So we’re a little counter-cultural.
Independence seems to be a primary value of our culture, and people often react to the idea of co-housing with the sense that in proposing to give up some of our independence, we’re making a sacrifice.
This thinking was reflected in a recent New York Times feature about young adults buying houses together because they can’t afford to buy singly.
“No one expects anyone to want to share; that’s not the way our society is built,” said Laurie Savage who, with her husband, bought a home with another friend two years ago.
We don’t see it that way. Recently, we’ve begun describing our plans as a way of remaining independent by becoming interdependent.
And while we agree with the young adults in the feature that a co-housing arrangement is less expensive, that’s not our primary motivation. We are more interested in building a community and living with a smaller environmental footprint.
To our way of thinking, living in community is no sacrifice.
