Here's my idea...feedback wanted.

[Mydnight]

We are a family that is wanting to make that big jump to homesteading, and our big idea is to do a communal village type thing in Western Washington. It would be similar to a community co-op with about 5-6 different families on about 20-30 acres. The houses would be something similar to Earthships ( www.earthships.com ) but with an actual septic system until everything is figured out on the how-to of the waste system (and of course that is all up to discussion!). The houses would be clustered in the middle of the acreage with large communal areas to create the village feeling. We're planning on doing this within 1-2 years. We've researched just about every aspect that we can think of but have absolutely no idea how to go about creating this ideal.

So what do people think about this idea? Does it sound doable? How would I go about finding like minded people that would actually like to do this with us?
Thanks for any feedback, and your time.

[MariaAZ]

You might want to check out prometheus's thread in the real estate for sale section. It sounds "kinda/sorta" what you have in mind insofar as sharing living space with other like-minded people, and you might be able to get some ideas.

Good luck!!

[Christiaan]

Most of the counties here in Western Washington will fight you tooth and nail over communal land ownership with more than one house on it. The Love Commune was pretty much forced out of Snohomish county mostly because of that issue. There were other reasons, but that was the main one. They will require that each housing lot is separately platted and will only have one house on it.
I think a communal housing area with farm land held in common is a great idea, but the powers that be are not going to allow it until grassroots action changes their minds and the laws.

[donsgal]

Originally Posted by Mydnight

We are a family that is wanting to make that big jump to homesteading, and our big idea is to do a communal village type thing in Western Washington. It would be similar to a community co-op with about 5-6 different families on about 20-30 acres. The houses would be something similar to Earthships ( www.earthships.com ) but with an actual septic system until everything is figured out on the how-to of the waste system (and of course that is all up to discussion!). The houses would be clustered in the middle of the acreage with large communal areas to create the village feeling. We're planning on doing this within 1-2 years. We've researched just about every aspect that we can think of but have absolutely no idea how to go about creating this ideal.

So what do people think about this idea? Does it sound doable? How would I go about finding like minded people that would actually like to do this with us?
Thanks for any feedback, and your time.

Forgive me for being pessimistic but before I would do any of this I would consult with an attorney and get his advice. You have to consider liability issues, you have to have contracts, you have to have a way to get RID of people who are poison. Contact existing groups and ask for advice. They are usually more than eager to help someone out if asked. Be sure to find out what they would have done DIFFERENTLY in retrospect. No sense trying to reinvent the wheel when they have been there and done that already.

donsgal

[rambler]

This topic comes up here about every 6 months.

Be aware most of the folks on here - at least the vocal ones - don't understand that type of arrangement, find it an odd thing to want, and would oppose any such development at all costs.

I tend to be one of those people.

If you go ahead, there are many zoning & legal issues that will be difficult to overcome. You would need to find a state & county that allows such setup.

Co-owned property becomes a problem when 1) Some members become lazy & dead weight; 2) Someone wants to leave and either the rest can't shoulder the load, or there is no clear way to get a new & productive member into the coop.

I don't want to be a wet blanket; Communial living is another cool way to homestead for those that want to live that way.

You will find most people on this forum are very indiviualistic, and cherish their freedonms, and will have a difficult time seeing any good coming from communal living arangements. Keep a thick skin here & just realize different folks want different things.

--->Paul

[Lizza]

Have you checked out the Intentional Community web site? Maybe there is already a commune/village set up that you would like to join.

http://www.ic.org/

Paul is right. We like to bat around the whole commune thing about every 6 months. I suppose we are due for a round .

[Mydnight]

Thanks for the quick posts. I like to think that I have alligator skin, my hide is so thick. That's why I was asking for ideas is to know what other people thought.

Thanks MariaAZ, I looked up gulching and yes, it does sound a bit more like I thought about rather than communal(minus the village idea), and more like who me and my family are.
Christiann, wow, I live in SnoCounty right now and couldn't find any references to a commune anywhere here. Thanks for the info.
To everyone who has posted, thanks for the advice, but I am now thinking that gulching is a better way to go.

[Lizza]

I honestly had never heard of gulching before that link to the post and I've been reading magazines like BackWoods Home for years. I had no idea, very interesting. I wonder how many people are part of communities like that?

[beowoulf90]

We have been working on something alone the same lines for years. We have figured out that it really isn't feasable, because of the rules and "regs" you will impose on others... There will always be in fighting of some type over those rules.

now if you do it where each family purchases their own land and everyone works together that may work (check the Gulching idea), but to make rules like some of the developments and condo assoc. do is just a bad idea....

Just my opinion

[fishinsoap]

I have heard many nightmare stories about communal living arrangements. Everything from ownership issues to zoning to people not pulling their own weight and living off of others. Self sufficiency with good relationships with other folks seems a better idea than communal living. It is almost like marraige...when it is just you and your spouse you will have issues but it is only the two of you so you can usually work it out. Now imagine the magnitude of a dozen spouses, suddenly working it out gets real hard.

[Mydnight]

Never heard it put quite that way fishinsoap, I like the analogy and after explaining it to my dh, he agreed but by the look on his face, it looked like he was contemplating the multi-spousal arrangement (maybe in a million years, right). beowoulf, I really didn't want to impose rules on other people, and after a long talk with dh and dd, we're thinking more along the lines of a gulch. Since privacy is such a big issue (understandably, I love and demand mine too!), I wonder how to go about finding one in our general area.
morningstar, wikipedia says that there can't be many of them, but I beg to differ. I never heard the word "gulch" before, but things over the years have come to my ears and now they make a lot more sense to me.

[mayfair]

Originally Posted by Christiaan

Most of the counties here in Western Washington will fight you tooth and nail over communal land ownership with more than one house on it. The Love Commune was pretty much forced out of Snohomish county mostly because of that issue. There were other reasons, but that was the main one. They will require that each housing lot is separately platted and will only have one house on it.
I think a communal housing area with farm land held in common is a great idea, but the powers that be are not going to allow it until grassroots action changes their minds and the laws.

I thought of the Love Israel commune, too. They finally gave up and left.

[Dahc]

Originally Posted by rambler

This topic comes up here about every 6 months.

Be aware most of the folks on here - at least the vocal ones - don't understand that type of arrangement, find it an odd thing to want, and would oppose any such development at all costs.

I tend to be one of those people.

If you go ahead, there are many zoning & legal issues that will be difficult to overcome. You would need to find a state & county that allows such setup.

Co-owned property becomes a problem when 1) Some members become lazy & dead weight; 2) Someone wants to leave and either the rest can't shoulder the load, or there is no clear way to get a new & productive member into the coop.

I don't want to be a wet blanket; Communial living is another cool way to homestead for those that want to live that way.

You will find most people on this forum are very indiviualistic, and cherish their freedonms, and will have a difficult time seeing any good coming from communal living arangements. Keep a thick skin here & just realize different folks want different things.

--->Paul

I'm going to have to agree with this. It is foreign to me why someone would want to do this. I'm not going to insult anyone who thinks they may want to do this but to me, it's just crazy. You're basically asking to get stuck with people you don't even know. You wouldn't be able to do all the things you may want to do unless it was a majority decision and you "may" not be able to do "any" of the things you want to do with the property and even your "share" of the resources. Sharing resources and work loads within a community is awesome but when it's as close as a commune, things tend to get awful personal awful quick.

[fin29]

I posted this this morning, but it got eaten up in a forum burp this morning. Someone else posted it too, but I can't see that either. It's an interesting read: http://homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=254256

The OP wanted to start a Christian-Goth commune--prob. not your aim, lol--but the responses are helpful.

[Christiaan]

Originally Posted by mayfair

I thought of the Love Israel commune, too. They finally gave up and left.

They were our neighbors. The Garlic Festival was always fun and free for all the neighbors. Also used to pick huckleberries there. Its is now a camp run by the Reform Judaism Council of Seattle. Not quite as friendly as the Love family, but they haven't run us off when we go hiking around the place.
Love had a beautiful sanctuary called the Barn, but it was so far from code compliant that they had to tear it down. The camp buildings up there are pretty ugly, now.

[nancy237]

City Data Forum has topic categories that may be a way to find others
that are interested in the same concept from across the country.

The concept is good. The details will evolve as you play with the idea.
I like the idea of everyone purchasing land near each other and working together
for the common good. Sorta sounds like what the Amish do doesn't it.
It amazes me how so many people think the Amish are backwards but yet their youth have very few of the crime and drug problems that alot of youth have.

[Rocky Fields]

Hey.

Take out an ad in Mother Rarth News to see if you can raise some interest in your concept.

RF

[Rocky Fields]

Typo: should have said "Mother Earth News"...stupid keyboard can't spell;-)

[quietstar]

"Homes clustered" with the "Village feeling" from the OP is enough to turn me off. I have to think of all the HT members residing in charming small towns that are working hard to get away to their own rural place.

While I understand the idealized concept of working together in a CoOp agreement where everyone benefits, I suggest that many of us already enjoy a win-win relationship with good neighbors without any need for formal doccuments or living cheek by jowl. This system has contributed to a better life and security in the American countryside for hundreds of years with the added benefit that those that take but never give, find themselves quietly excluded until they learn that good neighbors practice both...Glen

[stranger]

Originally Posted by donsgal

Forgive me for being pessimistic but before I would do any of this I would consult with an attorney and get his advice. You have to consider liability issues, you have to have contracts, you have to have a way to get RID of people who are poison. Contact existing groups and ask for advice. They are usually more than eager to help someone out if asked. Be sure to find out what they would have done DIFFERENTLY in retrospect. No sense trying to reinvent the wheel when they have been there and done that already.

donsgal

yeah, get an attorney involved and really screw up a good thing.
they certianly are eager at 300 per hour.