facilitate the creation of more tiny intentional communities in the same neighborhood. Make it a movement!
I'm not thinking of an income sharing community - I'm thinking of the cohousing variety where people pay their mortgage and expenses (including putting money into the community fund for repairs and improvements) and keep their income.
So you have each tiny intentional community where you live with the people you've specifically chosen, but then there are others in the city too - so when there are big projects, everyone can get together to help, and when there are big wins, everyone can get together to celebrate! Maybe different ones focus on different recreational areas that are open to all of the communities - a pool at one, an outdoor barbecue space at another, etc, one that's specifically geared towards families with more bedrooms in each unit and a little playground. Gardens and/or food forests at each, of course.
It would need management of some kind - someone to do the stuff that's done by a homeowner's association, or condominium association. Eventually it
... keep reading on reddit ➡Hello! I hope you’re all doing well in these strange times. I know the COVID situation, as well as economic and ecological stress have affected many of us, and I know how much we all need community to rely on in this weird wide world. I’m posting today to announce the forming of a new intentional community, and to ask for people serious about living in community to (hopefully!) come forward as founding members, or just to contribute your ideas and views, as we know we’ll need the views and wisdom of a very diverse group to make a project like this work.
Affectionately dubbed “Dogwood Village” for the state flower of the state where the village will be built, I and two other founding members (possibly three others, as one person is still a bit on the fence) have been in the talks for the past few weeks about starting a community like this. Dogwood Village will be located somewhere in North Carolina, though the exact location is still up in the air. We’ve already begun to scout out possible land for sale that would meet our needs, as well as possible communal buildings and spaces we would like to include in the future. We want to make a community where we can all live together, supporting each other in each of our own endeavors, a place where each of us is able to be independent but still foster community in the forms of community dinners, events, classes, workshops, and more. The world can be a lonely place, where we sometimes can’t or just don’t get the support, love, care and attention we might need to foster personal and interpersonal growth, but too much of that could be smothering, as well. Dogwood Village aims to be a place that is founded on sustainability, for people and planet.
I know that in my own life, I always felt isolated and alone, but then when I went into the weird wide world as an adult, trying to make friends and ease that loneliness, it became overwhelming quickly. At Dogwood, you’ll be able to choose just how much space or up closeness you want. Events in the community are welcome to everyone, but if it isn’t your thing, no worries. There will never be any pressure to be social if that’s not what you want.
The other main goal for us, is sustainability for our planet, and what we feel go hand-in-hand with that, is resilience and (village wide) self-reliance. Our hope is to have communal and individual gardens and orchards, based on the principles of permaculture design, where we can produce most, if not all, of our own food. A comm
... keep reading on reddit ➡Hello! I've recently found myself in a better financial position than I have previously been in, one that would allow me to make a down payment on a home. I'm just in the stages of exploring home ownership, but I want to also explore the possibility of owning a home in a Cohousing community. I have lived in community before at a Zen monastery for a significant amount of time, as well as a shorter time at a Zen temple. I was hoping to get the names of a few potential places based on this list of what I'm looking for:
- My preferred areas are the Central Atlantic East Coast, New England, or the West Coast.
- I would love to be by the beach or in the forest, however the priority is to be near someplace I can work! I also like cities. My field is administration at colleges and universities.
- I would prefer a community without children. I know that's few and far between so I'm open, but of course after reading this you may want someone better with children in your community!
- I would strongly prefer a community with some spiritual focus. I am Buddhist, but it doesn't have to be Buddhist. I would just like to live around people whose lives have the focus of connecting with God/the Divine/their Buddha Nature etc, etc, etc.
- What I'm really hoping for is a plot so I can have my own home built. I strongly prefer this to purchasing an existing structure (unless it's really, really cool.) I'm hoping to have something under 1000sq ft built.
- Dog friendly! Please let me know if there are places you think I should take a look at, thank you! Emily
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6xLKUyQusT3bO8ZYQ33owA?si=_HVmU7JaTZySmfr6HxBCiA&utm_source=copy-link
This podcast conducted by UCD architect Emmett Scanlon hosts SOA (Self Organised Architecture), Ireland's leading independent group researching the viability of cohousing as an alternative model of housing development.
They recently published a roadmap report based in their studies of European examples of cooperative housing. In this podcast they discuss their findings and outline the remaining challenges in implementing a similar approach here.
The discussion really gets to the root of a lot of housing dysfunction in Ireland and presents practical alternatives that could greatly stabilise our housing system long term.
Hi folks,
Sunnyside Village is a forming Cohousing Community a few miles north of Seattle, and we're looking for new members. If you're interested in our community at all, the best way to get to know us is by attending one of our weekly introductory Zoom meetings - they happen on Thursdays at 5:30 (PST). Get in touch with us and we'll send you a link to the next Zoom meeting. Contact information is on the website: http://www.sunnysidevillagecohousing.com/
As a community, we want to collectively fight climate change, so one of our biggest goals is sustainability. Our garden will be a big feature of our community since we intend to grow much of our own food (we've already got a strong garden started!). We're also right next door to several acres of protected woods, which we want to protect and advocate for.
As is typical of a cohousing community, you buy your own house. You also own the plot of land the house sits on, so you are able to build up equity. Whenever you decide it is time for you to move, you can sell your house. The houses will be built close together to best make use of our land. Outside of the houses, Sunnyside Village shares many things in common like the garden, large tools, chickens, and the Common House. The Common House will have a large kitchen and dining room, and we plan to have community meals three times a week.
Sunnyside Village is democratic. Specifically, we use consent to make decisions using a process called sociocracy. You can read more about the sociocracy process here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociocracy
Sunnyside Village owns over four acres of land and we plan to build 25 to 30 cottages. We need to build up our membership before we start building, so please get in touch with us if you're interested in being part of our new community!
(I made a similar post about four months ago. We've since revamped out website, so take a look around!)
Thanks for reading about us. Take care of yourselves and each other ❤
Cohousing community accepting families and individuals
If you are looking for a cohousing community you could consider checking us out. We will be building about 30 individual cottages in 2022 in our cohousing community. Unfortunately they will cost what a new home does because we are self funded. We are multigenerational (it takes a village, right?), and have an environmental focus, along with an organic garden and orchard. We are self- governed and using socioacracy. We have a FB page, and Instagram account and a website all under the name Sunnyside Village Cohousing. We welcome diversity of every kind and would be honored if you check us out.
