One family dreams of making a community and after several failed attempts at traditional housing, mentions this dream to another family in great need of housing. The second family is interested and says that friends of theirs have talked about this same thing.

The first two families get together with other families who decide that they would like to just make something like a four family home with a courtyard because anything bigger seems overwhelming.

The first two families decide that this is too intimate and might stagnate quickly. They decide that they want to make a bigger co-housing community and they really like the idea of an eco-village.

These two families need housing right away, maybe they could buy a big piece of land and build simple shelters on it until the community gets going. One family is a little more adventuous about this than the other family, which has just spent a very cold winter in a very cold barn and didn't like it.

This idea starts to feel like it would involve a lot of comprimises and wasted money. If the families make a community, they want to do it right.

They decide that the next thing that they need to do is find more people who share their vision. This community thing is not going to happen overnight no matter what. Where will the families live in the meanwhile?

Someone mentions buying a duplex together. They are cheap generally, each family's share of the mortgage might be as little as $550. Everyone thinks that this is a good idea: it's feasible, it's a specific step toward a larger goal.

They exchange copies of The CoHousing Handbook and Serious Straw Bale.

to be continued...