Adult 50 plus Commune Idea

it can be good - these perfectly comfortable structures have no value to the tax assessor - as well , egalitarian .
bless every fire as a family fire .

 

That is beautiful. Bless every family fire!

 

Sounds great.. you could have a community kitchen and bath house... and a larger yurt for a gathering place...

 

I was just thinking of kitchen and bath. It would be great to sit around an open fire and take supper with people who love and care about each other. The camp that I lived at in 2008/09 had community showers and it worked well. The big question now is when, where, and how to build this place? I know that I can get a mortgage; but, I don't know if I can get enough money for a place like we are talking about. We might need at least 10 acres here? If the place has no buildings already up, then we'll need thousands for building materials. I know that I can get stuff from Habitat for Humanity, but they don't always have enough. If we get a place in the Toolies then we'll have to have a generator to run the power tools, like saws & drills. So Annwyn, do you want to do this in Colorado or Washington?

 

one tillable acre for food production , especially for staples like grain and beans . 2 acres of pasture and
hayground for 2 donkey tractors and 2 goats . access to woodland . water . no structure that requires a
foundation .

this is elemental sustainability for a family of 13 .

and no community debt allowed .

 

I'll say that in Prima Facia I do agree with all facets of your proposal. Where I live in Colorado, they want you to have a foundation, otherwise no habitability certificate. In certain counties in Indiana, the local county government has no building codes, or very basic ones; that is to satisfy the Amish. In addition, I like the "no community debt allowed"; however, to get 10 acres that we can live on it will take a mortgage. And I don't want to be homeless for ever.

 

a habitability certificate . that's hilARIOUS .

 

It is; but, I'm not the one that makes the law. From the ones that I have seen, they just cost about $20 and say the structure is safe to live in.

THE GOOD NEWS IS: ...I just found an earth ship in Colorado, on 68 acres, has water rights to collect rain water (big deal in Colorado), it has a home made house with 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, and the price is $110000. who might be interested in this one? I am going to call the realtor today.

 

How old is the earthship and how well built? Sounds great but some of those get unstable after awhile.... Check it out really well.

 

how is a teepee unsafe to live in like a composting toilet also unsafe to live in ?

 

Hi Tyrsonswood, I think the advertizement said it was built in 1996, off grid with generator on the flank of a mountain, facing southeast-i think. The rain collection system is permitted. The place is on 68 acres, which are a part of a larger ranch.It is located in southern Colorado. From the map that I looked at, it seems to be the last place on a dead end dirt road in the mountains. But the land it is on looks fairly level. There are awesome peaks and rock formations around it. It really looks cool. I don't think it qualifies for government mortgages because of no electric and no water. It would have to be a bank mortgage or cash??? The main house structure looks solid, and with Spanish style stucco sides. One ad says 1000 sq ft, and another says 1925 sq ft, meaning a walk out basement. The one ad says it has a root cellar. In Colorado solar power works, because we get over 330 days of sunshine in a year.

 

Tikoo, as I said before: I did not make the law and do not like it; however, it is what it is and I have to comply. They usually mean they want a safe snow load rating on the roof and safe electrical connections, and so on. I did not make the rules. I know a TP and a composting toilet work. I have a friend on lives on the Arapaho reservation ranch near Riverton Wyoming and he has been living in a TP since 1990. My only concern here is that to get the land we have to comply with government and banking rules. That means just to get the place, then transform it into a haven that would be for our people. This Earth Ship looked really cool to me and it only costs $110,000, making it within reach for me.

 

You may be hard pressed to even get a bank mortgage, to them no water and no electric means "non-livable" and not sell-able should someone default on a mortgage. Give it a shot, but don't get discouraged if that's what you hear from them.


With the new solar systems they work just about anywhere... I'm planning some solar here, not a full system but well and heat (hot water and furnace fans) for here. I heat with wood but it's a forced air furnace. As it is if I lose power I have no water and no furnace blower... Water heater is part of my hybrid heating system too. I'm looking at a solar setup that will take those systems off grid. Feasible in Ohio too. The panels are getting pretty efficient.

 

What I was getting to about the earthship... They can, and usually do, settle differently than other structures. This can cause water intrusion problems that can erode walls and if covered with stucco it's not visible at first.

 

Thank you Tyrsonswood, where this place is located water is nothing to worry about, because it sits on rock. You can drill all the way to China and not find water, unless you have a good idea where the aquifer is located. Where I live now, mountain people go to town with a 300 0r 500 gallon tank in the back of a pickup truck to go to water. So I don't worry in that way about the structure. Fire insurance is an immediate concern, because of the wild fires here. Most insurance companies want metal roofs now. In any case, this outfit is prices right and I might be able to buy it on my own, with local financing.

 

Not water intrusion from below.... Rain water down through the walls.

 

Oh yes, I agree completely on that one. From the pictures that I have seen, the walls look like they are beefy. Stucco in Colorado seems to attract field mice. I'll check that out too. I'm trying to find a disinterested realtor, meaning not the listing agent. I also found a smaller place on 3 & 1/2 acres which is closer to my budget in the event no one wants to join me in Colorado.

 

Good idea...

I love this house, it's huge, which is part of it's vibe, but big places can be difficult to maintain by yourself. If you get others involved later on, additions or other structures can be added at that time, and the costs may be much more manageable. Especially if you aren't carrying a big mortgage from the initial purchase.

 

I would love to do this, but I am stuck in a mortgage of my own and the house market here sucks big time. So for the moment I have to stay put.

 

Oh alright Annwyn'Bri. I understand. I like the Pacific NW; but, I like sunny Colorado a little better. The housing market is terrible in a contrasting way, here in Colorado. Houses are just too expensive, because they sell so fast. I've heard that some people sold their place in 3 days, and for more than they asked for! A lot of rich California folks came to Colorado for the legal weed scene. But don't worry. One of my favorite singers is from Washington state. That's Danny O'Keefe of Good Time Charlie fame. Maybe some day when I have enough gas money, I'll drive up there and visit?