Sofia

Front Yard | Sofia House

1239 Spaight Street, Madison, WI 53703

Rent Range Numbers of Rooms Numbers of residents Adults Children
$365-550 7 7-12 7 0

Membership Process:

 

If you are interested in membershipping with Sofia, please reach out to sofiamembership@madisoncommunity.coop

 

We have a 3 step process. Current house members vote on each step before proceeding with the next one:

  1. Filling out our Google Form questionnaire (physical copy available upon request). 
  2. Attending an interview & meet-and-greet.
  3. Attending a final interview/meet-and-greet plus house tour. 

 

Applicants will have the opportunity to review our full policy book before membershipping.

Sofia extends an initial trial lease of 3 months to ensure fit for everyone. 


In Our Words:

Welcome to Sofia Cooperative! Sofia Co-op is a beautiful house located on the near-East side, within walking distance of Willy St. Co-Op, several parks, Lake Monona, and many great restaurants and community resources. Our house features hardwood floors, three porches, a backyard with garden boxes, and ample attic storage.

 

We strive to create a clean, cozy, and warm atmosphere. We are looking for diverse people who are passionate about building intentional community and willing to contribute labor to keep the house running smoothly. We recently made major updates to the cooperative’s policies, culture, and physical structure, and are truly excited to find members who will continue to set the tone for our cooperative moving forward.

 

We welcome members of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. Some interests among our current members include gardening, cooking and baking, board games, playing music, arts and crafts, dancing and theatre, social justice, cycling, and mental health.

 

We have been building community in the house by doing things like movie nights, house outings, board game nights, Sunday Brunch Day, and holiday potlucks. We also strive to collaborate with other houses when we can. We do not currently have a shared meal plan.


About the Co-Op

  • Bedrooms: Our house has 7 bedrooms; 2 on the ground floor and 5 on the second floor. We are considering renovations to expand the kitchen and move 2 of the rooms to the top floor.
  • Shared spaces: We have a dining room, front porch, back porch, balcony, unfinished basement, attic storage, and a small hang-out space on the third floor. Our attic currently offers plenty of storage, and our shed in the backyard is an option for bicycle storage. Our third floor space currently includes a ping pong table, board game collection, and electric keyboard.
  • Our yard: Our backyard includes a garden box, fire pit, and grill. We also have space on our balcony for gardening in buckets or pots (also great for some outdoor yoga!).
  • Transportation: We do not have a parking lot, but street parking is generally available within one or two blocks. We are near the bike path and many bus routes, including the 3/7, 38, and 4.


Member Expectations

Requirements include:

  • doing 1-3 chores per week to keep the house clean; 
  • participating in house meetings 2x per month;
  • participating in a renovation/upkeep project every 1-2 months as a house;
  • maintaining clean and sanitary shared spaces;
  • We currently don’t have a shared meal plan, so there are no cooking obligations. However, we strive to share meals and spend time together when we can and may implement house meals in the future.


We have found that consistent participation from all house members in basic chores, meetings, and house projects is truly necessary for the wellbeing of the cooperative due to our relatively small size. Further, some members take on additional jobs such as Maintenance Coordinator, Accounts Receivable, and Membership Coordinator. These jobs are voluntary, based on people’s abilities and needs.


COVID-19 Considerations
: several members work outside of the house and thus have some exposure risk. We are not hosting guests overnight. Other guest visits have been negotiated on a case-by-case basis. This topic will be revisited as vaccination rates go up and infection rates go down.

If you are interested in membershipping with Sofia, please reach out to sofiamembership@madisoncommunity.coop. We will provide you with a membershipping questionnaire and we are happy to answer any questions you may have!



Neighborhood

Is Parking Available?
Yes
What kind of parking is available?
On street parking

Meals

Is meat allowed in the house?
Yes

Pets

Current Pet Situation:
1 cat

Pet Policy:
No cats or dogs. Smaller pets may be kept in room.
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