Building 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 interdependence in mind," Greg said.

"The assurance of an abundant and fulfilling future on this planet will largely depend upon the establishment of sustainable micro communities and cooperative housing/cohousing arrangements," he said.

The house operates entirely from battery power. It is an all-season habitat located in Iowa City, Iowa (for the moment). From Greg's web site:

"...The Mobile Hermitage is designed to be part of a community of tiny houses. Interdependent, freestanding, small houses are very economical to build and maintain. By sharing common resources such as laundry, lavatory facilities, bath house, large kitchen, and activity center, a greater sense of community is established, and significant savings can be achieved."

Many existing cohousing projects share common walls much like an apartment building or condominiums as a way to reduce building expenses and make homes affordable. Units still cost well over $100,000 to $250,000, especially when sustainable (green) options are added.

Although cohousing units usually are larger than Greg's small house, many small house designs (less than 1,000 square feet) cost less than $100,000. Not all of them are as sparse as the Mobile Hermitage, including options such as kitchens, showers, and toilets adapted from R/V and camping industries.

Expense and a perceived lack of privacy keeps some people from seriously considering cohousing. Small homes stand individually (increasing privacy) and let owners build what they can afford. Although not a 'perfect' solution for everyone, the combination makes cooperative living more available to everyone.

Greg has put a lot of thought into how people can live in the world more effectively. His ideas are spread throughout the Resources for Life web site, the umbrella domain for the Small House Society.

The financial economies of building a small house community are discussed here. For example, 10 people could combine their financial resources and spend $20,000 on each house, instead of $120,000. Collectively, they would have $1 million to purchase a shared acreage and build a community center, according to Greg.

(Editor's note: Even when you build a larger small house for less than $100,000, it still provides a savings that can be used for communal buildings and land. I will provide links to many other types of small housing units and hope to find existing communities of small homes. If you know about a project like this, please mention it in your comment to this post. -- mm)