Co-Housing Example: Friends go for Cottage Neighborhood

I’ve just landed a unique project I thought might interest you. I was recently approached by a group of friends who wanted to create a co-housing compound that they could use as retreat now and transition into their retirement home over time. They came to me for advice on how they could make this work. I will start making regular blog updates as the progress continues.

Prior to our first planning session I found out a little bit more about the group. They are 10 friends with spouses and children for a total of 6 couples with 8 children, and 3 singles. All the children are teenagers and will be leaving for college within the next 5 years. Nobody is planning on retiring in the near future but they will either be transitioning into new careers or adjusting their current jobs to be more independent over time. To defray some of the costs of a second home they wanted to be able to rent it out when not in use.

As we learned from my previous blog post, people are exploring non-traditional housing situations more and more. And what I’ve learned since my last blog post is that there is no “one size fits all” model. Co-housing is highly customized for each individual group and this project is a perfect example. From the basic information I’ve gathered It appears that the Pocket or Cottage Neighborhood** concept is best suited for them. As we continue on the project you’ll see how we will tailor it to meet all their needs.

** a grouping of smaller residences, often around a courtyard or common garden, designed to promote a close knit sense of community

Other than casual conversations over a bottle wine they actually hadn’t started any realistic planning, so we are starting right at the very beginning. I constructed a questionnaire that I had them complete individually and then we discussed their answers together. FYI: Every member of the group (including the children) completed the questionnaire.

This first questionnaire simply seeks to determine where they will live, and the type of housing they require. I don’t want the first meeting to go any further than these questions as the location will influence many factors including the cost and style of housing.

The questions that should be addressed at the first meeting include:

· DISTANCE FROM MAJOR CITY

· DISTANCE FROM MAJOR AIPORT

· CLIMATE

o Beach

o Mountain

o Village

· LOCATION

o Domestic

o International

· DOMESTIC REGIONS

o Northeast

o Mid-Atlantic

o South

o Southwest

o Northwest

o Midwest

o Norcal

o Socal

· INTERNATIONAL REGIONS

o Europe Asia

o Scandinavia

o South America

o Central America

o ANZAC

· TYPE OF HOUSING

o Individual Homes

o Shared Homes

o Shared Common Area

· 5, 10 and 20 YEAR GOALS

o Full-time Living

o Part-time Living

o Vacation Home

o Investment Property

· AMENITIES NEARBY

o Exercise

o Pool

o Water

o Farm

o Land

o Shopping

· ORGANIZED ACTIVITIES

o Golf

o Gym

o Yoga

o Church

o Community

· SIZE OF NEAREST TOWN

Come back to hear how the adventure continues.