Just an out of left field question. Say you had 5 related families( 13 people) all own their own houses and looking to consolidate (economicly driven). Presently they pay for Re taxes on 5 houses, have 5 kitchens, 16 bathrooms, 21 bedrooms and so on…. Heavy emphisis on alot of combined wasted space.
I’m thinking you could build one big house appropriatly divided with common areas that serve all and save a boat load of money.
Put your thinking caps on I’m looking for ideas.
PS I’m not looking for a throw back 60’s hippie nekid land.
Replies
Does that mean there are 5 names on the mortgage? Or does one person charge rent to the other 4 families?
What if one family needs/wants to move? Suddenly everyone elses monthly payment goes up.
Also, how long before someone strangles you because not only did you use the last of the milk for your cocoa puffs, but you put the empty carton back in the fridge?
I have discussed this type of arrangement mostly jokingly but semi-seriously with a couple of friends. If you are looking at it from a purely financial perspective then it seems like a pretty good deal. But once you get into all the details of what everyone would have to agree on... it gets difficult. I'm trying to imagine all the things my wife and I disagree on... then multiplying that by 5...
I have also known families who have lived together (not sure how the finances were arranged). But they were weird, and by weird I mean I am pretty sure that in the 60s they were the hippie types you are referring to.
I've been thinking about this very idea a bit lately.
Probably the easiest would be a multi family apartment building.
Next maybe a spawling ranch wrapped around a central courtyard/kitchen concept.
I personally am not interested in sharing a bath with too many other people outside my very immediate family. Kitchen I wouldn't mind so much.
I'd also need some kind of privacy.
You have got to really love these folks to make it work or be really desperate.
sledge.. lemme know how you make out
i have 4 sisters and 2 brothers
i can't conceive of living with them without someone strangling someone
and those are just my siblings... now... add the in-laws
ooooooooohhhhh.... i shudder at the thought
now...... lord knows we're all in this together..
and i'd loan any of them what ever i could afford
but the extended family thing would be more along the line of :
our parents
ourselves
our kids
once you break out of that line it becomes much more unwieldy, and harder to find common groundMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I'm thinking it's a buy in for shares deal. No one owns it outright maybe an LLC?
I'm not into sharing baths either, right now it's just me and I have 2 more then I need at any 1 time and 2 extra bedrooms filled with junk.
Private space would be needed by all, but how much does one really need? I have 2800 sq ft of private space on 5 acres, paid in full... could probably cut that way back.
Keep it coming I'm looking for the all the good and bad you can think of.
Keep us posted, this is shaping up to be a good train wreck.
:)
LLC or regular corporation woul dbe my vote. and that's what it'll be, Vote. It'll tke an act of congress to get anything done. Be sure to have an odd number of voters where no one can abstain.
You'll have to have a pretty big septic system for all those bedrooms.
It sounds like a co-op.
The bigger problem in something like this is not finances so much as how do all those women get along and whose kitchen is it????
I sometimes work on homes that are vacation homes inherited by shares.
So they will all be in the mansion at the same tome, or they will share amint costs and improvementcostrs ( out of the trust fund) and then take turns by rotation using the place each for a certain number of weeks during the summer
So I got to be apart of the "let's redo the kitchen" confab.
you don't wanna know...
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My extended family isn't usual, most of the wimmen can't cook and those that think they can... shouldn't.
Break out the cocktails and the boyz are cookin like a restaurant.
We are also all 50+ with only a few teenage kids.
You know how we all say around here, and it is good advice.
Never work for friends or family, seems like your thinking of stepping it up a big notch.
Did you ever live in a condo with a association, it's hard to get a group to plan & agree on anything without hurt feelings, watch one of those court TV shows during the day & see two friends or family members that rented some place together, hair flys pretty good.
On the surface it all sounds good & one could most likely save money but get down to it & the politics would be insane, Heck most families can't stand Holiday meals together.
Think it only works in one of those weird communities were there is one head guy that sleeps with all the women folk, kinda the head breeder guy & all the other guys somehow deal with it.
Just some things to ponder
No one should regard themselve as "God's gift to man." But rather a mere man whos gifts are from God.
Think it only works in one of those weird communities were there is one head guy that sleeps with all the women folk, kinda the head breeder guy & all the other guys somehow deal with it.
I can see the yellow crime scene tape now!
MikeInsert initially amusing but ultimately annoying catch phrase here.
Like dis guy?
View Image
I think the fact that you are all 50+ will make this a lot easier. There's a lot more acceptance, understanding and experience at that age. Us youngins' ain't got it all figured out yet, if you know what I mean.
I'm thinking of "Dallas", and Southfork Ranch. How many people lived in the Big House ? Each family had their own wing, they shared the servants.
Ooh, ooh, or another TV show, "Big Love" Three or four wives, that might be cool - well, for a while, anyway.
You know, really, kitchen and bathrooms aside, the practicality of this would probably get down to . . . where is everyone going to PARK ?
You're looking at ten cars, in all likelihood.
Greg
Edited 3/25/2009 7:35 pm ET by GregGibson
Edited 3/25/2009 7:44 pm ET by GregGibson
sledge
My father's family home on the farm in NY was a double home. 2 generations lived in the house. It had 2 kitchens, 2 living rooms and so forth.
There was a common door between but you knocked to enter I believe.
Back then there was alot more helping between generations. They also owned farm machinery with the 3 or 4 of the neighbors. And they did threshing and cutting ice together.
On my mother's side, my grandmother had her aunt from Norway live with them for 25 years.
My great grandfather lost his wife early and so he and the 2 youngest kids (teenagers) moved in with one of his son's.
On a different note, we had a single mom and her 3 daughters live with us for about a week before Christmas because their lane was snowed in and they could get home.
It didn't bother me too much, but it did get to my wife even though it was her friend.
Good luck.
Rich
One advantage is we have a personality guru in the mix. She has years of education and it's amazing how she can explain exactly how everyone will react to different situations. Where one is weak another is strong it's just a matter of realizing who leads and when.
I always said if I built big projects or new homes I'd get everyone tested and figured out. Once you understand how other people work, which may seem totaly screwed up to you... it's easy to difuse any situation.
Ever get down into nitty gritty details of a job and watch a customer glaze over? And just can't understand their lack of interest? That is where understanding their different thought processes and personality type comes in handy.
It seems to work well for the cults.
You say these five families are all related; does that mean that there's a sort of 'patriarch' or 'matriarch' among the gang who could/would lay down the law to the rest of the clan when things got outta hand?
I think that was how they did this in the 'good old days' of the extended family all living on the same homestead....
I like your idea--have kicked it around myself in various forms over the years--but Mike has a definite point: I can't imagine living in the same household as my sister for longer than three days. And I'm sure she feels the same way....
Fact is, we're spoiled. The previous three or four generations in western society have grown up with the expectation of an absolute entitlement to privacy. I would guess that quite a few people born after 1920--and almost all of us born after 1950--think that that's what 'the pursuit of happiness' clause in the US Constitution is talking about.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
I arranged the joint purchase of a house with relatives, and it's worked out quite well. It had to be the right house though. I took a 70's 2 story and turned it into an 'ADU' property, (accessory dwelling unit, can't say MIL), all permitted. There are two seperate 'dwelling units', each has it's own kitchen, living area and laundry room. The large family space gets used for the holidays.
Benefits/Negatives
1. Obviously financial, mortgage, taxes.
2. Not so obvious financial: Comcast everything gets split. So that's $80 to me, not $160.
3. Since we are technically one household, my truck insurance nust cover all licensed drivers. This includes my mother. I could hold a gun against her head and she couldn't drive my truck, it's a stick. It follows, all but teenagers must be insured on all vehicles.They have an assigned car.
4. It's family. My mother and father take care of my 95 year old grandmother down the stairs from me. I built my grandmother's bathroom and she told me that it's the nicest she's ever had. Her room, closet and storage are all just how she likes it.
5. You know how nearby grandparents can help with kids? Well, that changes, and now it's my turn. My folks can go out and I can spend a little time with my grandmother.
Hi skipj,
3. Since we are technically one household, my truck insurance nust cover all licensed drivers. This includes my mother. I could hold a gun against her head and she couldn't drive my truck, it's a stick. It follows, all but teenagers must be insured on all vehicles.They have an assigned car.
I had a somewhat similiar situation when my brother lived with us for a while. The post office simply allowed us to address "Suites" to the house thus we had ex. 100 Main Street Suite 101 & 100 Main Street Suite 201. I never brought in his mail and he never touched mine.
So 2 mailboxes - 1 house - My house was under 1 policy and my family was on one auto policy and my brother on his own policy.
Pedro the Mule - Separate Corrals kept peace in the family
Thanks Pedro!
Looking at the total insurance package now. Seems it should be better.
I've always thought that using mobile homes would be a fast and inexpensive way to create a series of linked homes.
I've seen motels done where the rooms were linked end to end with a central courtyard.
Put a nice wide shed roof off of them to give people a kind porch.
Put a pool in the middle for the kids!
doesnt frenchy does this.In reality, I know some black families in my area that does this. They will build a huge house, and the kids married and live there. when daddy get times to retire, they usually have no retirement fund. the kids take over and dad sits on the front porch and complain. it just a huge cycle. I know some with twenty people living there. free retirement, free baby sitter, somebody always home, free upkeep and yard care.
Well this went to he11 in a handbasket.
Thanks to each and everyone of you that hijacked the thread.
Friggen pathetic.
you're welcomeMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I'm visioning several very small homes on a large piece of land. The houses would be in close proximity to one another. They could share a green house and shed/barn for tools and equipment. The barn could also have laundry facilities. Maybe one vehicle per family and a truck to be shared. I wonder if one of those outside 'woodstoves' could heat several small houses. A solar panel array hooked to the grid...forget the batteries. One well?.View Image
I know of a few places where the outside wood heater supplies 2-3 separate structures.Whose turn is it to load the thing this week? I'm cold?
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Being one of the youngest, it would probably always be me anyway....lucky me........View Image
Google "intentional communities" and you hit the motherload.Here's an example: http://www.ic.org/....that's a little too close..View Image
It hasn't gone to H E L L in a handbasket yet!
Lots of these ideas sound no different than a commune. It think it could work, with the right mix of peoople, extended family may not. Sharing vehicles and tools could get dicey unless everyone is footing the bill equally.
Personally I like the idea of a large plot of land with seperate homes so each can do their own thing, but possibly getting together in the dining commons for dinner. Woudl be just like camp as a kid.
Maybe everyone shares in the chores, possibley some livestock or farming involved?
ML
That's the way it used to be for everyone.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
Here's a place near here. http://www.peterboroughcohousing.org/ Not exactly what you describe, but it's along similar lines. I know someone who bought in a couple of years ago when this was in the planning stage. Pricey, but well intended.
PS I'm not looking for a throw back 60's hippie nekid land.
Those chicks are as old as I am, not a good picture.
Hairy legs were still in last time I went north across the Golden Gate.
Good luck, Joe H
And there was a problem with 60's nekkid hippies???
One of my fondest backpacking memories was a trek thru the Sierras in the early 70's. We set up our camp near a nice stream late one afternoon and about an hour later two couples set up about 50 yards away. While the guys were pitching the tent, the gals shucked down to their panties and started tossing a frisbee. Until then, I had never considered frisbee flinging a spectator sport. - lol
Thanks for all the replies. This is in infancy planning stage.
Right now I'm thinking of pod like individual units with linked common areas. On the surface there seems to be savings in many areas I hadn't considered. As someone pointed out space for cars... well we could eliminate quite a few.... How much time does your car really get used in a day? This would be new construction so septic could be easily handled with a grey water system.
The savings would also allow upgrading to more expensive green systems with a quicker roi. Heck I'm considering TV, and donationtions as a revenue source if I can pull this off.
One advantage we all have is location isn't a problem, no one is tied to a specific area.
Thanks again.
Co housing is a form of this. Many of the legal problems have been solved in this form. The newer developments have also into the ecological issues.With the building backgrounds here you can address these and come up with some rather unique design structures and living arrangements.Go for it and I am really rather interested in this form of development, mainly for the 'cheapness' of the living! hahahahadan
The irony is that extended families living together are how most of the world works. Each family having their own house is a rarity rather than the norm. Think much of Africa, Asia, etc.. In the not-too-distant past, even more so. Including this part of the world.
That being said, i love my family and in-laws . . . but i likes my space. i don't care what the tax savings are.
Hey SledgehammerWhere are you?Been there done that on The Farm in Tenn.It was all about the agreement.Basic stuff What you eat.What you hold dear to your heart, maybe what you believe in. You know things you all might have in common.And things you all might not have in common.Start there first and maybe the rest might followBut you have got to have some basic common agreements you are not willing to go back on.The voice of experience. Check out The Farm website they did and are still doing some neat stuff.Good luckRegardsThomas CollierPrimo Construction
"septic could be easily handled with a grey water system."Have you researched this to know the facts for your area? There are few places that allow that anymore.
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And there was a problem with 60's nekkid hippies???
Not then, but those chicks are all in their 60's and more.
don't think I want a replay........
Out here in so cal our brown friends from south of the border it doing it every day. Lots of them have 3- 6 familes in one house. Not my idea of a good time!
But a cenyttral courtyard/ kitchen area I think would work.
ML
We have the same brown friends here. One great advantage for them is they get to have twelve people on a four person septic system. I think its a special code for employees of rich developers. lol
Nothing really new there been several versions of Co-Housing that have sprouted up across the nation over the decades. Members share meal preparation, laundry duties, childcare,etc.
I think the biggest thing that leads to the downfall especially where members actually share the same living quarters is personality conflicts. Anyone that has been married and divorced knows what I mean. While the members may share common ideals and values there will always be some rift between one or more members when folks start living in close proximity.
Makes a lot of sense to me. Of course, my wife and I are "cool," if you know what I mean. We had two live-in tenants in our first house, and then had a duplex in which we rented one unit to my SIL.
Living with your tenants, man - you'd better be cool.
It all depends on the personalities you're dealing with. I read one book, published by Taunton, which included a segment on a married couple who lives in two houses on the same property. I'd say that'd be the *opposite* of what you need - heh - but it goes to show that tolerances will vary.
Hi sledgehammer,
5 related families( 13 people) all own their own houses and looking to consolidate
Well, I can think of a pretty cool design for "4" families....maybe one of your families is a mom inlaw and could double up with a retired child and spouse so here goes....
Everything would be a mirror image colonial grand home....drive up circular right to the front columned porch for guests. Enter into a common living area, pool table, chess table, scrabble, fireplace, great gathering fun area for all ages.....heading straight through to the back would put you into an outdoor kitchen and courtyard opening to a great backyard....back inside the main shared gathering area you can turn left or right.....both sides are identical, divided front and back units....you'd have a cozy private den with eat in kitchen, laundry & half bath....a set of stairs and/or elevator would take you upstairs to two bedrooms w/two full baths and a bonus guest/home office above the garage...back downstairs you'd pass through the laundry into your one car garage.....back outside at the end of the house you'd have your shared double wide driveway with an extra turnout to have a second vehicle per unit.
The two car garage at each end of the house would be entered from the end giving the look of a much larger house.....very grand in appearance. I would go to the extreme in sound proofing and use infloor hydronic heating with each room having it's own adjustable zone, setup room lights on motion sensing such as you find in some new office complexes, that way you minimize one family unfairly being energy hogs....you can't fully share resources and be perfectly fair but you can use technology to "help" level the usage field.
So, did you follow all of that?
Pedro the Mule - Same barn, different stall please
You might see if you can wrangle a tour of some local boarding houses, or maybe the local "Ronald McDonald's House". Also, some newer college dorms.
Basically, each family unit gets one or two bedrooms with a sitting area and a full bath. Additional bathrooms and the kitchen are in the commons area, along with "living room" and "family room" areas. The living room/family room areas would best be done as a large area that's divided by partial walls and jogs in the floor plan into several smaller spaces, a couple with TVs, at least one designed as a quiet area with computer/office facilities (and maybe individual lockable file drawers for each family), and probably a "play area" where kids of all ages could make a little bit of noise and roughhouse.
My family lived together in up and down duplexs in New Jersey for generations.
From what i gather everyone that lived together pretty much hated each other forever.
In fact when i got married i refused to live in the empty apt under my Aunts.
I was born there, My mom was born there , my grandma was born there and my Great Grandparents bought the house..
Yes it would make terrific monetary sense if the families could get along
It's a good idea.
I am suprised Frenchy hasn't chimed in-- because i know he planned for this possibility in HIS current house.
PART of the reason I bought MY current house was to allow for this possibility---without much squawk I could EASILY have 4 geerations living here
Other people have mentioned co-housing----------which is interesting-- but not quite the same. when I have done any reading on co-housing- it always seems more like a group of un-related strangers trying to artificially create an old-fashioned neighborhood.
Look around the world---parts of Italy,Africa,Saudi,scandinavia, north america---and on and on---- this type of living arrangement has and IS being done all over the world
I will almost certainley use the wrong terminology-- but I think you gotta have the right cultural infrastructure in place.-- It would be difficult to work this out among 5"equals"
i see it as more of an updated version of "The Waltons"-------
Let's say my mom moves in with us-we have room AND there is considerable cultural precedent for that
my wife and I are already here---AND 2 sons who come and go to college with their friends etc--we have plenty of room
It would be very easy to envison at least one of the sons----getting married and living here--perhaps while he or the wife works on a graduate degree,law school etc.--- baby is a possibility there as well.
I am allowing for the possibility-- but I am certainley not pushing for it-- it will either happen or it won't--all of it, some of it or none of it.
Best wishes,
stephen
I have always liked the idea in theory. Look into "cooperative living." That is about the best thing I've found to allow maximum independence while still sharing common areas for like car parking, eating, recreation and children playing. Pretty popular in Scandanavia. Another idea I liked is called the "woonerf"--a street, usually a cul-de-sac, used only for automobiles arrviving and leaving carports and used most of the time for children to play on.
The problem with most shared living is that if the neighbors are not pleasant and cooperative, it can be bad, but in a co-op there are rules and people (must) take turns running the common areas. I think the places are bought sort of like shares of stock. You own your apartment that faces a commons and on the commons is a place to have shared meals (I think you can opt out of that) and recreation. You have to help prepare meals or do childcare or tend a garden or care for the grounds so many hours per month. Very good use of land and resources. Sort of like a Planned Unit Development (PUD), but gets into the social aspects as well as structural elements.
Edit: I see others mentioned this--is sometimes called "co housing" as someone else mentioned.
Edited 3/27/2009 7:35 am ET by Danno
dunno if anyone's mentioned it yet (haven't had time to read all teh posts) but the idea of doing shares may need fleshed out a bit more... it certainly does preserve the rights of the shareholder if they were ever to sell/leave, but what about the remaining shareholders? in other words, what if 4 out of 5 families get along great, but the fifth realizes it was a mistake... are the other four obligated to buy out #5? if so, how is the price determined? or does #5 have the right to sell to anyone they like, without the approval of the other four families... i think you get the idea.
i wish you luck! what a cool, non-traditional household model! your expeireince would enrich both your own lives as well as those of anyone who comes to visit.
Hi Fisher1009,
or does #5 have the right to sell to anyone they like, without the approval of the other four families... i think you get the idea.
I'm sure I'll miss some detail here but here goes......My Dad and his business partners set their "shared" office up such that they individually owned the building they ran their business in....technically they had an LLC.....all four partners were equal. The business paid rent to the LLC, the LLC then paid the partners after the typical upkeep expenses for the property/building.
In addition to this they each carry a life insurance policy through the LLC. If they died, the policy would be there to buyout the decease......$ would go to the deceased partners beneficiary. The remaing owners would then each own a greater equal share and the policy would also pay for any inheritence taxes levied on the gain.....any left over $ would forward on to the beneficiary. This way noone else ever entered the partnership and those remaining didn't get caught in a possible financial strain.
As in a house, if one of the partners left upset (which never happened in 28 years) the LLC would still survive and any potential separations would continue to receive an equal share of the rents even if they left the actual business that resided in the building.
Making any sense here?.....in other words for a shared home the corporation would own the building and each family would pay rent....now if said family had bought into the corporation that built the house, then they would benefit by having some portion of the rent returned to them as a dividend, etc. As the building increased in value so would the value of the renters stock holdings. They would also benefit from depreciation schedules and maintenace costs as direct write offs through the corporation. From a business perspective the only real down fall is if they ever sell.....capital gains taxes. If they wanted to sell they could have an independent appraiser value it. At that point the remaining officers would have first right of refusal to the home stock at 3% below market, say 60 days or so. This discount would essentually be the difference of a real estate agents protected fee which would not be necessary being handled inside the firm. They too, could carry life insurance as my Dad's company does in the event of a family owners death. Each "unit" or "stock holder" would have "one" vote.....not a vote for each person living there. You could even set it up such that all active shareholders always remained equal but that had better happen up front. In this way noone ever has "controlling" interest. Out of 4 partners having 25%....if one sold.....the others would divide it equally if that share was kept inside the family corporation.....so now they'd each have 33 1/3....if they couldn't "all" purchase it then it would be sold outside the firm. You'll never make a perfect senario but you can ward off some of the potential known problems.
So everyone is a renter and "all" officers have the choice of who stays and who goes. The corporation is responsible for keeping the shared unit filled and bills paid.
Pedro the Mule - Man it sure was easier when it was just me and the plow back on the farm
If it worked then multi genrational living would be much more common.. children would stay with parents and grandparents in the same home..
Heck 1/2 of all married couples get a divorce.. so multiply that times 5 couples and we have a 50/50 chance of the couples themselves getting a divorce for irreconsilable differances.
Add the potential for job losses, illness, and other life changing issues. and the chance of that ever being successful is simply too slim to contimplate..
It's been working for me for thirteen years. It's been a great family wealth building tool. Perhaps we're unusual.
Google up "co-housing..."
We've been discussing something similar too, though smaller family and no children really (one nephew, but he would be unlikely to live there more than occasionally).
We like the idea of multiple small buildings, around a central courtyard. Probably connect the buildings with some type of passage way. Open if located in a suitable climate. Have a main kitchen/dining room, probably a home theater room to share. Then have small individual kitchenettes, etc is separate buildings.
As for finances, I don't know yet. Given the complexities of the tax code, this is something one should study carefully. Ultimately, the easiest is for one person/family tax unit to own it. But of course there are drawbacks.
Any form of corporate/co-op will run into difficulties getting a mortgage. Not impossible, but difficult.
If there are multiple actual owners, there may be issues when people need to sell/move/die etc. Title becomes complex.
There are plenty of legal precedents for all the legal issues. One just needs a lawyer familiar with the precedents in the state where this will be built.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
Re: Mortgage difficulties. When I got into this it was a breeze. I just happened to deal with a gal who happened to be a member of an ethnic group where this is common. In my case, an Asian-American. She told me that Caucasians hardly ever go this route. So, I guess I got lucky.
In our case, gave the tax deduction advantage to the person who could maximize it, and handled all the rest through the familt trust.
My wife and I bought an interest in a house at Panama City Beach, FL about 15 years ago. It's basically a 6-way time share, with 6 couples. It's worked incredibly well for all these years.
We have one titled owner, and the other 5 couples have a Promissory Note from the titled owner to each part-owner. We have a new calendar each year, we do 6 week rotaion on use of the house, but we back out all of the major holidays, and rotate them separately. So I get the 4th of July week every 6 years, I get Labor Day Weekend every 6 years, and so on.
Anyway, we decided to title it, deed it in one name only, just to make the insurance less complicated. This was before LLC's became so common. Thing is, we were able to pool our money and pay cash, so there was no loan origination trouble - I'm afraid that with the current state of economic affairs, the loan might pose a problem. Construction loans are taking about 45 days now to underwrite, I'm told.
It's an intrigueing idea. I saw a piece on CNN yesterday about a husband and wife that had moved into the home of her ex-husband. The couple had joint custody of two little girls, so this simplified things in a way. They all seem to be friends - they all have meals together, and the two men go off and do things together. Strange times.
Greg
Thanks for bringing it back on topic but it appears the neysayers where right. Those that could benifit the most are the same ones that are least willing to give up the ideals that put them in a bad situation.
But it has expanded my horizons.... living on 140 acres in a 900 square foot house that is self sustaining is easily within my reach.... Just need to sell 2 houses to make it happen.
Wish me luck.
Edited 3/27/2009 8:54 pm ET by sledgehammer
Good luck sledge. That would be my dream but as far away in the country as i want to go my wife wants to head more towards the city. Where are you that you can buy 140 acres in the valley. Got an old plow horse your the guy thats boss{cowboy song}
google Newberry Place in Grand Rapids,Mi. A few friends are doing it there.
"I saw a piece on CNN yesterday about a husband and wife that had moved into the home of her ex-husband. The couple had joint custody of two little girls, so this simplified things in a way. "
Several years ago I read about a couple in Ottawa that divorced and kept the family home while both also rented small apartments. The kids stayed in the home and the parents moved back and forth sharing custody. Talk about good parents! With that kind of commitment, seems too bad they couldn't get along.
friend of mine, when he devoice, he build a duplex with a big patio and swimming pool. he live one side, wife the other. Kids went back and forth
I would encourage you to pursue this. I have lived in a housing coop and really enjoyed it. I also worked on the design of several others, all of which had some common areas. My experience has been that it is these common areas around which conflict happens.
Most of the co-housing built in North America used the Scandinavian experience as their basis for design and organization. This was problematic because it didn't take into account that they are homogeneous cultures with strong shared values: It is easy for a member of a Swedish coop to anticipate what his neighbor will do.
In the absence of these common cultural traits, the coop has to anticipate where conflict may arise and dictate what happens when it does occur. North Americans are fierce defenders of that they perceive as attacks on their individual liberty.
Strong rules make stronger coops. Even if they are made up of family members. Think through the little things. How often are people required to work per month? What happens if someone wants out? Do members pay for their furniture? Paint? Resolve these things and everything goes smoother.
I am a product of the lifestyle in which you speak. Not all of us were related, but it was religiously driven.
Needless to say, it self destructed. I could go into great detail as to why, but basically multiply all of the personality quirks, economic problems, and religious disagreements by twenty. I'm not going to try and talk you out of it, but from personal experience, I think it is a terrible idea.
One important thing would be to take to heart much of the "Not So Big House" philosophy and be sure that the design includes "cozy" niches in the public spaces.
Don't forget you can save space by moving some of the repetitive functions like laundry, workshops, storage and guest rooms to common areas and still provide individual units.
Ross Chapin did a very nice co-housing project of small cottages situated around a common garden. It also had garages. meeting space, a communal kitchen and other facilities in a nearby building. The cottages had their own small yards and porch so they did not sacrifice privacy. Google him. It's well worth a look.
Ross Chapin has an interesting site!View Image
It's neat isn't it? His work sort of got buried during the past few boom years, but I think people are beginning to appreciate his approach more now things have fallen apart.
My SIL lives in Seattle and I sent her a link so maybe she'll check it out. She's into "The Not So Big House” by Sarah Susanka books. My SIL is looking to downsize......View Image
Been thinking of how to accommodate my husband and I, his unmarried sister, and my brother in the future. That's way fewer people than you are contemplating, but I think some of the concerns will be shared.
I can share the kitchen, but I want the thing laid out to my specs. I think in any group you're going to have a "function freak" or two just like me. I'd want a kitchen with a lot of different work areas with some varying heights. I'd consider an additional cook top and sink essential with more people sharing the space. That way someone could prepare a meal on their own, and 2 people could cook for the large group without getting in each other's way. It wouldn't have to be elaborate, maybe just a single 24" sink and a couple of burners in an additional work zone.
People in offices fight about what's in the fridge and who took it, so you can imagine what this is going to be like with 15 people actually living together. Plan for big fridges and extra freezer space in a communal kitchen. Several micros, too.
Personally, I can share the tub or shower, but I'd want my own sink and toilet. So maybe some Jack and Jill baths would work well, plus at least a couple of powder rooms in the living areas.
I think having bedrooms that accommodate a real sitting area, not just a chair in an empty corner, is a must with shared living. That's going to be one of your privacy zones. Might be nice for the bedrooms to be set up like suites with a bar sink and fridge and micro. The idea of having the living and bedroom spaces arranged around a common courtyard is good, but somehow you have to give each occupant some separation for personal space immediately outside their room, too.
People need space for hobbies and activities, too, plus you have to store all that stuff along with bikes, exercise equipment, etc. That's a big undertaking right there!
How this sets up financially with 5 families I don't know. In my case, I'm probably going to be the only one working (if, indeed, I ever have a job again), so the abode is going to have to be in my name, I guess. In the Chicago area (where I'm from and where we'll be going) there are lots of 3-flat buildings, but I don't think that will ever be in my price range. I'm thinking a larger house with a finished suite in the basement for my brother, and an extra large bed/sitting room for sis.
I don't know if any of this is what you're looking for....just letting my mind wander some.
some of the spanish (mexico) housing has rooms around a inner garden, terra. so its like sleeping quarters around a common room.
Hi Sledghammer,
I say Go For It! You might check out Tryon Farm link is:http://www.tryonfarm.com. Not exactly as you are talking about as each family has it's own unique house with common land. But they have some ideas that seem to work.
As others have suggested, I would prefer my Own bathroom, maybe half kitchen, main common kitchen, common playroom.
Good luck!
Bob
A minor note: The "common kitchen" should actually be divided into 2-3 semi-separate areas, each with sink, stove, etc.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
Tryon Farms was a smart idea. Around where I live, the farm is flattened and rows of McMansions are built. I guess they get more bang for the buck with the ugly houses..View Image