Cohousing, small house movement

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39358360420875019842012-02-16T17:00:50.257-08:00Cohousing, small house movementCombining affordable, small-sized housing with cohousing and sustainability.mmherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318440523480238127noreply@blogger.comBlogger171100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935836042087501984.post-34575831620341205562008-06-16T12:09:00.000-07:002008-06-16T12:12:40.985-07:00Editorial supports smaller homes

The Idaho Statesman newspaper published an editorial Sunday supporting a developer's request to include smaller-sized homes in a new Kuna, ID subdivision. The developer's request to build several homes less than the 1,400-square-feet required minimum size was turned down last week.Several customers recently told the developer they wanted homes in his subdivision, but didn't need 1,400 square feet

mmherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318440523480238127noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935836042087501984.post-7766582356516802682008-06-03T10:55:00.000-07:002008-06-03T11:07:39.163-07:00Microhomes multiply

John Faust, subscriber to the new Google Group and mailing list "Low Cost Community Housing", recently brought two great examples of comfortable low-cost housing to our attention.First is infill microhomes being built in Reno, Nevada. The homes are created by HabeRae Investments, Inc. The company specializes in urban infill projects in the urban core of Reno.Here's another example of micro homes

mmherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318440523480238127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935836042087501984.post-22413252342719349232008-05-14T11:25:00.000-07:002008-05-14T11:31:43.836-07:00Put your life on a diet

Gregory Paul Johnson has published a new book entitled "Put Your Life on a Diet". The subtitle is "Lessons Learned Living in 140 Square Feet", referring to his Mobile Hermitage. The book focuses on living a simpler life, leaving behind a smaller environmental footprint, and living a healthier life for you and the planet.

mmherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318440523480238127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935836042087501984.post-78163923679020752552008-05-14T11:19:00.000-07:002008-05-14T11:25:01.075-07:00Small house conference in July

Great news from the April issue of the Small House Society News. (I like the way Greg refers to recipients as a "Friend of Simpler and Smaller Living".)The Small House Society Conference 2008 will take place July 12 and 13 at the Iowa City Public Library. It is part of an overall Resources for Life Conference.Don't miss this chance to take a first-hand look at Greg's 140-square-foot residence,

mmherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318440523480238127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935836042087501984.post-6943335490709970662008-05-12T13:48:00.000-07:002008-05-12T13:58:39.729-07:00Affordable housing discussion: Together or separate?

I'm considering forming a new Yahoo group for people serious about truly affordable cohousing concepts. Already I've received several private e-mails from people expressing an interest in doing this. I hesitate to start a discussion like this separate from the main coho mailing list because the knowledge and support of experienced cohousers is needed.Since coho projects often are formed in a

mmherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318440523480238127noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935836042087501984.post-38427221595918962452008-05-12T13:32:00.000-07:002008-05-12T13:36:39.138-07:00Discuss truly affordable cohousing

Truly affordable cohousing and accessibility are the current hot topics on the Cohousing mailing list. Although there is a concerted effort at many projects to have some units available to people with low incomes, posters (including myself) have suggested that many new building techniques can open the cohousing threshold to low-income and poverty-level people.Most projects have an entry-level

mmherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318440523480238127noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935836042087501984.post-6853565608239242432008-05-12T13:00:00.000-07:002008-05-12T13:05:49.677-07:00Review cohousing list discussions

An attempt to summarize various topics discussed at length on the Cohousing-L mailing list is underway on The Cohousing Wiki. One recent topic was modular construction.The cohousing wiki was created in March 2007 by several list members including Fred Olson of Minnesota and John Faust of Arizona. Since it is done in 'wiki' style, the project will continue to add information and be available for

mmherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318440523480238127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935836042087501984.post-16283574973346828172008-05-12T12:52:00.000-07:002008-05-12T12:59:17.861-07:00Cohousing Conference coming up

The National Cohousing Association of the United States will host presenters, exhibits, cohousers, and potential cohousers on Thursday, June 12 through Sunday June 15 near Boston, MA. It will be held at Bentley College in Waltham, Ma. For conference details, go here.There will be presentations about everything from the basics of cohousing and designing and building communities, to living in

mmherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318440523480238127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935836042087501984.post-13000579778445589132008-03-30T11:54:00.000-07:002008-03-30T12:37:13.671-07:00Tiny House to Call Your Own

Oikos books has an excerpt from “A Tiny House to Call Your Own - Living Well in Just the Right House” on it’s website here. By Sarah Susanka, the book stands out as a major contribution to the small house movement. If you ever wondered about all the advantages of building small, this is the excerpt to read.

mmherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318440523480238127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935836042087501984.post-49682656488955026872008-03-15T09:15:00.000-07:002008-03-15T09:23:45.152-07:00Make ‘Modern Prefab’ Malleable to Masses

“... people may be finally recognizing that there might not be such a great future in 10,000-square-foot McMansions.”-- Allison Arieff, founder, former editor,Dwell magazine, author of “Prefab”Gee, shucks, mame .... Ya think? Maybe? This isn’t the formerly “mundane, ugly architecture” of prefabricated homes. Check out this article (and photo gallery) in the L.A. Times that celebrates the revival

mmherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318440523480238127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935836042087501984.post-76116713644343659632008-03-08T16:34:00.000-08:002008-03-08T16:53:00.231-08:00Portland project combines green, small living

In Portland, Oregon, people work together to get stuff done - or so it says in this article published in the March 2008 issue of Sunset magazine. The article focuses on three couples with 'green' lifestyles. One of the couples is Laura Ford and Josh Devine who are part of a 4-unit infill community called Sabin Green. It consists of four homes on a 75- by 100-foot lot that used to have only a

mmherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318440523480238127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935836042087501984.post-66591541943071640312008-03-08T16:17:00.000-08:002008-03-08T16:22:21.306-08:00Multimedia: 21st Century Village

I just came across a link to several nicely produced clips and shorts about the cohousing experience. The multi-media presentation is from YourHealthConnection.com.

mmherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318440523480238127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935836042087501984.post-31743458427031663842008-02-27T21:58:00.000-08:002008-02-27T22:02:27.611-08:00More are Thinking Small

In case you missed it, there is a great article in the Feb. 16, 2007 New York Times Great Homes section about the small house movement. Written by Bethany Lyttle, it includes pictures of many small homes and tells the story of how or why many people are using small homes to take care of a variety of needs.

mmherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318440523480238127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935836042087501984.post-62464091328124702202008-02-24T15:35:00.000-08:002008-02-24T15:53:14.290-08:00Building with Interdependence in Mind

Gregory Johnson, coordinator of the Small House Society, is another believer in the combination of small house communities and cooperative arrangements.He's live for 5 years in the "Mobile Hermitage" -- a 10x7-foot home on wheels designed by Jay Shafer of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. "... I had my home built without a bathroom, shower, or full-kitchen. The house was built with

mmherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318440523480238127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935836042087501984.post-77015854711733568022008-02-22T16:09:00.000-08:002008-02-22T16:18:20.017-08:00Wisconsin cohousing bucks national downturn in home sales

While today's housing market falls apart, cohousing projects in Madison, WI, aren't having problems selling units, according to an article on the Madison Commons web site. Three cohousing projects already exist in Madison. A fourth in the works is providing a "little shining bright spot in the Madison housing market," a future resident of Arboretum Cohousing said.Affordable for Troy Gardens was

mmherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318440523480238127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935836042087501984.post-47507288099629681422008-02-21T11:10:00.000-08:002008-02-21T11:42:37.295-08:00Living Tiny with Jay Shafer

My early introduction to the small house concept was via Jay Shafer and his Tumbleweed Tiny House Company in California. He's designed and lived in homes that are less than 100 square feet since 1997.Living in a home this small isn't for everyone. It is an excellent example of how comfort is created within less space than you'd think possible.Jay's decision to down-size was motivated by concerns

mmherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318440523480238127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935836042087501984.post-82812661581702276592007-12-29T23:57:00.000-08:002008-02-19T22:58:51.637-08:00Communal housing comes of age

The Los Angeles Times published an article in December 2007 describing the concept of elder cohousing. As an example, it used Wolf Creek Lodge, a cohousing project in formation in Grass Valley, Nevada County -- the Gold Country foothills of the Sierra Nevada in California.Officially classified as elder cohousing, it's members range in age from 59 through 84 with most in their mid 60s. It's an

mmherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318440523480238127noreply@blogger.com0