I live in a large house in the woods with 14 people... whats your living situation like?

RatzCarlton

i live in a large old janky mansion in the redwoods with 13 other twenty-somethings. we have crazy parties with live music that usually end up with lots of people getting naked and dancing. our water and power frequently go out at very inconvenient times. the common areas are often a mess. generally we all get along but there are some frictions between the housemates here and there. we have a garden and one of the housemates is starting an organic egg operation so we have 450 chickens in a hen house here too. theres a pool on the property. we dumpster dive for food.

we have a crazy crotchety misogynistic 92 year old landlord that built another house on the property where he stays one night a week. he once called one of the girls a "red-headed cunt". he uses a hockey stick as a cane and still makes the 80 mile drive to our house every friday from where he lives.

the house has a lot of interesting history - one of the doobie brothers once lived here. jack o'neill (from the o'neill wetsuit company) used to live here. the house was once raided by the DEA cause some old tenants used 7 of the 8 bedrooms for growing weed. we also think at one point a kid died here - drowned in the pool or something.

overall i like living here, though sometimes it can be a little overwhelming. i have my own room, which is nice to be able to retreat to when i need privacy. its also nice having the opportunity socialize with the rest of the group whenever i want.

im just curious - whats the craziest/best/worst living situation ya'll have ever experienced? does anyone else do the communal living thing? how is it working out for you? do you prefer to live alone or with others? if you live alone do you ever get lonely?

Karhu

Sounds pretty cool, except for the dumpster diving bit.

I live with the wife and two dogs in a new house in a nice residential area. I have to go to the supermarket to get my organic eggs. Meh.

sitar

when i lived out west, i guess it was 1995-6, i was 19 or 20, i lived in a house that was affectionately called, "the compound". there were 8 people, three dogs, and a white van that would show up every three weeks. my buddy, who lived in the other half of the compound would walk out to the van, and the guy would give him three big garbage bags. 20 minutes later he would invite me over, and i would then proceed to act surprised that several pounds of mushrooms had suddenly appeared. i would shave and put on a clean shirt, go down to kinko's, and fedex a few pounds to my friends who went to college out east. then i would pay some bills, buy a bag of weed, and go to an expensive dinner with the money i made off the transaction. i loved college.

of course, this is a fictional story, told for entertainment purposes.

kulashaker

Anyone there named Charlie?

tHeTrIpPeR

I too spent time at a place affectionately named The Compound. Except when the white van pulled up, a South American salsa dancer would step out and glare at the 15 people playing music in his yard at midnight.

Hamsterfist · Post edited by Hamsterfist at 2012-04-23 02:42:21

I'm married with 3 boys. In some ways I am jealous and in some ways I am absolutely grateful I am not you.

(Edit: We live in a bank owned, 30 year loan, small house. Typically working class suburbia, but in a middle populated town. Lincoln, NE. About 275,000 people. We live on the outskirts of town, in the highest crime area. Not as bad as it sounds, as Lincoln's crime rate is low.)

tHeTrIpPeR

One bedroom ground level apartment. My only windows face the courtyard of the neighboring building of morbidly obese chain smokers who yell at at small dogs and discuss pharmaceutical drugs and maladies.

dosed

RatzCarlton said:
i live in a large old janky mansion in the redwoods with 13 other twenty-somethings. we have crazy parties with live music that usually end up with lots of people getting naked and dancing. our water and power frequently go out at very inconvenient times. the common areas are often a mess. generally we all get along but there are some frictions between the housemates here and there. we have a garden and one of the housemates is starting an organic egg operation so we have 450 chickens in a hen house here too. theres a pool on the property. we dumpster dive for food.

we have a crazy crotchety misogynistic 92 year old landlord that built another house on the property where he stays one night a week. he once called one of the girls a "red-headed cunt". he uses a hockey stick as a cane and still makes the 80 mile drive to our house every friday from where he lives.

the house has a lot of interesting history - one of the doobie brothers once lived here. jack o'neill (from the o'neill wetsuit company) used to live here. the house was once raided by the DEA cause some old tenants used 7 of the 8 bedrooms for growing weed. we also think at one point a kid died here - drowned in the pool or something.

overall i like living here, though sometimes it can be a little overwhelming. i have my own room, which is nice to be able to retreat to when i need privacy. its also nice having the opportunity socialize with the rest of the group whenever i want.

im just curious - whats the craziest/best/worst living situation ya'll have ever experienced? does anyone else do the communal living thing? how is it working out for you? do you prefer to live alone or with others? if you live alone do you ever get lonely?

Sounds cool, how did you end up living there? Are all the roommates friends/know each other?

dosed

I've lived in some cool places, a big house on the beach with 7 other people. Our weekend house parties go so big we would end up having 300 or so people show up at its peak. The basement was haunted.

Piquiod

I own (mortgaged to the teeth) my home and share it with my wife and 3 kids and 1 dog...nice suburb...House sits on a nice sized corner lot...We have fire pit out back....its nice kick back and laugh by the fire...

fnord · Post edited by fnord at 2012-04-23 13:18:57

to the OP, you should have just titled the thread "look how cool my living situation is!" instead of beating around the bush, asking us about our living situations.

yes, it is very cool! i'm super envious! it sounds like a fucking utopia.

i love where i'm at now but part of me can't wait for the day when my son is 18 or 20 or whatever and i can do my own thing again, which hopefully will be a desert compound in Arizona somewhere. probably Phoenix area.

dhizzo

Suburbia till thrusday (sold a house that me and a buddy owned for over 5 years), then a small apartment for 2 months with the gf, then a 1900sqft duplex I just bought that needs some serious reno work with the gf and her mom.

I'll be happy to have my own(as in ownership) place.

kurtsu

I still live in the same house where I have lived all my life. That means I still live with my parents (I'm 19 years old). We pretty much live in the woods as well, I used to hate living in the middle of nowhere but recently I've really started to appreciate it. Nowadays I think It's a huge privilege to live in the nature and not in some noisy, exhaust gas filled chaotic concrete jungle.

jimmybob

I live in a 2 bedroom condo with my wife and 18 month old daughter in a beach town full of hippies - we dig it here. We live on a river that feeds into the ocean and see Dolphins swimming probably 3-4 times a week.

AudaxPowder

I live in a small town at home with my parents still. I'm 22 and horribly antisocial. The community from what I understand boils down like this: part retirement community vs. part blue collared tweaker vs. part redneck vs. part lost souls vs. part energy vampires. A positive is that my county is right next to Northern California's legendary Emerald Triangle therefore the cannabis is quality (damn dry season starting up soon though). The actual town I'm in is one of the nicest around the County at least, and I live only a few blocks away from a really nice lake, but the damn "Park Rats" spoil that though. I just keep to myself and continue to dwell in the same room I've lived in my whole meat body's existence. Just waiting for an opportunity I can push myself to actually jump on I think. :/

jackscoldsweat

@fnord I thought the same thing.

I live in a decently sized (for NYC) one bedroom with my girlfriend and cat. I like the building, it is quiet and close to the subway and everything else I could need.

RatzCarlton

fnord said:
to the OP, you should have just titled the thread "look how cool my living situation is!" instead of beating around the bush, asking us about our living situations.

haha, well like i said, there are ups and downs to living here. its not paradise, but its definitely a happy and comfortable place with tons of vibrant good energy. the housemates and i spend alot of time laughing, which makes it feel even more healthy.

on the negative end of the spectrum, for example, about three months ago, in a huge wind/rain storm, two of our trees fell over - blocking the only access road out of our neighborhood and knocking out the power for three days. and around here, when you dont have power, you dont have water either. it was three days of shitting in the woods around the house and climbing through a mayhem of downed trees with my bike just to make it into town!

and also, @fnord, i am curious to see how everyone lives cause the way someone chooses to occupy their shelter tells alot about who they are. it can even shape their personality as well. i wasnt intending on rubbing my situation in anyones face. plus, for some people, living at a place like this would be a nightmare!

thanks for the responses everyone! keep em coming! ps - we named the house the "Ratz Carlton," hence my username. its a very fitting title for the place due to the amount of rats with whom we share the house, and our open door crash policy with friends and couch surfers who need a floor to sleep on.

DevilsAvocado

I've lived in houses across the spectrum, from the delapidated student house with no hot water and a pool table in the lounge to the luxury apartment across the road from the beach. Right now I live full time with a disabled guy who I care for in a small village. It's really about the people you share your home with more than the structure.

Nappi

I live in my own house with my girlfriend and two cats, in a small town near Turku, which is a bigger city(in Finnish scale).

DrStrib

I live in a 10'x12' box with a bathroom attached. It's driving me insane.
New apartment should be happening in July.

thatdude21601 · Post edited by thatdude21601 at 2012-05-07 14:55:49

I live in a house that seems to have been modeled to look like a big gray barn. My two closest neighbors are really cool. Nobody complains about pets tresspassing or riding through each other's property. I get to be a hermit, yet still be close to neat people.

One is cool old married couple about a mile away, but connected through trails in the woods/behind the fields. The husband is chief of staff for the Enviroment and Society center of Washington College, which has a really funny naked party for May Day (video is not about my neighbor, just about how the May tradition started).

The other nieghbors are a younger family (also my first cousin) maybe 50-100 yards away, we share a lane and have two bridges connecting our yards...One for vehicles, and one a foot bridge (see a picture in the gardening thread). They run a local & mail order boat canvas and awning business.

Nobody is too nosey, or complains about our pets making a super gang and roaming all over. They don't complain about weed smoke and sitting in the yard naked, and I don't complain about fireworks and loud music. Would be almost perfect if it didn't snow, I wasn't allergic to poison ivy, and Maryland didn't tax the fuck out of everything.

Doug Benson played the theatre here, and described it as an adorable hippy art community ( https://twitter.com/#!/DougBenson/statuses/71375024744972289 )

Maybe not though, because Ari was supposed to come, but it seems church people got him banned last minute ( http://www.arishaffir.com/what-happened-to-suffering-in-silence/ ).

LDShaw

I live in a trailer with my two dogs. I enjoy living by myself but I can't wait to move into something a little more... not a trailer.

messi

RatzCarlton said:
i live in a large old janky mansion in the redwoods with 13 other twenty-somethings. we have crazy parties with live music that usually end up with lots of people getting naked and dancing. our water and power frequently go out at very inconvenient times. the common areas are often a mess. generally we all get along but there are some frictions between the housemates here and there. we have a garden and one of the housemates is starting an organic egg operation so we have 450 chickens in a hen house here too. theres a pool on the property. we dumpster dive for food.

we have a crazy crotchety misogynistic 92 year old landlord that built another house on the property where he stays one night a week. he once called one of the girls a "red-headed cunt". he uses a hockey stick as a cane and still makes the 80 mile drive to our house every friday from where he lives.

the house has a lot of interesting history - one of the doobie brothers once lived here. jack o'neill (from the o'neill wetsuit company) used to live here. the house was once raided by the DEA cause some old tenants used 7 of the 8 bedrooms for growing weed. we also think at one point a kid died here - drowned in the pool or something.

overall i like living here, though sometimes it can be a little overwhelming. i have my own room, which is nice to be able to retreat to when i need privacy. its also nice having the opportunity socialize with the rest of the group whenever i want.

im just curious - whats the craziest/best/worst living situation ya'll have ever experienced? does anyone else do the communal living thing? how is it working out for you? do you prefer to live alone or with others? if you live alone do you ever get lonely?

how did you end up there?

messi

messi said:

RatzCarlton said:
i live in a large old janky mansion in the redwoods with 13 other twenty-somethings. we have crazy parties with live music that usually end up with lots of people getting naked and dancing. our water and power frequently go out at very inconvenient times. the common areas are often a mess. generally we all get along but there are some frictions between the housemates here and there. we have a garden and one of the housemates is starting an organic egg operation so we have 450 chickens in a hen house here too. theres a pool on the property. we dumpster dive for food.

we have a crazy crotchety misogynistic 92 year old landlord that built another house on the property where he stays one night a week. he once called one of the girls a "red-headed cunt". he uses a hockey stick as a cane and still makes the 80 mile drive to our house every friday from where he lives.

the house has a lot of interesting history - one of the doobie brothers once lived here. jack o'neill (from the o'neill wetsuit company) used to live here. the house was once raided by the DEA cause some old tenants used 7 of the 8 bedrooms for growing weed. we also think at one point a kid died here - drowned in the pool or something.

overall i like living here, though sometimes it can be a little overwhelming. i have my own room, which is nice to be able to retreat to when i need privacy. its also nice having the opportunity socialize with the rest of the group whenever i want.

im just curious - whats the craziest/best/worst living situation ya'll have ever experienced? does anyone else do the communal living thing? how is it working out for you? do you prefer to live alone or with others? if you live alone do you ever get lonely?

how did you end up there?

Seems like an awesome place to live with a band.

StarIV

I'm not usually a fan of living with others. Every once in a great while I find someone, or some people that I vibe with really well. I love people, I love spending time with people, but when I'm going to my home I tend to like being mostly alone. I live with my girlfriend in a house that is far too large for us and the 2 dogs we have. Right now we're working on saving up to build a small house, possibly a tumbleweed. I have an edible landscape in the backyard, where I grow most of my vegetables, and the required manicured front lawn. I'm really excited about owning a tiny house. Anyone else into the tumbleweed house idea?

Jose

I live in chalet in Switzerland with my wife and 4 year old son. It's a drafty old place, and our land lord hates children.
Next year we're gonna start up a commune in Hawaii. I love community living. I spent a year living in Hostels in Australia. It was one of my funnest years. Your house in the woods sounds awesome. eggs are amazing. Think of all the beautiful things we're able to create using the product of a birds menstrual cycle. I'm goins to start a discussion of that now. Thaks Ratzcarlton.

MK667

I live in a small 2 bedroom 1 bath house with my fiance and my step daughter. We are about 2 blocks away from a massive lake. The scenery around here is nice, i have a lake & a huge system of hills/mountains behind it to look at.

I've never had the greatest time living with roommates. I'll never do it again if i can help it. Sometimes it's just nice to know that someone ISNT there.

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