No Surprises Checklist
To help you figure out if Bristol Village Cohousing may be a good fit for you, we offer this checklist to help you identify actions you can take to get to know us, as well as areas or issues worth exploring more carefully. We are an intentional community committed to a special sense of community, which has great benefits, but is not necessarily for everyone.
Requirements for Application
Attend at least one community meeting and join us for a community meal, workday or event.
Talk with at least two members of the Community Life Circle.
Be available to connect with other residents on the phone, through attending a work day, or a Community Meeting.
Read the relevant policies for potential buyers or renters.
Think about both what you hope to get out of living here, and how you can contribute.
Things to Know about Cohousing in General
Cohousing is more about connections between people than it is about a physical living arrangement. It is a bit like old-fashioned neighborhoods used to be where everyone is there for each other in time of plenty and in time of need.
Experience across many cohousing communities indicates that cohousers who eat together are generally happier with their cohousing experience and feel more connected to other members of the community than those who do not. We have community meals several times a month.
Living in an intentional community requires interpersonal skills beyond those that are generally needed to function in other social settings (such as a typical suburban neighborhood, condo complex or office).
Disagreements are an inevitable part of living in community. Learning to work creatively is really important.
For more on cohousing, please see our Cohousing page.
Mutual Commitments of Living at Bristol Village Cohousing
Living at Bristol Village Cohousing means living in close proximity to others. Nine of the units have shared walls, or ceilings/floors.
Owners’ ability to change their outside physical space is somewhat limited as with most home owners associations. If specific changes are desired, you will need to make sure they are possible in light of Bristol Village Cohousing’s policies.
It takes time to keep the community running. The expected level of participation is: attend Community meetings, join at least 1 committee, contribute to 1 work day per month, and between 5 – 20 hours a month of work in between work days. This pays dividends in building personal bonds and creating a mutually beneficial social network.
We are very successful in managing our finances. We stick within our income through careful budgeting. In our first six years we have not had to increase our HOA fees and have still deposited monies into a capital reserve account. Building our capital reserves is essential as the exteriors of our homes are owned by the community, and the community thus maintains them. This is a great benefit to our members.
We make decisions by a sociocratic method. It requires patience and the ability to balance the best interests of the community with one’s personal needs. Our experience at BVCH has been that we are genuinely committed to each other for the long haul. Since we live close to each other in a mutual commitment to community, this has helped us to enrich our long term positive relationships.