“We met already in the University Chaplaincy Centre,” tells Wojciech Partyka, one of the co-founders of the cooperative. “We trust one another and we want our children to grow up together. We are not afraid that this kind of common investment might lead to conflicts between us. The aim of contracts is to specify everything clearly and leave no room for misunderstandings," he adds. “The cooperative does not bind us for life - we realise that after a few years someone may want to move house or change something.”
So far they have been absorbed by the idea of cooperatives since last year's autumn. "This subject has really drawn me in,” laughs Wojciech Partyka. “The process of establishing a cooperative and making formal arrangements is quite long and strenuous, but we are not giving up,” he adds.
At present, they are at the stage of designing their future house and negotiating building loans with banks. “Luckily, in our cooperative there is an architect – Piotr Marek, one of the authors of exemplary plans of buildings in Nowe Żerniki. With his support, we can elaborate the urbanistic and architectural concept of a house that will suit us best.”
How will their future house look like? Apartments will have an area of around 75 square meters, and a common space is being planned with a bicycle storage room and a social room where family events can be organised and children can play. There will also be a living room for accommodating a guest of a given family. Moreover, there are plans to set apart commercial premises for lease. "We don't know yet what will be there – a service point or a shop," says Wojciech Partyka. “We’ll make a decision when we know more about the needs of the housing estate.”
They will also develop land around the building – a playground for children, a barbecue site and a car park will be created there. „Maybe at the second stage of the investment we will build an underground garage and the second wing of the building," wonders Partyka.
When the architectural concept is ready, they will have to prepare a cost estimate of the investment, select the main contractor, sign a preliminary agreement with him and then obtain a credit promise from a bank. All of this is necessary to participate in a tender for the right of perpetual usufruct to the plot on which they want to build their house.
“Residential cooperatives are a completely new idea in Poland. Banks don’t know how to approach us. We are negotiating a loan with a small co-operative bank. It is more flexible and friendly," says Partyka. “We hope that we spend Christmas in the new house next year.”
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