Building homes and community at the same time!

Cohousing Resources has created an innovative way to get cohousing projects built more quickly and more efficiently — while reducing group burnout. In this process groups have many options to choose from as they join in partnership with Cohousing Resources LLC.

Key Features

Less cash required from you. As little as 5% down. You control the design process from beginning to end. You do the outreach, membership & marketing. We do project management & development, including all arrangements for legal, finance, and construction. You build community - we build a place for community!

First - Form a Resident Group

Getting a group started? We can help. And we can't build cohousing without a group of committed future residents.

You'll need more members to make your dream become reality. The Streamlined Development Model can help you do just that. We'll team you up with community building experts that will help you develop strategies to increase membership while maintaining your core values. We can also provide resources for making your meetings run more smoothly, including extensive information on how other communities have done it.

Identify a Potential Site

It may seem impossible, but the right piece of land is out there waiting for you.

Cohousing Resources is available to help your group find the right place to build the community you've dreamed about. An experienced land acquisition expert will see opportunities you may have missed. We are able to provide the complete approach to the seller, including contract negotiations, whether the land is for sale or not.

Feasibility - Will it work?

The site, the budget, the group - does your project make sense?

Once you have secured a site the Cohousing Resources team can do a complete feasibility analysis, helping you decide if your project really makes sense. This analysis will compare the development potential of the land with your group's goals. We will verify assumptions and run all the numbers to see if your project makes sense from the financial, political, marketing and legal points of view.

The Design Process

Design participation is the key.

Participate in a series of workshops to assist your group through the design process, quickly and efficiently. Programming & schematic design workshops include:

• Site
• Common House
• Private Units

Work with the best cohousing design professionals from across the country. Have an experienced cohousing design team design your project from start to finish, or have them train your local design professionals up front so they get it right for you, the way you want it.

These sessions will help your community determine how to make the best use of your resources in accordance with your group mission.

Financing & Budget

Everyone wants to know, "What is it going to cost?" And , "Where will we get the money?"

The Streamline Development Model uses a simple and elegant budget model, provided to you as a part of feasibility. The budget includes assumptions about the number and types of units (called the unit mix) as well as assumed sizes for your common house and your private units. You make the choices. We plug in the numbers. You know what it should cost.

Most importantly, the Streamlined Development Model provides a financial structure that makes sense. You provide the start up funds, and we do the rest. All of the costs associated with building your community are built into each household's mortgage. After initial funding, this allows you to focus on building membership and a sense of community, without worrying about where the money will be coming from.

Scheduling

When can we move in?

As a part of feasibility we will provide a preliminary project schedule so that you can determine if it all makes sense. This will allow you to consider various development approaches, and consider how soon you want to move in.

Project or Lot Development?

Do you want to use the lot model or will you build it as one project? Or maybe you want a combination of both. Compare the budgets, consider the schedules, evaluate the risk, and YOU DECIDE.

Construction

The Streamlined Development Model makes the building process easy by providing an interface between the group and the builder. Cohousing Resources brings more than 25 years of industry experience to your project with a commitment to get your homes built on time and on budget.

We specialize in facilitating the use of environmentally appropriate building materials and practices. Our team will provide the experienced experts to manage the permits, engineers, architects, general contractors and other required professionals.

To find out if your group qualifies for the Streamlined Development Model, and see how this team can help your Community, call Cohousing Resources at (360) 321-7850. We'd be happy to send you a group profile worksheet.

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