" This has come together very very nicely story. Thank you tell us a little bit about how co housing works."

" It's aggregate. Of people who'll. Come together and in this case we sent out a letter and made people to think about this 1995. The beginning of it. And other people were very interested in like living communities about it and the benefits of cooperation as opposed to old -- Disintegration of her wooden culture and anyways so."

" Exactly from the perspective of a village from the perspective of people living together. That's what one thing that makes it unique right absolutely but it's not a cooperative in the sense of a New York City apartment building being cooperative ownership here everybody does own they're all new and."

" It's it's really a straightforward condominium the only difference is that we have a lot of common spaces. And people were involved in the planning of it you're going to hear batter and environmental agenda we have. A very strong commitment among the people here who wanted to do the things about the environments to to a sustainable community that other condominium communities wouldn't care about so much. We'll see more about that later but right now you're in the process is moving in right and next week. And this is your unit behind that's right dozens. This is it's a town house street stories we have a basement -- him we have. On the ground floor it is little garden it'll be. -- to do something with him to listen sure it's it's not nothing here yet but. I'm going to I have great Clinton going to have a little fountain and and the terrace out here and now have a perennial garden is going to be fun. My kitchen -- my husband and -- contractor. Clinton -- somebody. They're standing in the kitchen where we're gonna have a little kitchen table in the mornings and coming in -- Just on the second floor that we have three bedrooms and a bathroom and a here is the space and I really hope you. Like includes the master bedroom yeah."

" Wonderful space now."

" Coming through the house to see where you get the impression that it's a very traditional house but I know that you've used non traditional finished strapped."

" That's right we work very hard you sustainable materials such as this wooden floor which is. -- That's been. Sustainably harvested that in New Hampshire bank the in Carlisle restoration lumber -- it came out the woods and Hank paid. Sonnets into random widths that Xena ran."

" And once that's a very wide went right there now kind of a finish would you put on this to stay with the the the idea of natural woods while we water."

" Absolutely bring out the beautiful grant that would -- it's time -- even when several coats of time -- again."

" And what about the paint on the walls."

" The pants that are low volatile organic compound paint. Meant to keep sea air quality inside. Very high level we're being studied by the Harvard school public health and -- that's showing how we've paid attention to no for amount of times now. Polyvinyl chloride air. And it's going to be parenting environment inside absolutely immediately -- its."

" A wonderful direction to take housing is to cut down the number of chemicals in man made products that would read. The bathroom floor looks interest in -- using that we have."

" Tile -- agrees there he hits the market -- marble tile and it's quickly and again we're going with the principle of being light. Our walls are. Are bright colors process that we reflect the amount of -- to -- it as much as possible pushing the skylight is there that a skylight over here in the closet. We is palace pro line that hasn't been. And I count for much -- o'clock AM and economy -- low."

" And they're very high quality window and they're very tight windows what I wrote about the people need to Islam allows a yet but it keeps up the winter when it and then out here you've got a fabulous debt if clean. We're getting as much of this open space and everybody is possible. No I would love this as you've got not only your private space appear which you've got the feeling that you owned this huge yard and all this open space. Now how have you accomplished all this to -- in an urban situation. And I know that you got forty units here for one think it's. The city requires you to have off street parking right."

" Right well open spaces a very big important thing for us and wanted to have gardens for the kids kids to play in -- and vegetable garden we wanted to be able to play volleyball and and bankrupt cat here and -- part of the community you know right and if we used. That forty parking spaces on grade it would have been all gone so. We decided to spend money and put the parking and underground something that big -- numbers down there."

" In this area here what's underneath the stack and then you've got a yard and obviously can't plant trees where you've got done underground parking that's right we built these as zealously -- for big trades. So these boxes that are just being put down along the concrete -- will eventually have big leafy trees providing a little bit of break up yeah."

" We -- some -- commit first and so deciduous and we get a little bit of green in the winter tale. I must say I didn't build these several development community spent all of Saturday really knocking themselves out to make the box."

" But there again it's part of the co housing concept that you're getting everybody involved in any improvements and sharing. That whether it's sharing the vegetables surrender its hearing the labor."

" Our units are completely self sufficient they have kitchen living room dining room spaces that they need. We also have a -- phase which is a kitchen dining room living room that we can enjoy meals together with each other every week -- 34 times. And then we have other spaces that people didn't share that library. Exercise room recreation space woodworking shop --"

" us children each individual owner doesn't have to worry about carving out space in his own unit for exercise space -- we're working or whatever -- now are all the units the same as Europe's."

" Note -- different sizes they wanted to have a diversity of income and it family size. And be able to really accommodate all the for. Lifestyles the smallest units -- studios and then we have. One bedroom loft style apartments and four bedrooms and energy in our living and went up there they're retired they're tired and we have multi bedroom townhouses like the one of Steven and Susan have done. And it's completely environmentally friendly environment with fireplaces and planning space for growing."

" Other families you get older people you got terrific mixed now another question I have is. Everything that we're looking at here is modular construction."

" Right that's right we had a 120 boxes tracked down from New Hampshire from Pembroke New Hampshire where the epic company. Them is and went to get elected Chinese puzzle they were lifted into place by crane. Both send and then land of the extra siding and it became one whole building -- is a little."

" I thought yeah now it's always hard to believe what about the heat sources everybody sheer heat well it's a circuit and districts system."

" Provide backgrounds -- And it was designed by the green -- consortium a group that is working with the US Department of Energy. A program called building America and secure."

" This is dirt stained oriental art in Washington -- that'd be great project I've had a little bit of experience lately with some of these initiatives -- initiative to be precise we're annually as part of that. The Department of Energy so let's ask you basic question here we've got the forty units and we've got. One heat pump system now is it really cost effective when you -- these pumps and pipe well I -- Saints that are."

" If compare this would normally would be in late Saturday at a construction. Where each you don't have to almost as old heating source right it is very economical what we're doing here right about where the flowers are. Is one -- the well if they go about fifty water heaters and a huge pipes going out there. Bring water groundwater groundwater about fifty degrees this goes into the basement port handles of the little tanks and there sort of water water goes in the he pops which essentially concentrate that. Temperature for fifteen degrees to about a 120 donor surgeries right -- throughout the whole building. We'll have one ruling out there compared to what normally. The bill like this -- for different units shipped within Iran and Allison mr. assortment -- this came out to be the least expensive way feasible complex and its history working very well."

" It's terrific to see the Department of Energy as we approach the end of the century here -- really getting involved in mainstream construction. It's great to learn about co housing you know that you had oak tree development here in Cambridge you're gonna be getting. Lots of calls from our viewers want to know more about it thanks for sharing thing without magic and okay."