it's not a commune

...or a compound...it's cohousing!

So, what is cohousing anyway?  Here is a description from www.cohousing.org:

Cohousing is a type of collaborative housing in which residents actively participate in the design and operation of their own neighborhood and are consciously committed to living as a community. These neighborhoods bring together the value of private homes (containing all the features of conventional homes) with the benefits of more sustainable living such as shared common facilities and good connections with neighbors.

This is what has brought us to Bellingham.  We bought into Millworks Cohousing about 2 years ago now.  It'll be three years before we move into our new house that we are building on the property...and I'm sure it will be worth the wait. That said, if you had told me it would take 3 years back when we decided on this, I'm not sure I would have been patient enough to wait that long.  Anyway, we are a group of 8 households (small compared to most cohousing projects) that have been working very hard to make this a reality.  A pretty diverse group: young couples, families, retirees, single folks...all of whom I am very excited to be neighborly with.

the Millworks gang

Collectively, we own 2 acres in the Happy Valley (can you believe it's called Happy Valley?) neighborhood.  If you are familiar with Bellingham, Happy Valley is just south of Western Washington University and just east of Fairhaven (the "historic" district).  There is currently an older home on the property - this will be our common house (guest bedrooms, place for events, extra storage space, etc).  We will each be building our own custom designed homes - they range in size from 900 sq ft to 1700 sq ft.  The idea is to build small to reduce impact and increase things like energy efficiency. We plan to share resources such as a tool shop, gardens, hot tub, sauna, chicken coop, and a play area.  There will be no driveways...a gravel path will connect our homes, green spaces, and gardens.

current site rendering

We were drawn to this project because we like the idea of sharing things that can be shared, reducing our impact on the earth, and most of all, we can better align our living with our values.  We like that we are close in to the city, that we are building a custom energy efficient & green home, that we can balance our life a bit more (not so much working due to a lower cost of living), and that our kids will know their neighbors.

the property

We are *almost* set to break ground in early April.  My guess is that this is something I'll be blogging about quite often over the next year.  Our first project is to enclose our wetlands with a fence (about a quarter of the property is wetlands which will need to be restored).  Exciting times....

A couple FAQ's:

1. Did you know any of the people?

We knew one person - a long time friend.  Everyone else we have met since we joined the project.  It's a great group and we get along amazingly well.  Sure, there are disagreements and such but things have gone remarkably smoothly thus far (and yes, we have been tested!).

2. What if you want to sell?

Yes, you can sell if you want to - you would sell your house along with a your percentage (1/8 th) of the common property and facilities.  Sure, it might be more difficult to sell a house that is part of a cohousing community...this type of living does not appeal to everyone.  Actually, so far, 3 people have sold their shares to new members and it's worked out just fine for everyone involved.  It's just like owning a condo - you own your home but share the land it's on.  This type of shared living has been around a long time.

3. Will you have your own kitchen?

Yes yes...of course!  along with your own dining room, bedrooms, bathrooms, etc.  Our house will be a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bathroom...more details on our house design to come later. 

4. How will you maintain a sense of privacy in your lives?

Think of cohousing as a place where you know your neighbors well.  We aren't living WITH them, we are just living NEAR them.  This isn't something that I am worried about  but it seems to come up all the time when I tell people about the project.  I don't imagine there will be people peeking in my windows or watching if I come and go - but perhaps, if I am out in the garden, someone will join me.  Or, if we are playing on the playground, maybe other kids will come out too.  We will probably have meetings about once every month or so, work parties when we need them and maybe social events (potluck? party? pool tournament?) every now and then too.  I know some cohousing communities do quite a bit more "social planning" than we will.  All of us want to minimize any type of required group activity...which is a good thing is far as I am concerned.