Based on my book "Conceptual Communal Home Design" (Trafford Publishing), we are planning a 7- to 23-bedroom, 4- to 6-level communal home that will be THE MOST environmentally friendly and yet fully featured home you'll ever hope to find. It is often quite surprising to people to learn that (when done correctly) communal living can dramatically lower a society’s environmental impact while maintaining our privacy and even an upper middle-class standard of living. Such homes would have corporate telephone and server computer systems, segregated bathrooms, and bedrooms with entertainment centers, PC workstations, and AMPLE storage space. They’d have wider hallways, soundproof materials within the walls and floors, and top-quality appliances that meet or exceed expected demands. Furthermore, with a suite of professionally equipped offices, shops, and craft rooms, such homes can also support several commercial-quality home-based businesses, which lowers - if not eliminates - our need to have to travel to work.

Shedding 60% to 85% of our vehicle needs, daycare costs, and about five-hours of travel time per week, we will launch an absolute renaissance in the quality of living middle-class citizens can achieve. The combined purchasing power and skill of tailors, carpenters, mechanics, lawyers, and alternate healthcare professionals can create a home economy independent of corporate downsizing. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder, no one will have to question the quality of services or work they receive when it comes from the people they trust, the people they live with! Craftsmanship (not seen in this country since the 1950s) will improve and a more durable, commercial-quality home can be built with the savings realized on commuting-related travel expenses alone!

Such low-impact housing (with 75% to 85% less land use than contemporary homes) does require a ban on non-functional luxury and sports cars, vehicle sharing, and staggered meal periods. Costs would be on par with owning a home.

Overall, we are a SLICE of middle America just wanting to be more efficient and smarter about life! As such, we want to maintain an atmosphere of normalcy that everyone can find acceptable. Nudity, poor hygiene, group sing-a-longs, and religious extremes are unwelcome. There is a dress code and a "Don't ask - Don't wish to know" policy towards sexual preferences. TVs/PCs are welcome and all A-typical holidays such as Christmas and New Years are celebrated.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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Based on my books "Conceptual Communal Home Design 4th-edition" and "Environmental Practices: From Living Simply to Global Advancements 6th-edition (endorsed by senator Ted Kennedy)" I am hoping to build THE MOST environmentally friendly and fully-featured communal home you'll ever hope to find: a six-level, 23-bedroom facility, with 75 to 85% less land use than an equivalent number of single-family homes and businesses! Such a low-impact facility would nonetheless still offer "hard-to-believe" features that actually even improves on a middle-class standard-of-living.

Care to avoid traffic and earn a living at home? This home would have 912 square ft. of street-level office space as well as a reception desk and waiting area for multiple private practices to use. The garage can hold ambulance-sized work trucks (with related supplies), and there is 2,236 sq. ft. of Votech-quality shop space for crafts and light manufacturing. A year-around hydroponics greenhouse with 2,300sq. ft. of growing area would further complement the home's self-sufficiency.

Aside from four living rooms, a large rooftop balcony, and a living room-sized exercise/weight room, the home will have an open 18x19 martial arts area, a 13x23 10-seat home schooling/craft room, music rooms, a bike shed, and even a multi-purpose RACQUETBALL COURT that's convertible to a game room/sports bar or movie theater! Try finding that in your average Common House!

Instead of forcing newcomers into an estranged new lifestyle that they aren't used to (like bathrooms without doors and bedrooms without closets) such a home would offer "office-style" men's and women's bathrooms with segregated shower, toilet stall, and sink areas. There would also be the equivalent of an 8x10 wardrobe room PLUS 68sq. ft. of bulk storage space available PER BEDROOM!

To eliminate any points-of-contention, the home's dining, living, and kitchen areas would all be separated, hallways would be wider, modern appliances would meet or exceed demands, and a commercial 32-line telephone system would be used.

On top of these hard-to-beat features, Hagerstown is itself very nice! It is located on the Appalachian foothills a mere ten minutes from the Appalachian Trail. There are seven State and National Forests within 20 miles, as well as the Civil War Battlefields of Antietam and Monocacy to visit. Gettysburg, Washington, Baltimore, and the Skyline Drive are one hour away! There is a community college, sports complex, Potomac river attractions, and no major threats from natural disasters. Depending on the level of interest, I am open to other locations from souther Pennsylvania to souther Virginia pretty much right along the I-81 corrador. West Virginia, southern Ohio and perhaps even norther North Carolina are also possible considerations as long as they are not in a disaster prone area.

In general such a home is meant for a group of professionals and tradespeople working at the edge of their fields. As such, we want to maintain an atmosphere of normalcy that everyday-people can find acceptable. Nudity, poor hygiene, group sing-a-longs, and religious extremes are unwelcome. There will be a dress code and perhaps even uniforms required. There is a "Don't ask - Don't wish to know" policy towards sexual preferances, where romantic displays are kept private.

With the right high performance home design, lets, disconnect ourselves from the 'lottery mentality' of foolishly thinking we can 'win' our way to a better life and see what TRUE communal living has to offer! Check out the books mentioned above and contact us!

Thanks for your time!

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