05/06/2020
Our community group house is looking for a temporary tenant from now to approximately mid-October. Extension beyond October may be possible.
Location:
Our 10 BR house is located in Rainier Beach, on the No 7 and No 106 bus lines, and a short drive from the Rainier light rail.
The Room;
The room is on the upper floor, 177 SF with a good closet, bright and airy, and shares a huge “Jack and Jill” bathroom with the adjacent bedroom. The bathroom has two sinks, granite counter-tops, lots of cabinet space, and a separate room with full bath and toilet. The room is currently furnished with a queen bed and desk, although we can store the furniture if you have your own. The picture shows what would be your bedroom (but the furniture has changed).
The House:
The house is huge and kinda fancy, three stories, with 8 bedrooms in the main house and two in the attached mother-in-law. It was a “McMansion” when we bought it, and we have converted a lot of the excess space into more bedrooms, because we like living together and we don’t like spending most of our income on housing. The house has a grand deck and a gorgeous view of Lack Washington on two sides, but it has very little yard. We have turned half of the deck into a planter garden. It has a fancy gourmet kitchen, and another full kitchen in the MIL. Both kitchens are open to all. Seven of our bedrooms are occupied by “core” members of our intentional community, one open to traveling community members (and available as a guest room) and two (including this one) are occupied by short term tenants. We have common meals often, and other times we prepare our meals separately but eat together. There are two children in the house (2 ½ and 3 ½), and the living area is kid friendly. You are welcome to have guests in your room, as long as they don’t become unpaid housemates, and you can even ask for use of the guest room. We have some storage space available, but we don’t have room in the common areas for more furniture or kitchen equipment. We are not big TV watchers, but we have a TV in the living room and we do watch some some movies and shows together.
The People
The house’s residents range from 30s to 60s (not counting the kids.) It’s a house of mostly professional people, with a couple retirees and a full-time mom and dad along with the kids. There is a very shy cat in the MIL, but otherwise we cannot take pets, due to allergies. We are “poly-centric” and q***r friendly, although no one currently living here describes themselves as q***r. (We haven’t asked the kids yet.) We eat everything (excepting peanuts, due to an extreme allergy), but we are supportive of everyone’s food needs and choices. The main thing you should know is that we are part of a community, and this house is often the central gathering place for the community. During Covid time, this is not happening, but in times of more normal interactions this house hosts a number of events, both regular and irregular. There is on average about three events per month. You are welcome to partake in these events, but if you don’t, you will usually need to avoid the main kitchen and living area during events.
We love utopian communities. We like people in all their variety. We kinda like saving the planet. We have occasional arguments. We process our feelings a lot. We are part of a larger community, and community is really important to us.
Some Guidelines:
Smoking (to***co and cannabis) is are not allowed in the house, but outside is ok. Alcohol and cannabis in other forms are fine in moderation, but if you consume much, you need to do it in your room. Also we should mention that we do in-house communications via an app called Slack. We expect you to use this app (either on your phone or computer) to receive house-related notifications. We are happy to help you get set up with Slack. Also we send and receive all payments via PayPal.
The Price, and what you get for that:
The room rents for $675, plus utilities that have averaged $90/month over the past year, not counting food. We typically buy food together and share the cost as a utility, but you can choose how much you partake in the shared food program. There is shared responsibility for cleaning the living spaces and keeping the kitchen clean. Utilities also include fast WiFi, Netflix and Prime. The rent includes household goods like toilet paper and laundry soap. We have a full complement of dishes, pots and pans, and appliances, so we ask that you use what we have and not add your own. Up front costs are the first month’s rent and a damage deposit equal to the rent, and a utility deposit of $150. This totals to $1,502. We will return all these deposits quickly if you leave your room undamaged and settle your utilities before leaving.
The Community
You might not care, but in case you are curious: The house is called Ryan House, and ours is the largest of the 4 houses that consider themselves part of Star Community. These four houses are spread throughout the city, from Aurora and 100th at the north end, to us at the south end. That said, there are community members who are not living in our houses, and there are house residents that are not part of our community. Altogether we are roughly 35 people, but it’s hard to be exact because there is no test of membership. If you show up, you are active in the community, and you say you are part of our community, then you are.
If interested, please send an email with your contact info and a little about yourself to [email protected]. We will call you for a Zoom interview, and go from there.
