Re: Private Unit Design - a cost/benefit question
From: Berrins (
Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2000 01:11:52 -0700 (MST)
This is a tough issue.  I can see both sides.
    On the one hand, having standardized house plans would have greatly 
simplified our lives these past two years.   At Pathways we went with 
customizable house designs off four basic plans.  It took (just a guestimate 
here) a year's worth of cohousing meetings and family time to deal with, 
created a ton of difficult, emotional and purely subjective decisions (house 
colors was a big one) and slowed down construction with all the variations 
and change orders (despite heavy surcharges after the purchase and sales 
agreements were signed).
    On the other hand, as we begin to move in within a week or two, watching 
our own homes and those of our neighbors take shape is an unbelievable 
feeling.  It's fun seeing the choices others made; it's a small reflection of 
each family.  And for all the time and money we're sinking into this, I like 
feeling that I had some control over what my house will look like and how it 
will operate.

     Living in cohousing is the main goal of everyone, orginal occupant or 
not.  Those moving into communities after they are built may not get their 
ideal house, but they weren't there during the design process and didn't 
spend 3-5 years of their lives getting it built; the reality is that getting 
to design your own home is an option open only to the builders.  It's a 
really nice option.  Yes, people drop out and move.  Families change and 
their housing needs with them.  On the other hand, while many houses change 
over, many others don't.  Many families will live in the houses they designed 
for decades, perhaps generations.
    That said, I can't imagine it will be possible to predict a mix of houses 
that will remain ideal through the years.  I do know that every family at 
Pathways will have the house size they need now and think they will need for 
several years.  Only one family dropped out after we began picking out house 
sizes, and they were replaced just before construction began, so the new 
family's house size was changed in time.  Perhaps a compromise could be 
reached; at a minimum, let each household pick the number of bedrooms they 
need.  Otherwise, it will be difficult to attract people to a project if they 
can't get the house size they need.  Bedrooms can always be added later, 
especially if the houses are designed for easy enlargement.
    A few other customizations could be allowed for purely objective needs, 
like health concerns (type of heating/air filtration/air conditioning/low 
volatile materials) or accessibility (ramps/bathrooms/kitchen 
counters/appliances).  These could be presented as packages (eg, the "heathly 
home" or "accessible" option) to decrease the number of decisions and 
decrease the complexity of the project.  Leave the purely subjective stuff, 
like house colors, trim and floor choices, and the design features, like 
floor plans and bathrooms, to the professionals.  That will save a ton of 
time, emotional upheavals and money.  


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