Meet Bryan, an engineer, and Lori, a social worker. They will be moving into the Dragonfly Cohousing development in Crescent Heights upon its scheduled completion in the fall of 2013.
“We’re looking to be part of a more intentional community, where relationships are nurtured, and there’s more opportunity for interaction between neighbours,” Lori says. “That’s probably one of the biggest motivators for us at this time.”
After they move, the Helfenbaums will have a third of their current living space, going from 3,700 square feet of space, including a finished basement, to a four-bedroom co-housing unit with 1,360 square feet of private living space.
As you might expect, the pending move has the Helfenbaums thinking a lot about space efficiency.
“When we moved out to the suburbs, there was certainly a sense of ‘success equals a big house,’ ” says Bryan, 36. “And we’ve come to realize that houses can make use of space very well or very badly, and the house we’re in now has a lot of wasted space.”
The decision to downsize is one the Helfenbaums have been considering for a long time, with a number of factors becoming more pressing over time.
“One of them is that life in the suburbs just wasn’t turning out to really reflect the values that we share,” says Lori, 35. “And it wasn’t really turning out to be the life that we wanted for our children. It’s kind of isolated. And ecologically speaking, we just felt it was hard to justify the space that we take up and the resources that we consume for such a large house for only four people.”
"We long to be part of something bigger; to create a life for our children that embodies shared kindness and regard for our neighbours, environmental responsibility, and respect for the diversity among us," says Lori.
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