The Cuckoo Compound

We are Cuckoo. We are a casual commune, of folks living together in order to live better.
• We are not an income sharing commune.
Mo owns the property, others pay rent and utilities as designated
• What we value: we value direct communication, clean functional and fun space, consent, being kid friendly, eco-consciousness, building community, practicing self-care, and social justice / working against oppression and systems of oppression.
o Direct communication: We aspire to avoid passive aggressive or angry aggressive communication, and instead engage each other directly when issues inevitably arise. We strive to avoid defensiveness and avoidance, and to process together.
When direct communication does not resolve the disconnect between individuals and/or needs a mediator or is applicable to the home on a whole. Generally speaking, having the house on respectable terms when there are conflicting ideas is our goal.
o Clean functional space: We keep our space cleaner than many commune or punk houses do. We want people that we live with to be committed to this as well. Having functional home is the goal here. EXAMPLE: you use a ladder you put it back where it belongs so that the next person doesn’t have to look for it or you to find the ladder.
Keeping the house organized helps for the functionality of all its inhabitants, it allows for the how to stay cleaner longer and for trust amongst peers.
o Fun/We Enjoy: potlucks, game nights, cookouts, gatherings, dance parties, trips to art museums, hiking or visiting parks, swimming at Lake Anna or the James river, punk shows, etc.
o Consent: We want there to be consent for physical and sexual interactions between people who are here. People violating consent will be asked to leave, no exceptions, no warnings, this is not acceptable. The body is a temple.
o Being Kid Friendly: We are home to one or more children at all times, and this is non-negotiable. What kid-friendly means to us: In communal space and or child play space weapons of the intended and unintended kind are not to be available or left unattended, toxic chemicals, drugs or dangerous depending on age must be considered always for the safety of the child and mental well-being of the parent. This also includes topics of aggressive nature, we do not fight, throw in anger, slam doors, yell hit or become aggressive to the best of our ability outside of a child’s safe space we certainly will not tolerate in child-safe space.
o Discipline: Please do not discipline other people’s children unless you have permission. Children should have someone supervising them at all times on the property. If a guardian is leaving a child here, there needs to be a designated person bottomlining supervising that child while the parent is away.
• Eco-consciousness: We engage in our lives in a variety of ways intended to do our small part in being earth friendly, from conserving water and electricity to bringing about the downfall of the military industrial complex.
• Building Community: We are interested in connecting with our local neighbors as well as building connections with nearby communes.
• Practicing Self Care: We want to support each other’s physical, mental, and emotional well being and create an environment where meditation, yoga, therapy, exercise, hydration, healthy food, and talking to friends are part of day to day life and our culture.
• Behavior:
o We will not allow abusive behavior, including slamming doors in anger, yelling and calling names, physical threats, punching inanimate objects (exception being the literal punching bag), breaking items, and other behaviors indicative of abuse and out of control anger. Children live here and they deserve better and will get better. People engaging in these behaviors will be asked to leave immediately.
o We will not allow homophobic, sexist, racist, ableist, classist, and other oppressive language or behavior. If this occurs, anyone who feels uncomfortable should be able to request help from other housemates, and the issue should be addressed. If the majority of folks feel like the conversation was not productive, an outside mediator will be brought in, Refusal to engage in productive conversation, or failure for change in behavior will result in being asked to leave.
o Fuck around and find out is real.
House Logistical Info:
o Electricity:
We have solar panels, but they have a limited capacity. It is still important to turn off lights and fans when not in room, turn off power switches, and generally conserve electricity. In the winter months when electricity is used for heat, it is important to keep windows and doors closed. We do not have AC. Try to unplug ‘vampire light’ appliances when not in use- ie coffee machine, coffee grinder. Estimated electric bills are 50-100 a month.
We have a propane generator in the first attached garage bay with the wires for the connecting of the generator to the house, under the twin bed. The generator plugs in on the front of the house, but must be run outside of the house. Propane tanks and gas cans live in red garden shed.
• Woodstoves:
o Only competent people may use the woodstoves in the house and garages. If you are using the woodstoves, you are responsible to make sure there aren’t hazards, like burnable items too close to the source of heat, coals on the floor, etc. Like most communal resources, if you are using firewood, you should also be contributing to gathering and chopping firewood.
• Smoking:
o No smoking of any substance inside any building. If you smoke, all cigarette butts must be immediately cleaned up and disposed of. Nonsmokers always have priority over smokers, so even when hanging outside please make sure the people around you are ok with you smoking. Repeated violations of this would result in being asked to leave. Do not use communal resources, like the kitchen matches for lighting cigarettes
• Drinking Alcohol/Doing Drugs:
o While drinking alcohol is allowed, unacceptable behavior is unacceptable regardless of reason. If someone’s alcohol or drug consumption seems to be contributing to their bad behavior, it is acceptable for this to be addressed by others.
o Marijuana is legal, but needs to be kept away from children.
o In general, the priority is not to be a safe space for drugs or alcohol, these are secondary needs at best, and other needs and feelings will be given more weight. If folks feel uncomfortable with someone’s consumption limits may be set.
o Compost and Hogs Buckets:
o We compost- include in the white buckets items such as: paper towels, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable scraps, baked goods, and egg shells. Compost goes in white buckets, which are then carried to the compost pallet bins out past the orchard. Please take your turns to carry them out there!
o We feed hogs and chickens- include in the blue buckets items such as: leftover food, meat but NOT PORK, vegetables and fruits and breads. Ideally hogs are fed twice a day, Mo bottomlines but welcomes help. Usually 4 buckets are filled and dumped, ideally not at the gate but at other side of chicken coop in a less muddy area. There are 5 water pans in the hog/chicken area we keep filled also. The spicket for that hose is by the woodshop.
o Trash and Recycling: We have to take our own trash to the dump. When the kitchen trashbag is full, please remove it and take it to the trash area outside next to the gym. The trash from this area needs to be transported to the dump about once a week, we all participate. Non-food trash can generally be loaded onto the trash trailer unless it is needed for some other activity. Recycling is put in bins on the screen porch, and then the full bins are also take to the chainlink trash area next to the gym. Please do not leave trash in the screened porch.
REcycling is currently not happening, unless someone other than Mo wants to bottomline a system and take it to recycling center themselves.
• Kitchen:
o The kitchen is a communal space, and we all deserve to have access to a clean and functional area to prepare food in! Please do not leave out prepared food in containers without lids. In fact, even in the fridges, food needs lids on the containers.
o The stove is gas, we keep matches in the drawer to the right of the stove, please dispose of matches in a non-flammable container, also please contribute to the match stash if you use them. Do not use these kitchen matches for cigarettes. The front right burner of the stove is erratic and sometimes blows itself out, so please be extra careful if you are using it. In general don’t leave stuff unattended in the oven or on the stove.
o The Cracker Barrel cast iron pan is Mo’s for vegan items only.
The small sink on the left of the sink is for holding sponges and cleaning implements not dishes please
o Please wash your dishes in a timely manner, within a day at worst is ideal. We all have times it gets away from us, but generally we want a clean counter and clean sink. Please also take turns putting away dry dishes. Please participate in wiping down counters, rotating through communal produce and baked goods, and generally keeping things nice.
o Some kitchen appliances are personal. Ie: blenders, juicer, air fryer, please ask before using.
o Foils, saranwrap, Ziploc bags, wax paper, etc. need to be contributed to if you use them.
o Please do not hoard dirty dishes or Tupperware in your car or room. Also if you are going to use a lot of Tupperware, like consistently keeping it full, please buy/bring your own.
Please don’t take glasses to the bathroom- glass in bathroom is a bad plan.
Please don’t use Mo’s nalgenes or thermos’s
• Coffee: If you drink coffee, please do! We tend to take turns buying, or chip in to buy coffee and filters. Same goes for creamer and sugar, if you use, contribute please.
• Communal food:
o Produce and baked goods left on the low counter will be assumed to be communal unless otherwise marked. If you are eating communal food, you should also be contributing to communal food sources, either by purchasing, dumpstering, growing, etc.
• Fridges/Freezers:
o Each fridge or freezer will have a sign on it to say which areas are communal and which are personal. Food in a communal space but marked with someone’s name is not communal. Communal and personal areas should be sorted through and cleaned on a regular basis.
• Bathroom:
o Please keep toilet lids closed so dogs don’t drink pee water and then lick us with pee water mouths.
o If you live here, please be involved in cleaning bathrooms, including toilet, sinks, counters, showers, floors and tubs on a monthly basis. You use it, you clean it, and it is important for you to do your own emotional labor of remembering to do this.
o We will be trying to make sure everyone has their own shelf or drawer to use in a bathroom, and please don’t use other people’s toiletries without asking.
• Laundry:
o Laundry machines on-site
o Items we share, like bath rugs, kitchen towels, mop heads, all need to be washed! If you live here, you need to participate in laundering these items. If you haven’t done this in more than a month then you should.
o Please provide your own laundry detergent and dryer sheets. Washer and dryer need to be treated carefully, try not to overload.
o Cleaning out lint tray, and any wrappers, candy, cig butts for the next washer/dryer user
• Paper Goods and Cleaning Products:
o If you use toilet paper or paper towels, which you do, you need to help pay for them! We can all go in and split big packs, or take turns buying, but it needs to feel fair to folks. We also need items like sponges, dish soap, counter cleaners, trash bags etc. and these costs should be shared.
• Internet:
Allegedly we are getting FIrefly in 2023, but who knows. Currently Mo and Star both have their own internet Jetpacks from Verizon which work pretty well. If you want internet please eithe get your own line or pay someone for sharing theirs.
• Water and Sewer:
o We are on a well and septic system. SO, we have water but we need to be conservative with the use of it, especially in dry times, but in general just so we aren’t assholes. SO like, turn the faucet off while you brush your teeth. This also means unlike an urban spot, there is no monthly water bill, part of rent just goes towards the maintenance of this stuff. Also if the power goes out, each toilet has about 1 flush before no more, so save that flush for turds.
• Gym:
o Please keep the gym clean and return equipment to its place. This means take weights off of bars at the end of your sessions. No unsupervised kids allowed. If you break it you buy it.
Pool: There is an aboveground pool with a deck in progress. Please don’t get into it when you are dirty. Make sure the gate is locked when unattended. No unsupervised children allowed. No glass in the pool. Consider helping to clean and maintain the pool if you use it.
• Woodshop:
Wood shop use is a privilege and not a guarantee that comes with living here.
o Please never use a tool you are uncomfortable with. Please do not generally use woodshop without permission unless you are using your own equipment. Please replace saw blades, drill bits, etc. that you use. Please do not use nails or screws or sandpaper or paint without asking, that stuff is expensive. If you break it you buy it. Please always ask Mo before using materials.
• Common Areas:
Try to limit the amount of personal items left in common areas to keep them accessible to all. Please help dust, sweep, vaccuum, mop all common areas on a regular basis.
o TV:
if you want the tv for special event, discuss with all to reserve the space, if you are having adult movie time, let a parent know? If people are using the communal tv area and you want watch a movie it has to be agreed upon, share the space essentially.
o Music: People are welcome to play music, live or recorded, in their rooms or common areas. It is considered polite to ask before dominating a common area with sound, but also equally perfect for someone to respectfully ask for music in a common area to be turned down or off, or for music from a room to be turned down or off.
o Animals:
Please ask animal owners before feeding them. Please do not hit or strike animals. Please report any issues with the animals to the owners. If you see animals left penned in a certain area, please leave them in that area unless you ask the owner.
We basically have cats in the front of the house and dogs in the back, so keeping the dutch door closed at all times is important.
o Guests:
A guest is the responsibility of the person who brings them. Please notify folks ahead of time for any guest coming to stay for several days in a row, and please orient your own guest. We won’t tolerate the slow slide of guest into permanent guest into accidentally lives here, these are conversations that should be had assertively.
o Privacy:
Please respect the privacy of people in their personal rooms, and knock and ask before entering.
o Nudity:
We allow nudity whenever, but please never sit your bare bottom on any furniture. Please keep the nudity from being sexual in common areas.
• Outside:
Please respect the outside spaces. Everyone needs to help with yardcare and cutting grass/weedwacking, while simultaneously not killing the plants we do want to grow. Get a tour before engaging in this behavior.
o Parking:
Parking isn’t ideal here, but please lets cooperate and make the best of it. Please park on pavement when possible, without obstructing others, or to the right side of driveway when pulling in. Please park efficiently. If you go in the grass, be careful, and if you get stuck please fill in the ruts.
o Events:
We host events, not all people who live here have to participate in events, but it would be nice if everyone was given adequate notice, and would accomodate events to some extent – ie not walk around being a stompy grumpy guts and rude to people during a cookout, etc.