Wine on the Porch

It Happened! It really happened!!

We had given up. But then, in a way we could never have anticipated, the vision came to life. Check out Oakview Coliving and try not to be jealous (actually, there’s still room for a couple more). Join us on Little Hawk Lake in Algonquin Highlands.

We’re calling it a day.

We gave it our best shot, but it’s not gonna happen. Here’s the story.

Wine on the Porch announces four shares are now available

Four membership shares (single or couple) are now available.  Follow the links to learn more about the membership process.

Please be in touch with us if you have any questions about the membership process.
Ted, Hillary, Mardi and Doug
wineontheporch21@gmail.com

Wine on the Porch, Inc is an equity co-op in downtown Toronto:

• for people 50+ to age in place, in community
• six private bed-sitting and bath suites of 400 to 600 square feet, plus
• 2500 to 3000 square feet of common space, including large shared kitchen
• located near Runnymede subway station, High Park and Bloor West Village
• and wine. You know, on the porch.

Some milestones (from most recent):

October 20-21, 2018, Is Cohousing Your Next Step?

Twenty-nine participants gathered over two days to learn about different models of co-housing. It was a fabulous event by all accounts (including ours).

August, 2018 First draft architectural plans

Our architect has shown us his preliminary design for the renovation of our house into the future Wine on the Porch, and we couldn’t be more excited. He’s managed to retain all the charm of the structure, with its leaded windows and dark wainscoting, while opening it up to light and long views throughout. The heart of the house combines an expansive kitchen and dining room with a cozy sitting area and fireplace, all with a walkout to the treed terrace. Private suites are also spacious and airy. We’ll have two guest suites and a bright new entryway. A green roof and other energy-saving features minimize our environmental footprint. We’ve made some changes (naturally!) and sent it back for a second draft. But we’re already thrilled.

December, 2017 So, uh, we bought a house…

That counts as a milestone, right?

It’s a great house the four of us can live in immediately, and it’s a great house for expanding into our future, six-share co-housing community. Once we get settled, we’ll be inviting interested folks to help with the planning.

August, 2017: Retrenchment and renewal

We’re four again.

Eight of us worked together over many months to define the community that all of us wanted to share. We came very close. Ultimately, two couples felt they could not proceed, leaving the ones who originally began this journey as the only ones remaining… for now.

Our first reaction was ‘we’re back to where we started.’ But of course we’re not. We’ve learned a lot and are better prepared to move forward again.  Here’s more.

November, 2016: the community begins to form

We’ve held two information sessions, late October and mid-November, attended by about 30 people each. Only the first was promoted; the second was made up of people on the wait list. It’s clear there’s a strong demand and we could continue to spread the word much farther… but we think we’ve arrived, sort of.

Five people from the first session have said they want to meet with us regularly and, as we all get to know each other, discern whether this community is right for them. We’ll hear from people in the second session over the next week or so. In the new year we expect to begin meeting  every two weeks with everyone who has expressed a serious interest. This part of the process is kinda like dating.

Ultimately, it’s possible there will be more than six units. We’ll see how the group shapes itself. Maybe it will naturally come back down to six; maybe the co-op will end up having eight or ten units; or maybe there’ll be two houses of six units each. All we know at this point is that we don’t want to find ourselves playing “Survivor” and having to vote anyone off the island.

During the “dating,” as long as we have people representing a minimum of six units, we’re not planning any further information sessions and will not be looking for more potential members. We’re so grateful for everyone who has responded to us and provided encouragement, and we welcome you to keep “looking in” here as our plans evolve.

October, 2016: Now we are six

Delighted to welcome Tom and Deb to the Wine on the Porch Collective. They make up our third “unit,” putting us halfway to our goal of six.

April, 2016: Going public on co-housing

In March, 2016, after several years of casual conversation, four friends began writing a plan for co-housing.

Hillary, Ted, Mardi and Doug after a weekend working on their first draft of a co-housing plan, March 2016.

Our goal is to create an interdependent community of people in mid- to later stages of life, aging in place in a shared home, to be located in downtown Toronto.

One of us insists the home must have a front porch; all of us like wine (although one prefers beer). Wine on the Porch is a place to share ideas and grow the community in conversation with others who may have an interest.

At this stage, only a few things are certain (Toronto, co-housing, porch, wine) so the conversation continues.

Feel free to join it. Explore our blog and add your comments.