Urban Co-Housing 101

Last year about this time a group of around 4 to 5 families, including mine, started seriously pursuing the idea of urban co-housing. All of us wanted to stay near the city center and all of us loved the idea of shared resources, shared childcare and shared yard work.

We spent a few months looking for a potential site, visited with a few owners, but nothing seemed to pan out. This past month a 65’ x 100’ lot was sold to a developer friend of my cousins a half-block from her house and a great neighborhood park. Four of us are now in the process of proposing a co-housing development on the site.

The time-frame is quick. We have about 60 days to obtain a building permit before the zoning changes from multi-family to single-family. (Why city lots are becoming less dense at this time is beyond me—Spokane’s Comprehensive Plan intends to increase density levels within centers and corridors, but why the reverse in the adjoining neighborhoods?) So, we have been meeting Saturday mornings over breakfast with children running around the perimeter at each other’s houses.

We can develop three “townhouses” on the site. There is the potential to sell the idea to a neighbor/owner of an adjacent lot to do the same, greatly increasing our potential “eco-village.” Initially, we thought strawbale rowhouses would be cool. Has it ever been done before? But after meeting with a local builder yesterday, we may be shifting to rastra block. (Easier to get through the permit process?)

Rastra (www.rastra.com) is a recycled polystyrene building block, where concrete fill is used. Rastra gives you an R-25 wall for insulation and an incredibly durable, fire-resistant building material. Rastra also produces very little waste on the building site. Stucco is usually used to finish the block.

Because rastra is a modular system, our design, wall lengths and window sizes and placement will be planned accordingly to work with its dimensions for cost and waste purposes.

The big question yesterday however, was “where is the common space?” Trying to fit three small rowhouses on a standard city lot and maintain a playyard has been difficult. If we add a floor of shared living, all of our costs go up and we are trying to keep the homes “affordable”. If we can start to think of this of Phase I, we might be able to feel okay just sharing some storage, and outdoor space for now, with eventual plans to buy or build a “common house” with shared rec. room, library, computers, workshops and dining area.
Most are not willing to completely give up their own personal kitchen or kids’ play area just yet. And because we all have children, the need for some acoustical separation is a must…one big house is not acceptable with potentially 7 children involved.

We meet again next week so I will keep posting updates.