The common house truly is the center
of the senior cohousing community.
Each group decides what roles their common house will
play in the cohousing community although there are some basic rooms that
will probably be present in all senior cohousing common houses such as the
dining room and mail room.
The common house is the heart of the senior cohousing community and is designed to promote activity within the village. In many, many ways it keeps the community viable and active.
Each group decides what roles their common house will fill. However, almost all cohousing common housing includes many of the following basic functions:
1. A large dining area and and community gathering space. This room is used for parties, dances, community videos, and more.
2. A common kitchen designed for at least two cooks at a time. Although its primary use is for preparing community meals, the kitchen might also be used at other times for juicing, canning, and cleaning/sorting of community-grown vegetables and foods/other goods purchased by a community buying co-operative..
3. Mail pick-up locations, with bulletin boards and other arrangements for internal communication.
4. Restroom areas.
There are other functions of the common house which can be included such as:
1. Guest rooms for visiting friends or relatives. This helps cut down on size of individual homes. Guest rooms are often some of the most utilized space in a common house.
2. Laundry area for those who do not wish to include a washer/dryer in their individual homes.
3. Office area with fax machine, copy machine, computer, desk area.
4. Hobby and craft spaces.
5. Exercise room with work-out equipment.
6. An acoustically isolated room for music, both for listening to music and practicing an instrument.
The larger the community, the more varied functions the common house might provide. The community house will probably be smaller if the residents are caring for and maintaining the common house.
Senior Cohousing
Check out
Dallas-Fort Worth
Senior Cohousing Directory
Active Lifestyle of Elder
Cohousing
Aging Gracefully in Elder Cohousing
Benefits of Senior Cohousing
Cars, Who Needs Them?
Common Areas in Senior
Cohousing
Costs of Elder Cohousing
Do Rentals Make Sense for Senior
Cohousing?
Ecohousing: Why
Build Green?
Features of Senior Cohousing
Finding a Senior Cohousing
Community
Good Neighbor Information
Hot Spots in Community Decisions
Individual Privacy in Senior Cohousing
Is Senior Cohousing Right for You?
Locate a Senior Cohousing
Community
Make Good Use of Your Common House
Meanwhile, Back at the
Common House
Outdoor Common Areas for Senior Cohousing
Therapeutic Community Gardens for
Seniors
What Kind of Housing Do Seniors Want?
Why Elder Housing?
Seniors and Loneliness
Where
Do Pre-Retirees Want to Live?
Younger Faces
in Senior Cohousing
Senior &
Intergenerational Cohousers Fit
Few Lonely Seniors
in Elder Cohousing
Deciding Where to Live