The Cohousing Concept

CoHousing Partners works with future residents to create vibrant neighborhoods that are both environmentally and socially sustainable. Cohousing consists of private, fully-equipped homes that support an old-fashion sense of neighborhood with extensive community amenities. The common house is the heart of a cohousing community - community dinners, kids playing on rainy afternoons, quiet time sitting in front of the fireplace, parties, guest suites, and yoga classes.

Social & Environmental Sustainability

We partner with homebuyers from the beginning of the development process to create a vision about sustainable ways to live. By working together, residents find they can accomplish much more by cooperating than they can individually. In the design process, residents realize they can make better use of the property by clustering homes and keeping cars at the periphery creating more room for gardens and play areas. By combining their resources, the community can afford energy-efficient heating systems and solar panels. After move-in, cohousing residents find they drive much less because more of their day-to-day social life is walkable. Parents don’t need to organize play dates.

Community meals and food co-op deliveries reduce shopping needs. By creating a culture that supports health & sustainability, cohousing communities make it easy to do the right thing.

Green Architecture & Design

Our award-winning architects utilize smart design principles creating attractive light-filled homes. Careful consideration for the local climate, natural daylight, and optimizing solar orientation make for highly energy efficient buildings. A perfect balance of privacy and community is created. For all project details visit www.mccamant-durrett.com. The principals of CoHousing Partners and McCamant & Durrett Architects have created sustainable neighborhoods for decades, long before terms such as climate change and carbon footprint became popular. Through years of experience we have learned what really works and how to get our home buyers the highest value for their investment.

Quality Construction & Materials Efficiency

• High quality, beautiful design with long wearing, and renewable products
• Responsible forestry (advanced framing uses 40% less lumber than typical framing)
• Sustainably harvested wood used when feasible
• Minimal construction waste

Responsible Resource Use

• On-site water retention and storm water management
• Local fruit and vegetable growers deliver to cohousing communities. Common meals reduce the need for individual driving trips to the market
• Site selection close to essential services reduces need for car trips (studies show cohousing residents drive 25% less and own fewer vehicles)
• Clustering buildings minimizes pavement, grading and tree removal, and saves more open space
• Dual flush toilets and low flow fixtures reduce water usage
• Extensive use of low water indigenous landscaping
• Bamboo flooring is an exceptional renewable flooring
• Use of linoleum flooring instead of vinyl - a natural product with end life that decomposes in land fills
• Recycled materials such as cellulose insulation and trex decking

Healthy Home - Indoor Air Quality

• Use of low VOC paints and water-based finishes
• Cabinetry and other materials selected for minimal off-gassing

Energy Conservation

• Our homes are typically 30% more energy efficient than California requirements, before considering solar
• Tall windows, all Low E2 dual paned, bring in natural light
• Designed with passive solar heating and cooling systems
• (optimal solar orientiation, whole house and ceiling fans, and good cross-ventilation)
• Light fixtures utilize fluorescent bulbs
• Highly efficient heating and cooling systems
• Hydronic heating systems give high quality, high efficient clean heat
• Radiant barriers reduce solar heat gain
• Thicker gypsum board and lightweight concrete floors add thermal mass
• Active solar whenever feasible
• Energy Star appliances are standard